Wedding Cake Vanilla Italian Buttercream Recipe

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla bean or extract, to taste (about 1 Tbsp)

1. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar with just enough water until it looks like wet sand. Cook over medium/low heat, stirring with a heat-proof spatula, until it reaches a soft ball stage (240u0b0F).
2. Meanwhile, beat egg whites on medium/high speed until they reach soft peaks.
3. When the sugar and eggs are at appropriate stages, keep the mixer on medium/high and slowly stream sugar into egg whites. Beat until glossy, slightly cooled, and to stiff peaks.
4. Add the vanilla and salt, and beat in.
5. With the mixer still on high, start adding the cubed butter one piece at a time, with a few seconds between additions. At around the 4th stick of butter the mixture will start to look loose and like it's separating; don't worry. Continue until all butter is beaten in, and then continue beating past the point of separation, when the frosting will become incredibly light and fluffy.

white sugar, egg whites, butter, salt, vanilla bean

Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/06/wedding-cake-vanilla-italian-buttercream.html (may not work)