Vanilla extract goes into pretty much every dessert recipe. If you bake a lot, you probably fly through bottles of vanilla-like crazy. That is why you need to stop buying vanilla at the grocery store and start making it at home. It is surprisingly easy to make and will cost much less than the vanilla in the grocery store. Use this very easy, one-step recipe, and you will have flavorful, homemade vanilla in no time!
What is Vanilla extract exactly?
Pure vanilla extract is an intense, aromatic liquid flavoring agent made from the pods of Vanilla planifolia, a tropical vanilla orchid. Its deep flavor, color, and aroma come from the black seeds in the pods, which are rich in vanillin. Just one tiny drop can drastically enhance the flavor of your favorite cakes, cookies, custards, and ice creams.
Pure vanilla extract (not to be confused with imitation vanilla extract) is made by washing and soaking vanilla beans in an alcohol and water solution. Over several months, the alcohol extracts the flavor and aroma of the beans into the solution, producing the vanilla extract. The more time it has to soak, the more intense the flavor.
The best homemade Vanilla extract recipe
With only two ingredients required, making homemade vanilla extract is super easy. I can be the best homemade culinary present and a wonderful weekend project on its own. The hardest part is waiting for it to be ready to use!
Ingredients
Whole Vanilla Beans - You will want to use high-quality vanilla beans, e.g. from Madagascar, to prepare your homemade vanilla extract. Use five beans per 1 cup of vodka.
Vodka - An 80-proof vodka (that has 40% alcohol) is necessary to infuse the vanilla beans properly. Vodka is the best since it is almost a no-flavor alcohol, but you can also use bourbon, brandy, or rum as long as it has the same alcohol content.
For recommendations on the ingredients and substitutions, read the original Vanilla Extract article at Spatula Desserts.
How to make DIY Vanilla extract? Step 1
- Slit the vanilla beans down the middle with a sharp knife until you fully expose the beans. It isn't necessary to completely cut them in half.
- Place the vanilla beans in your jar or bottle. If they don't fit, you can cut them into smaller pieces.
How to make DIY Vanilla extract? Step 2
- Using a funnel, pour your vodka on top of the beans until you fully submerge the beans.
- Gently shake the bottle or jar a few times to ensure you soak all the beans.
- Seal the bottle or jar and store the vanilla extract at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 6-12+ months. Shake it every 1-2 weeks.
- After a week or two the liquid will get darker and darker and start to develop some flavor
This homemade vanilla extract can be used after a few weeks, but the longer it infuses, the better it tastes.
Expert tips
- For cleanliness and the best outcome, clean and sterilize your bottle or jar before you use it.
- Avoid using flavored alcohol to infuse the vanilla beans, as it will no longer result in a pure vanilla extract.
- Always shake the bottle before and after each use to get the most vanilla flavor.
For more expert tips read the original Vanilla Extract article at Spatula Desserts.
How to use vanilla extract
Classic Crème Pâtissière (Vanilla Pastry cream filling) is a creamy custard that is the perfect filling for your cakes, eclairs, cream puffs, fruit tarts, etc. It has a super silky texture and deliciously creamy flavor loaded with vanilla beans. My easy pastry cream recipe is rich, buttery, custardy, and sweet but not overly sweet, you will love it!
Got to the recipe: Crème Pâtissière
Crème Mousseline (German buttercream)
With a rich and silky smooth custard-like character, this easy German Buttercream recipe aka Crème Mousseline is absolutely divine, my favorite buttercream frosting. It's composed of a simple pastry cream base that is enriched with butter, which is what makes it stand apart from more traditional sugar-heavy buttercreams. You can use Crème Mousseline on a variety of desserts from layer cakes and cupcakes to French macarons.
Go to the recipe: Crème Mousseline
Fraisier Cake
In this detailed recipe, I teach you how to make the traditional full-sized Fraisier cake. No doubt, elegant Fraisier cake is often seen in Patisserie windows and revered as a famous French pastry dessert.
But it is more simple to make than you think! As fancy as it looks, making French Fraisier cake is, in fact, rather easy. Buttery, fluffy sponge layers, decadent vanilla bean créme mousseline, and fresh strawberries are all you need.
Go to the recipe: Fraisier cake
Napoleon Cake
Make a statement with Napoleon cake made with sweet puff pastry and layers of silky pastry cream. Guests will love being served such an impressive-looking dessert and then subsequently be amazed at how good it tastes!
Go to the recipe: Napoleon cake
Mille Feuille
Mille Feuille is one of my favorite puff pastry recipes; it is sweet and delicious. Whilst we normally aim for a beautiful rise with puff pastry, it is weighed down during baking to prevent this from happening in Mille Feuille. The compacted pastry becomes deliciously crisp and is then stacked into a tower held in place with vanilla pastry cream (crème Pâtissière) and decorated with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, or chocolate.
Go to the recipe: Mille Feuille
Diplomat Cream
If you're looking for a classic pastry cream that is light, fluffy, versatile, and absolutely delicious, diplomat cream fits the bill. Also known as crème diplomate in French, this custard-like cream is a light concoction of pastry cream, whipped cream, and gelatin (optional). Whether you use it as a dessert filling, a dessert topping, or by itself as a sweet treat, it is just as decadent!
Go to the recipe: Diplomat Cream
This article was originally published as Vanilla Extract at Spatula Desserts.
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