Whipped Sea Salt Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Fluffy, silky-smooth buttercream with a balance of sweet, salty, and earthy. Two types of vanilla converge to make this the perfect frosting for any cake, almost like frosting your cake with ice cream, a la mode style.
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I know, I know. This recipe is kinda simple. Basic. Vanilla. (Sorry, I cant resist a good pun. 😉) But it’s really good! I’m finding more and more that plain vanilla American buttercream (as opposed to Swiss meringue or other fancy-yet-complicated types) is one of my favorites.
Between the richness of the vanilla bean, the extra oomph of the vanilla extract, and the hint of sea salt, you get a taste that is both sweet and slightly salty. It balances out a cake quite well. And the whipped texture is so soft and buttery smooth. The key is not going overboard on the sugar and also stirring it after you beat it for 3-5 minutes.
If you’re worried about it melting in hot weather, the fridge will be your BFF here. The butter makes the frosting firm up nicely with just a few minutes in the fridge. In fact, freezing it for a few minutes can help, too.
How to make whipped sea salt vanilla bean buttercream
It’s fairly simple. You just need to beat the butter until smooth. (Btw, my phone really wanted to autocorrect that to “beatbox the butter” and I had this image of someone beatboxing until the butter just did it’s thing 😂).
Add the powdered sugar in small amounts (usually 1 cup at a time, but if you’re making a half batch, do 1/2 cup at a time). Beat until smooth each time.
Scrape the bowl after every other addition of sugar. After adding about 4 cups (or the minimum suggested amount), add the vanilla bean, vanilla extract, and sea salt.
Beat until smooth then taste, adding more sugar as needed (or more vanilla or salt, but do so sparingly to avoid overdoing it).
If it looks pretty grainy (a little is fine) or is too stiff, add heavy whipping cream in splashes until it’s smooth. It will smooth out and become more spreadable as you whip it, so don’t add too much cream. In hot weather, I don’t add any and instead rely on the whipping to get it smooth and spreadable.
Once you’ve achieved the right taste, scrape the bowl one more time then turn the mixer up to high for 3-5 minutes. I like to stop halfway and scrape the bowl again, just so nothing along the edges gets missed—it will be a darker, more yellow color if it’s never whipped and will leave streaks as you frost your cake.
After you’ve whipped it, stir it vigorously by hand for about a minute to release the larger air bubbles.
Use right away or store in an airtight container on the counter up to a day (unless it’s warm in your house), in the fridge 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer 1-2 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours, until spreadable. Depending on how long you chill it, you may need to beat it for a minute or two once it’s thawed to fluff it back up.
Enjoy!
Pairs well with
Tips for this recipe
Use European butter
Something about European butter is just better. Okay, not something. Fat. Fat makes it better. European butter has less water, making it creamier. And before you get all worried about health, if you get butter from grass fed cows, it’s considered a healthy fat. Plus, it has the same calories as sweet cream butter (which is the standard butter in most US stores).
Use soft butter that is still matte
The sweet spot for butter is when it’s soft enough to make an indentation with your finger but not yet shiny (from getting too melty). This will create the best consistency for buttercream. If you over-softened it, just throw it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm it up.
See this post for more tips on vanilla buttercream
This recipe for classic American buttercream has tips on how to increase/decrease the recipe, make it pure white, and more about my obsession with fresh, fancy, European butter. But don’t worry, I still buy it at Costco, because in this house #costcoislife.
My buttercream tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this buttercream. Affiliate links provided.
Whipped Sea Salt Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- prep time: 10-15 minutes
Yields: about 3 cups, or enough to fill and frost a two- to three-layer 8” or 9” cake or pipe 24 cupcakes
- See note for scaling options
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) room temperature, unsalted, European style butter
- 4-6 cups powdered sugar, to taste (sift before adding if your sugar looks lumpy or you live in a humid climate)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (optional--use as needed to smooth frosting)
Instructions:
- Add butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large, deep mixing bowl and using a hand mixer). Beat butter on high for 1-2 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula a couple times.
- Add powdered sugar one-ish cup at a time, starting mixer on low to avoid a poof of sugar flying everywhere. Slowly increase speed to high, mixing until smooth after each addition (about 30 seconds or so for each cup). Scrape down bowl every 2 additions. If it’s looking grainy, add a small splash of cream when you scrape the bowl.
- After adding 4 cups powdered sugar, add vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, and sea salt and mix until fully combined. Taste your frosting and keep adding sugar, this time ½ cup or less at a time, until it reaches your desired taste or thickness. Add cream as needed, in small splashes, to smooth out the frosting (but remember that the next step will help smooth it as well). Don’t add too much cream, as there’s no recovering from that. Be conservative—you can add more later.
- Once you’re happy with the taste/thickness, scrape down the bowl again then beat on high for 3-5 minutes. I sometimes scrape the bowl once in the middle of this if I notice a yellower tinge along the edge of the bowl (see note about achieving a truer white color). This tinge just means the buttercream on the edge isn’t getting pulled in and whipped as quickly as the rest, and it can happen if you’re making a smaller batch or if you have a larger stand mixer (like I do).
- Once light and fluffy and fully blended, turn off mixer, remove bowl, then scrape down sides and paddle attachment. Using the same rubber spatula or a large wooden mixing spoon, stir vigorously by hand for about a minute, or until you no longer see any air pockets as you stir. When I’m feeling lazy, I mix semi-vigorously and just look for a smooth texture. If you’re making a large batch of frosting, you can theoretically do this with your stand mixer on low, but I’ve found it’s not as effective as stirring by hand. Just consider it part of your Michelle Obama arms workout. #sheismylifegoals
Enjoy!
If not using that day, place in a sealed container or piping bags (if using the next day) and refrigerate. Frosting will last, tightly sealed, in the fridge 2-3 weeks or in the freezer about 2 months. Let come to room temperature before using. Depending on how long you chilled it, you may need to whip it quickly in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer to fluff it back up.
