Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC)
Swiss meringue buttercream comes together with just 5 ingredients and is amazingly delicious. The smooth and silky texture melts in your mouth but is stable enough to use for wedding cakes and birthday cakes. Add some fresh fruit puree, lemon extract, or chocolate to customize your SMBC and pair it with your favorite chocolate cake, vanilla cupcakes, or Funfetti cake.
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 141kcal
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with the whisk and paddle attachments
Ingredients
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh egg whites about 8
- 16 ounces granulated sugar
- 24 ounces 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
- ½ teaspoon salt
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.
Video
Notes
Bring all your butter to room temperature before starting. It should be soft enough to press your finger into easily but still holding its shape. This is the most important step for success.
Wipe your bowl and whisk with white vinegar before you start to remove any grease or residue. Even a tiny amount of fat will prevent your egg whites from whipping properly.
Do not add butter to warm meringue. Cool the meringue in the fridge for 10 minutes first. Warm meringue will melt the butter and turn your buttercream into soup.
If your buttercream looks curdled or broken, keep mixing. It goes through an ugly stage before it comes together. Give it another 5 minutes and it will smooth out.
To make your buttercream whiter, add a tiny drop of violet gel food coloring to neutralize the yellow from the butter.
To re-use refrigerated buttercream, bring it to room temperature and re-whip with the paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy again.
This recipe makes enough to frost and fill a two-layer 8-inch cake or frost about 24 cupcakes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 4oz | Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 11mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 4mg
