Azoresgal~Life on an Island

This buttercream is so light-and-fluffy, with a delicate vanilla flavor. I love the look of all the little specks of vanilla bean. So pretty. So simple. So good. Let´s not forget delicous, I swear you will want to eat it by the spoonful. I have no doubt it will become a favourite recipe, for frosting your cakes and cupcakes! 1 cup salted butter, softened 2 vanilla beans (seeded) OR 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 cups powdered sugar 3-5 Tbsp. heavy cream (or milk if you don't have cream) Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla bean paste (or the scrapings from 2 beans*), and the vanilla extract with the paddle attachment, scraping down the sides as necessary, continue mixing until it's smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time until it's all incorporated and moist. The mixture will be stiff. When all the sugar is mixed in, you can begin to add heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time until the consistenc...

The first time I made this chocolate frosting, I was 9 years old ! I made it to frost a birthday cake for my mother, it was her 30th birthday. This was way back in 1982 in Canada. My parents, in the evening had a part-time job, cleaning offices. They would go, after my father came home from his consruction job, and after we all had dinner. Off they would go leaving me in charge of the four of us ( the other three being, 7, 4 & 3,  the world was  very different then, we drank water from the garden hose, and did not wear seat belts or perhaps they just trusted that at 8, I was already responsible ). That one evening I decided I would bake my mother a birthday cake (kids please do not try this at home ). The cake itself was a butter cake,  I used a recipe from my mothers very big red portuguese cookbook ( a book every married woman had to have I suppose, because all my aunt's have the same book ) I remember using my mothers kitchen scales,...