Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Stella Parks on April 17, 2022
Active:
45 minutes
Inactive:
1 hour
Total:
2 hours
Ingredients
Serves/makes 6
Instructions
1.
Make the custard: In a 3-quart stainless steel saucier, bring the milk and vanilla bean to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes. Alternatively cover and refridgerate for up to 24 hours to extract the deepest vanilla flavor
2.
Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl, followed by the eggs
3.
Return the milk to a simmer. Remove vanilla bean, scrape the flavorful pulp into the milk, and discard the pod. Lade 1/2 cup of hot milk into the eggs, whisking to combine. Repeat with a second and third ladleful then pour the warmed eggs into the pot and cook over medium heat whisking constantly, until the custard turns thick and lumpy, about 3 minutes.
4.
Once it begins to bubble sluggishly, continue cooking and whisking for 2 full minutes, to neutralize a starch-dissolving portein found in the yolks; the custard should be very smooth. Remove from heeat and stir in vanilla extract
5.
Pour the custard into a baking dish about 7-by-11 inches to speed the cooling process. Press a sheet of plastic against the surface and refridgerate until thick and cool, about 1 hour (or roughly 68°F). Alternatively, refridgerate for up to 1 week, then let stand at room temperature until warmed to 68°F before proceeding
6.
Finish the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mxer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until fluffly and light, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the thick pudding until smooth. Scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, then switch to the whisk attachment. Whipping on medium speed, add pudding a few tablespoons at a time, then drizzle in the lemon juice.
7.
Scrape the bowl once more and whip for a few seconds to ensure that no lumps remain. The buttercream should be light and creamy, but thick enough to hang upside down from a spoon.
Related
Misc.
Notes
I had a hard time with the custard, with the cornstarch it turned very rubbery. I had to use a blender with some whole milk to get it to thin out and not be so booger-y. I was able to debug and fix the custad though 😅
Next time try making the custad sans cornstarch (and without the vanilla pod to see if I can get it to work better before trying for real)