Packed with real vanilla flavour, straight from the bean, this vanilla bean frosting is seriously good. The combination of genuinely silky smooth texture, creamy vanilla flavour and just the perfect light sweetness will have you wanting to eat this buttercream straight from the bowl.
With just 5 ingredients, this ermine vanilla bean buttercream is seriously amazing. While it takes an extra 5 minutes effort, the texture makes it so worthwhile and it’s not sickly sweet so you won’t end up with a toothache.
Try this German buttercream too.
Table of contents
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What is ermine frosting
Ermine frosting is a game changer in the buttercream world and absolutely, without a doubt my favourite frosting to use on cupcakes especially. I first learnt about it years ago on The Pioneer Woman.
It starts with a pudding base which is a simple mixture of flour and milk cooked together until thick. You don’t taste flour in this frosting, I promise. That mixture once cooled to room temperature, is beaten with butter and sugar just like a regular buttercream. And here’s the second major difference – it uses granulated sugar but the resulting buttercream is as smooth as silk.
It pipes beautifully and is much lighter on the sweetness than a regular American buttercream (or a buttercream made with powdered sugar/icing sugar). Not only that, but you don’t get the grittiness that you can just never seem to beat out in regular buttercream.
The only downside to ermine frosting is it’s best to use it immediately. It has a tendency to split if left unused and while you can re-whip it, even after a stay in the fridge overnight, you must make sure to bring it to room temperature first. You can make the pudding ahead of time if that helps but other than that, I do recommend using it straight away and not storing it.
Ingredients
This vanilla bean frosting is a simple mix of just 6 ingredients and you genuinely probably have most of them on hand already.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
Milk: Stick to whole milk in ermine frosting for the best flavour and the best emulsification.
Flour: You just need a little plain flour/all-purpose flour.
Sugar: Granulated sugar or caster sugar are what you need here. Don’t use powdered sugar. I like caster sugar because of it’s finer granules mean it dissolves quickly.
Unsalted butter: You can use salted butter and it really gives a lovely salted buttercream (it really is delish) but leave out the extra salt if you do. For a regular buttercream salt-level, stick to unsalted butter.
Vanilla Beans: To make vanilla bean buttercream we need vanilla beans and while these can be pricey there are some online sources where they’re a bit cheaper. You can think of this as a buttercream for a special occasion. You can get away with just 1 but 1 ½ or 2 will give you an even better flavour. You can of course use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in place of the vanilla bean but some of these tend to add colour to the buttercream. If you aren’t worried about that, then vanilla bean paste is wonderful. To make the most of your vanilla beans, try making my vanilla bean powder, then using that to flavour the vanilla buttercream.
Salt: Just a pinch of salt adds balance without making the vanilla frosting taste salty.
How to make vanilla bean frosting
There is just one extra step to make ermine vanilla frosting over making a regular buttercream but the rewards far outweigh that extra 5 minutes of work. It’s very simple to make; just follow the steps and you’ll be wanting this buttercream on everything.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Scrape the vanilla beans
Start by slicing your vanilla bean straight down the middle and open it up. Press the back of the knife down against the inside of the bean and push along to the end to scrape out all the vanilla seeds. Go over it a few times – make sure you don’t leave any behind.
2. Make the pudding base
The base is a simple mixture of milk and flour (plus I add half of the sugar at this point) that is cooked until thick. You must make sure to whisk this constantly so it doesn’t catch on the pan or become lumpy.
3. Cool the pudding
Tip the pudding mix into a shallow dish and press plastic wrap to the surface – this stops it from forming a skin. Now just let it cool to room temperature. While you can speed it up in the fridge, it must be room temperature when you add it to the butter.
4. Beat butter and sugar
Beat together softened butter and sugar for a good 5-6 minutes, scraping down the bowl a few times as you go. You want it to be light and creamy and almost whipped. I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for this to keep it hands off. Once it’s there, add the vanilla and salt and beat that in.
5. Add the pudding mix
Once the butter mixture is ready to go, start adding the pudding just a big spoonful at a time and count to 20 between each addition to give it a chance to incorporate. Do this on medium speed. Once all the pudding mixture has been added beat for another 5 minutes until it’s looking thick and whipped.
Troubleshooting ermine frosting
While this vanilla bean buttercream is fairly easy to make, it can be a little finicky if everything isn’t done just right. Sometimes you might find the mixture is too loose or runny or maybe your smooth buttercream looks like it’s separated. Here’s the reasons and how to fix it.
Frosting is runny or too loose
The thickness of your pudding base directly affects the thickness of your buttercream. So, if you didn’t get the pudding quite thick enough, it may result in the buttercream being a bit runny. It’s really important to cook the pudding low and slow, whisking the entire time so that it remains smooth and gets very thick.
The consistency may also be caused by the butter either beginning to melt if your pudding is too hot when you add it to the butter or the butter was far too softened before you began. Start with softened butter but not softened to the point of being greasy and make sure the pudding is at room temperature before starting.
My frosting curdled!
Curdling can happen if your butter or the pudding base is too cold, stopping the mixture from emulsifying together properly. In most cases, just keep beating, maybe switch to the whisk attachment and it should eventually come together.
You may find that as it sits, the frosting can start to look like it’s splitting. Again, just give it another beat until it’s smooth again. This is the reason ermine is best used immediately.
Storage
I find it best to use the frosting as soon as it’s ready, piping it onto your cakes or cupcakes straight away, then letting them chill in the fridge.
You can make it ahead but be very sure to bring the mixture to room temperature first, then you’ll likely need to give it another beat to return it to that smooth, silky consistency.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar) (200g / 7oz)
- 1 cup whole milk (250ml)
- ¼ cup plain flour (all purp flour) (33g / 1.2oz)
- 226 g unsalted butter, softened (1 cup / 2 sticks)
- 1-2 vanilla beans
- Pinch salt
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Heavy based medium saucepan
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, whisk together the milk, half of the sugar and the flour. Continue to heat and whisk gently but regularly for another 3-4 minutes until you have a very thick paste (like thick pudding).
- Transfer it to a plate, spread it out to about 1cm thick, then cover it with plastic wrap pressing the plastic wrap to the surface. Let it cool to room temperature before using (you can speed this up in the fridge but make sure it’s not cold when you use it).
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining sugar for about 5 minutes on medium-high speed or until very light and creamy – scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.
- Meanwhile, use a paring knife to cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, then use the back of the knife to scrape out the seeds.
- Add the vanilla seeds and salt to the butter mixture and beat for 20-30 seconds to combine.
- Now add the milk paste mixture a dessert spoonful at a time, beating on low-medium speed for about 30 seconds between each. Again, scrape down the sides often.
- Now beat for a good 5-6 minutes on medium-high, until it looks creamy, thick and smooth. If it looks like it’s splitting, just keep beating, it will come together.
- Use the frosting immediately. If it looks like it’s starting to split, just give it a good beat to emulsify again. This frosting can easily be coloured as well with powdered or gel food colouring.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
- If at any time, the mixture looks like it’s separating give it another beat to emulsify it again.
- The vanilla buttercream is quite aerated once it’s finished beating. I don’t bother, but if you want to remove a little air, just use a spatula to mix and press it against the sides of the bowl for a minute or so.
- Once piped the buttercream will hold it’s shape. It’s best to frost cupcakes or cakes immediately then chill them. You can chill the buttercream but it will likely separate as you bring it to room temperature and you’ll need to give a good whip to emulsify again.
- There is enough frosting to generously top 12 cupcakes.
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