A basic buttercream frosting is one of those baking building blocks that is simple to learn but incredibly difficult to master. What’s the ideal ratio of butter to sugar? How long should you whip it? Is it better to use vanilla extract, or vanilla beans? Do you add milk? Ask ten different bakers and you’ll probably get ten different answers for each question, but today we’re turning to one of our favorite baking masters for the cream of the buttercream crop: Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking, of course. She’s demonstrating how to make the best buttercream ever, and we’re sure that after you check out her guide with us, we can all stop looking for more buttercream recipes. Watch, learn, and master the buttercream.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean pod (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk or cream
• Pinch of salt

Delicious! The notes about letting the butter sit out for 3 hours and whipping it for 8 minutes before adding any other ingredients are so key. We’ll definitely be using this recipe from now on. If you feel the same, grab your copy of the full, printable recipe from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking site, and tell us how it turns out for you!