Extremely light, creamy, and not too sweet, Swiss meringue buttercream is the perfect frosting. If you’re making Swiss for the first time or have tried and failed before, this recipe breaks down all of the techniques in easy detail and goes over all of the challenges and troubleshooting for making the best buttercream. If sweet frosting like traditional American buttercream is too sweet for you, you will love this recipe.
Making Swiss meringue buttercream frosting (also known as SMBC) is not hard, but it can be time-consuming. SMBC has a meringue base and is made by cooking egg whites and sugar, then whipping them to make a thick meringue, and whipping in butter. This recipe is the big sister of my mock-Swiss Easy buttercream frosting recipe, which skips the need to cook the egg whites by using pasteurized eggs.
Table of Contents
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients
Fresh egg whites will whip into a more stable meringue than carton egg whites. It’s a bit more work to separate the eggs yourself, but you can then use the leftover egg yolks for lemon curd, Boston cream pie, or creme brulee. Heating egg whites to 110°F is recommended for safe consumption, however, I recently learned that most raw eggs in the US are already pasteurized, so they’re technically safe to eat.
Vanilla is the main flavor of swiss buttercream, so it’s important to use good-quality vanilla. Vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or even a vanilla bean would work perfectly. Nielsen Massey makes really great vanilla bean products and focuses on sustainable environmental practices.
How to MakeSwiss Meringue Buttercream Step-by-Step
- Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer.
- Place the metal bowl of your stand mixer on top of the pot of water to create a bain-marie (or double boiler). The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the mixing bowl. Pro-tip: Wipe your bowl out with white vinegar before making the meringue. A very clean metal bowl will work best for this as the meringue is easier to whip up in metal rather than plastic.
- Cook the egg white mixture until it reaches 110ºF (43ºC) and constantly whisk the sides of the bowl to distribute the heat evenly. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, when you can no longer feel any sugar granules in the egg whites with your finger, it’s done.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer it to your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. You can use a hand mixer and a large bowl to mix your meringue, it will just take a lot longer to mix.
- Whip the egg and sugar mixture on medium-high speed for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you reach glossy, stiff peaks.
- Pour your meringue out into a shallow dish and refrigerate it for about 10 minutes to cool the meringue to room temperature. You can also put your entire bowl of meringue into the fridge, but it will take longer to cool. If you don’t cool the meringue it will melt your butter and then you’ll have buttercream soup.
- Once your meringue is cooled, put it back in your stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.
- Add the room-temperature butter, vanilla, and mix until it’s all combined.
- Whip the buttercream on medium/high speed until it is white, fluffy, and doesn’t taste buttery, this can take 8-10 minutes. Pro-Tip: To counteract the yellow in your buttercream, add a drop or two of violet food color gel to make it whiter.
- Switch to a paddle attachment and mix it on low speed for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles. This isn’t required, but if you want really creamy frosting, you do not want to skip it!
- This recipe is enough to frost and fill a two-layer 8″ x 2″ cake, or frost about 24 cupcakes. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.
FAQ
Yes, you can! Swiss meringue is very stable and makes a great base for using under fondant. I always refrigerate my buttercream cakes first before covering them to prevent bulging.
Italian buttercream is very similar to Swiss meringue but it is more stable. It involves boiling sugar to the hard crack stage and then drizzling it into your whipping egg whites. This makes the meringue very firm and more stable under high temperatures.
Although Swiss meringue buttercream is more stable than using whipped cream, it is still susceptible to high heat. Its main ingredient is butter after all, and butter WILL become very soft at around 80ºF and will melt fully at 90º after about 30 minutes in the sun. So it will melt, but so will any buttercream.
Yes, absolutely. You can refrigerate cakes with buttercream on them, you can store buttercream leftovers in the fridge for up to a week and you can freeze leftover buttercream for 6 months. Make sure you bring the buttercream back to room temperature and re-whip to get it nice and fluffy again before you use it.
Swiss meringue buttercream is ok to be left out for hours and hours. After about 8 hours it can get spongy though and lose its smoothness so it’s best to refrigerate if you’re not going to use it and then re-whip it. Cakes that are frosted in Swiss meringue buttercream can be left at room temperature for up to two days!
Yes, and to do that you will add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite cocoa powder or melted chocolate. Just whip it in at the end. I have a great recipe for chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream you will love as well!
You can add a few drops of gel food coloring to this buttercream to color it. It holds color well and gets darker overnight. Just be sure to not add too much food coloring or you’ll be able to taste it. To make darker colors, add a few drops of food coloring, remove about a cup and melt it in the microwave, then whip it back into your buttercream.
Related Recipes
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Moist Vanilla Cake and Easy Buttercream
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Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC)
Ingredients
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227 g) fresh egg whites about 8
- 16 ounces (454 g) granulated sugar
- 24 ounces (680 g) unsalted butter room temperature. You can use salted butter, but it will affect the taste and you need to leave out additional salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with the whisk and paddle attachments
Instructions
Making Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer.
- Place the metal bowl of your stand mixer on top of the pot of water to create a bain-marie (or double boiler). The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the mixing bowl. Pro-tip: Wipe your bowl out with white vinegar before making the meringue. A very clean metal bowl will work best for this as the meringue is easier to whip up in metal rather than plastic.
- Cook the egg white mixture until it reaches 110ºF (43ºC) and constantly whisk the sides of the bowl to distribute the heat evenly. If you don't have an instant-read thermometer, when you can no longer feel any sugar granules in the egg whites with your finger, it's done.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer it to your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. You can use a hand mixer and a large bowl to mix your meringue, it will just take a lot longer to mix.
- Whip the egg and sugar mixture on medium-high speed for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you reach glossy, stiff peaks.
- Pour your meringue out into a shallow dish and refrigerate it for about 10 minutes to cool the meringue to room temperature. You can also put your entire bowl of meringue into the fridge, but it will take longer to cool. If you don’t cool the meringue it will melt your butter and then you’ll have buttercream soup.
- Once your meringue is cooled, put it back in your stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.
- Add the room-temperature butter, vanilla, and mix until it’s all combined.
- Whip the buttercream on medium/high speed until it is white, fluffy, and doesn't taste buttery, this can take 8-10 minutes. Pro-Tip: To counteract the yellow in your buttercream, add a drop or two of violet food color gel to make it whiter.
- Switch to a paddle attachment and mix it on low speed for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles. This isn't required, but if you want really creamy frosting, you do not want to skip it!
- This recipe is enough to frost and fill a two-layer 8" x 2" cake, or frost about 24 cupcakes. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Bring all your unsalted butter to room temperature.
- Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe.
- Practice Mise en Place (everything in it’s place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
- Chill your cakes or whatever you are decorating with your buttercream before you begin frosting and filling.
- Making this buttercream is not hard, but it can be time-consuming. This buttercream requires heating egg whites with sugar over a double boiler until the sugar dissolves, and then whipping the egg whites into a meringue (and then whipping it into butter). If you want an easier recipe that skips heating the egg whites, check out my mock SMBC recipe for easy buttercream.
Can you use store bought egg whites in the carton for this recipe, and if so what would the measurement be on it?
If you want to use store bought egg whites then use the easy buttercream recipe which does not require heating. This recipe is only for using fresh egg whites.
Would I need to double this for a 1/2 sheet two tiered cake?
help! why does my buttercream taste buttery? it was shinny white before adding the butter. i’m using hand mixer btw.
If it tastes buttery, it needs to be whipped for longer until it’s white and very creamy
My favourite of all buttercreams. I learnt in patisserie school in the U.K., and have never looked back. Easy to make with a good stand mixer, and a Bain Marie (double boiler), is fine if you’re used to tempering chocolate as I am. Great, simple recipe, with good instructions.
Can this be used for piping?
yes you can!
How to use thr pasteurized egg whites in this recipe
Use the easy buttercream recipe
Help! I froze my leftovers and when I tried to reforst it again, it became all grainy and melted on the mixer. How can I fix it?
It’s just too cold, let it keep mixing
Please help. My meringue looks yellow and greasy. It is not white and fluffy. I tried whipping longer and it just looks greasier. What can I do?
It might be a little warm. Place into the fridge for 20 minutes then try whipping again 🙂
Do you use regular sugar or caster sugar?
Granulated sugar or caster sugar is good, just not powdered sugar or confectioners sugar
Please help? Everything was gorgeous until I added the butter…. my frosting ended up separating, was really melty, and I couldn’t get it to be creamy. How long do you have to whip the frosting after adding butter?
Just keep whipping! 🙂
Hi
Is this enough for a half sheet (2- 9×13) cake? I am making an 80th birthday cake and am going to split the two 9×13 in half and fill, put side by side to make a half sheet size.
Also, does this frosting mix well if I wanted to incorporate fruit into some for the filling?
THANKS
Yes on all accounts but you might need more frosting depending on how much you use and how you decorate.
why is my buttercream suddenly bleed while im frosting my cake, i colored it purple and it suddenly sweating and the color purple is just like watering on the cake, please help. thank you.
I am not sure what you mean, are you in a humid area? is your cake frozen?
Tried the Swiss meringue buttercream recipe, it was fine till I started adding the butter. It curdled and had a very light paste consistency, then I tried to salvage it by adding powdered sugar. It swallowed up the sugar but remained in that consistency. Please, what could have gone wrong how do I avoid it next time?
Thank you.
Just keep whipping 🙂
Just keep whipping. It will become creamy in the end.
I LOVE this frosting! ?? I used it on a 3 layers 8 inch round cake and there were quite a few bubbles in the frosting. It still looked okay, but I would prefer no bubbles. Do you have any recommendations on how to get rid of the bubbles before I use it? Thank you!
Yes, in the instructions it says to let the frosting mix on low with the paddle attachment for 10-15 minutes to remove air bubbles
??♀️ Thanks! ?
Hi Liz,
I would like to use this and color a batch yellow and one red. I have Rainbow Dust progel. How many drops of color should I use? Would a yellow buttercream go with the red velvet cake? Or would the white cake be better? And then how many drops of red?? Many questions I Know. Thanks so much in advance.
I wouldn’t put yellow frosting on a red cake, it will look like ketchup and mustard IMO. There is no exact science to adding color to frosting. Just add until it’s the color you want it to be. Start with a few drops and keep going. SMBC doesn’t usually get very dark though
Hi, I know this is old but add the food coloring to the meringue and it will change your life! The butter stops it from incorporating well. You’ll get richer colors by doing it this way.
Hi,
I know that swiss meringue becomes spongy when refrigerated and will need to be rewhipped to achieve that smooth consistency. Does the same apply if I refrigerate a cake that has already been frosted with swiss meringue? Or will it keep its smooth and fluffy texture
It doesn’t have quite the same spongy texture on a cake because it’s a thin layer and you aren’t smoothing it. It’s already in place and smooth.
Is this enough for 2 dozen of cupcakes or I need to double the amount ?
Its enough 🙂
I’ve tried your easy buttercream recipe and it was easy but tasted like I iced the cake with butter. The texture and color was nice but taste exactly like butter. Does the Swiss have a better taste ?
If the buttercream tastes like butter it’s not been whipped enough. Keep whipping until it tastes like cream.
This is so helpful, thanks Liz!! When should I add my colour? Thank you 🙂
I add mine at the end once it’s all whipped up 🙂
Hi! I absolutely love this recipe. I was wondering if you had any tips on how I would turn this recipe into a chocolate SMBC xx
Just add in 2 ounces of cocoa powder or 8 ounces of melted chocolate cooled to 90ºF
Hi Liz! The recipe calls for fresh egg whites, can I use egg whites that are sold in the store (ie: All Whites)?
No you can’t, they won’t whip up. If you want to use pasteurized egg whites then use my easy buttercream recipe https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/easy-buttercream-frosting/
I use pasteurized carton egg whites all the time for smbc. You just need to add some cream of tartar to the egg whites.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that 🙂
Hi, thanks for the tip how much cream of tartar do you add and when do you add it please, if you are using the pasteurized egg whites ?
1/8 of a teaspoon added to the egg whites while they are whipping into a meringue
Can I use maringue powder instead of egg whites and if ok , what is the exact measure then ?
I have not tried this recipe with meringue powder
Hi Liz! I made some SMBC then refrigerated the iced cake overnight. When it came time to cover it with fondant it was 60F rainy NY weather … it softened even before I could finish applying the fondant. So it bulged and looked horrible. I was so afraid of this happening that I cooked the egg whites longer until 175F and even added cream of tartar while whipping and meringue powder in the end . What did I do wrong? Help please!
why did you cook the egg whites for longer? 175 is pretty hot. Im not sure why that happened but I only warm my egg whites until the sugar melts. About 110ªF
Hello Liz,
I made a batch last night(which looked fine) and left it at room temp on the counter. This morning it looked firm and separated, so I re-whipped it before piping on my cupcakes. It didn’t look as fluffy and felt a bit dense. After piping, the frosting became firm, kinda like butter. Is it due to temperature? My room temp is around 66-68F. What did I do wrong?
Yes the buttercream will become firmer if the room is cold. Theres nothing wrong with that, it’s normal.
Hi Liz, I am making a birthday cake with Your Swiss Meringue Butter recipe. After frosting and decorating the cake, is it safe to leave it on the table at room temperature in a cake box overnite? As I am travelling with the cake on a train for 2 hours. Shall I refrigerate the cake or just leave it out on table. Will the cream crack after refrigerate?
Yes you can, the meringue is safe to be at room temperature but I would travel with the cake refrigerated because it makes it more stable. You can even insulate a box with thin foam to make it like a little fridge