Vanilla Buttercream

This recipe can be used as a starting point for numerous other flavors. Vanilla buttercream can be flavored with lemon curd, coffee reduction, chestnut puree, hazelnut paste, praline paste, or various liqueurs to use as both a filling and an icing. When using it as a filling only, you can also add chopped toasted nuts or candied fruit. When using fresh fruit with a buttercream filling, it is best to arrange thin slices of fruit on top of a layer of buttercream then cover with additional but