How to Make Perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream with a step-by-step video with tips and tricks along the way in case you mess up. Plus a list of flavor customization ideas! (Can be made ahead of time.)
Yield:
5 cups buttercream
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:5minutes
Recently I was happily surprised at how popular my post on How to Make the Best Buttercream has remained. That video post is all about creating amazing American buttercream, but something quite a few of you have requested is a post on how to make Swiss buttercream. I am happy to oblige!
Swiss buttercream is like the classier and more refined older sister to American buttercream. It can be a bit intimidating to make, and may seem like it only belongs in a professional bake shop, but I’m here to show you it is TOTALLY doable.
I’ve created a video so you can actually see what each stage is supposed to look like, with tips and tricks along the way in case you mess up. Swiss Meringue Buttercream is actually very forgiving. My favorite part, though, is the fact that it is a perfect blank canvas for ANY flavor additions. I’ve listed off a bunch below to get you started. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
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Different Buttercreams
There are a few more types of buttercreams than what is listed below, but this is a good list to read to understand and compare the differences!
American Buttercream
This is basically a combination of beaten butter, powdered sugar, and flavoring(s). It is by the far the simplest and easiest buttercream, but can often have a very sweet one-note flavor profile. If you’d like to learn how to make The Best American Buttercream, check out this tutorial!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This is made by whipping a mixture of egg whites and sugar that has been gently heated in a double boiler until the sugar dissolves and the eggs are cooked. The egg white mixture is then whipped up into a beautiful glossy meringue. Cubes of butter are then gradually added to the meringue, then flavor ingredients. It’s more complicated than American buttercream, but is far better in both taste and texture in my opinion!
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Similar to Swiss, but is made by cooking a sugar syrup and carefully drizzling it into an egg white mixture. I love Italian buttercream! However, it contains raw eggs, which doesn’t bother me but may be unsafe for some people to consume.
French Buttercream
Again, requires a similar method to Swiss and Italian but contains egg yolks instead of egg whites. It can be the most difficult to make, as it requires cooking a hot syrup then drizzling it into egg yolks, which can scramble easily. It’s ultra rich and smooth but may result in the consumption of raw eggs.
Flavor customizations
This is just a list of ideas – feel free to go wild and get creative here! Add more or less depending on your preferences, even combine two flavor ideas for something more unique. Be sure to taste as you go along.
Vanilla Bean
Add 2 tablespoons pure vanilla bean paste or the scraped seeds from 1 bean.
Chocolate
Add 2/3 cup cooled melted chocolate
Mocha
Add 3/4 cup sifted cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
Raspberry or Strawberry
Add 2/3 cup seedless raspberry or strawberry preserves + red food coloring if desired
Almond
Add 1 teaspoon almond extract
Nutella, Peanut Butter, or Cookie Butter
Add 3/4 cup to buttercream
Mint
Add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract + green food coloring if desired
Lemon or other citrus
Add 2 tablespoons fresh zest and 3 tablespoons fresh juice
Hazelnut
Add 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Coffee
Dissolve 1 tablespoon espresso powder in 2 tablespoons hot water and add in at the very end
Caramel or Dulce de Leche
Add 3/4 cup to buttercream
Brown Sugar
Substitute the white sugar for brown sugar in the recipe.
Spiked
Add 2 tablespoons flavored liqueur such as Chambord, Kahlua, or Bailey’s.
4.63 from 35 votes
How to make
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Yield:5cups buttercream
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook Time:5minutes
Total Time:20minutes
How to Make Perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream with a step-by-step video with tips and tricks along the way in case you mess up. Plus a list of flavor customization ideas! (Can be made ahead of time.)
Ingredients
5large (150 grams) egg whites
1 1/4cups(250 grams) granulated sugar
3sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
1/4teaspoonfine salt
Directions
Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice or vinegar to remove any trace of grease. Make a double boiler by placing the mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl, whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl no longer feels warm, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add the butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. Continue beating until it has reached a silky smooth texture. This may take several minutes. If the buttercream curdles simply keep mixing and it will come back to smooth. If the buttercream is too thin and runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes before continuing mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together. Add the vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.
Add additional flavors, purees, or mix-ins as desired.
To make ahead:
Keep in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature and rewhip in the mixer with the paddle attachment before using.
To use under fondant:
Frost the cake as smooth as possible. Place in refrigerator until the buttercream has hardened before covering in fondant. Cover with fondant straight from the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
This makes enough frosting to generously frost a 9-inch two layer cake or about 2 dozen cupcakes. This recipe can easily be doubled.
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
Swiss buttercream is one of my absolute favorites! i love it’s silky texture and slightly mild flavor…btw: I wanted to let you know that I discovered this post in my inbox and when I navigated to your site, I found that it isn’t on your home page, only on your videos page. Not sure if this was your intention.
Swiss meringue buttercream has changed my cake baking completely, it’s just the best! The possibilities are endless and it’s SO much better than the way too sweet frostings I used to make (that had heaps of confectioner’s sugar in them). A few weeks ago I made a chocolate cake filled with passion fruit mousse and covered in while chocolate Swiss buttercream… So yummy!
Looking forward to trying your recipe the next time!
Tessa, I just found you and love your videos, approach and recipes. I was looking for a great buttercream recipe and came across your American version vs. Swiss meringue. I don’t know that I’ve had Swiss meringue before and I’m intrigued. Which is more stable when piped, if left at room temperature for several hours? I would suspect the meringue. (I just subscribed and am looking forward to trying out your recipes!)
Hi Laura! Thanks so much. American buttercream is a bit thicker and sturdier, Swiss is more light, smooth and fluffy. I think that Swiss may be slightly more stable at room temperature but both will get a little melty if left out too long. Whenever I’m serving frosted cakes, cupcakes, etc. I will usually refrigerate them for a while so they keep at room temperature for longer.
Hi Tessa! Love this post, cause it shows all the alternatives you have to make better buttercreams, and most of the people didn’t know that. I didn’t know you could do it with Swiss… Just don’t be afraid about Italian or French buttercream, those are the safest cause you’re not eating raw eggs at all, the syrup is at 245F aprox. and the eggs get completely cooked. Instead of Swiss you’re only pasteurizing the eggs and it has to be consumed in the same day. Hope my comment have been helpful!! I enjoy your post very much!
Tessa!! Thank you for making such a detailed and beautiful video! I have been trying it out tonight, unfortunately my butter doesn’t seem to mix with the meringue :'( it is so lumpy but soggy…..would you know the reason for it? is it because I mixed the meringue for too long or too strong? I really want to make ones like yours! thank you..
Which type of Buttercream frosting would you suggest for a two tiered wedding cake? Please do have in mind that the venue is an enclosed place with a possibility of being hot. Thank you.
Great recipe, Tessa. I made your birthday cake and topped it with the swiss meringue. Planning on using your recipes for my son’s Eagle ceremony. I want to make a sheet cake. Would doubling the cake recipe and the meringue work for a sheet cake?
Can this be coloured? If so would you use powder or gel colouring? Would this be suitable to pipe ruffles or rosettes? I have used normal buttercream to pipe rosettes on a cake before and they ended up sliding down the cake!
Sure! I’ve only ever used gel food coloring. As long as you’re in a relatively cool environment it should be fine to pipe shapes like that. Try to keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve to avoid your designs sliding down 🙂
I made this recipe turned out lovely refrigerated to use the nxt day but when I was beating it the nxt day it looked like scrambled egg.what did I do wrong
Can I substitute half the butter with cream cheese or shortening? If I am making a trial batch with (1) all butter, (2) half butter and half cream cheese and (3) half butter and half shortening, is it correct that after I have made the meringue, I weigh it and portion it equally into 3 bowls and the total weight of the butter / cream cheese / shortening for each batch would be 113.3g? Thanks
Wow! All I can say is wow! Where has this frosting been all my life? I made it exactly as you instructed and I added in raspberry puree and it was fantastic! Amazing job with this recipe!
I kept hearing about Swiss Meringue Buttercream on the baking competition shows and did not know what it was. I was web surfing and found your blog/website and it has become my new favorite. I made th SMB this evening as an experiment for some cupcakes for work, I have a new favorite frosting! Creamy, rich and not sickenly sweet.
Thanks!
I absolutely love the detailed step by step video on how to make Swiss buttercream. I have personally always found American buttercream extremely sweet and have been looking for an alternative since a long time. I am so glad i came across you post. I am going to try your chocolate cupcake recipe with chocolate swiss buttercream tomorrow for my nephew’s birthday. Hope it turns out good and everyone likes it. 🙂
Hi there, I have been wondering whether it’s possible to freeze a cake that’s been filled with swiss meringue buttercream. I have frozen it in a container so know how the consistency changes when it thaws. Have you any experience/thoughts on this? I have searched all over the net and no one talks about this aspect of smb.
Thanks for any help!
Hi Dana! I wouldn’t freeze a frosted cake. You could freeze the buttercream and cake layers separately, defrost overnight, rewhip the buttercream, and assemble when ready. That preserves the texture the best.
What went wrong? All I got from this is a slack mess. It’s 40F outside here today, and 68F inside, so ambient temp isn’t the problem. It took 45 minutes to get the temp of the egg white mixture down to where the bowl didn’t feel “warm” anymore, so long I didn’t know whether to get beating the meringue or stop for fear of overworking it. (I’m not sure where you got your time estimate for that step; do you make this inside a walk-in?) By then the butter was probably too soft but time was running out and I had to use it regardless. The mix started to slop up immediately as soon as I started adding the butter. It became the consistency of thin cake batter with millions of specks of butter in it. I couldn’t determine if it had broken or what. I tried refrigerating and rebeating it, but all I got from that was well-beaten cold butter specks soup. So I changed course and applied a hot towel to the bowl. After a few minutes of whipping the mess vigorously over heat, it actually began to thicken. Twenty minutes of whipping later — by the way, lose the bit about changing to the paddle attachment cuz when this stuff goes south, and it will, the paddle is as useful as one boot — it became a cohesive mass with a bit of loft but absolutely no strength or ability to hold its shape. Even after refrigeration, it is unable to maintain form and if applied to the sides of a cake will slump right off. Honestly, this isn’t worth going through. Plain buttercream is blehhh but it’s more predictable and easier than this, and will work every time.
I definitely don’t make this inside a walk-in, in fact I live in the desert. Did you use a thermometer to gauge the temperature of the egg whites as they cooked? I’m thinking something went wrong at the very start that ruined the recipe. It should certainly not take 45 minutes for eggs whites to cool. Did you watch the video? I cover what to do if your buttercream breaks. I hope you’ll give it another go because I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and many others have too with success.
Tessa, as I said, I couldn’t determine if it had broken or not. It was liquid with tons of tiny butter flecks in it — tiny! — and didn’t have the clumpy curdled look of broken mayonnaise or hollandaise. So I tried chilling it, and when that went nowhere I resorted to heat. It finally whipped up silky and was delicious, but it had absolutely no body so ideas of piping it went out the window. You video doesn’t come close to depicting the soup I was dealing with. I warmed the eggs and sugar over hot water to 140F as measured with my most reliable digital thermometer, and whipped it on the stand mixer for absolutely ever waiting for it to cool down to “no longer feels warm” (a highly subjective determination that might be part of the problem). I’m in the desert too (Utah) but that’s not an issue this time of year. Thanks for responding. I’ll try it again because I’m a diehard, but my goodness but this one was a bear!
Hmmm. I’m still a bit surprised! It’s so hard to help without having been there to see it all. Perhaps this time stop whipping at the 10 minute mark since the warmth may indeed be too subjective. Let me know how it goes!!
This was my fist attempt at Swiss meringue buttercream and I must say WOW!! It turned out perfectly. The little bit of extra time it takes is well worth it. The texture is amazingly smooth with out the gritty texture my standard buttercream sometimes gets. I winged it when cooking the sugar and egg whites as I didn’t have a candy thermometer but I made sure the whites where hot and the sugar was melted. I can’t believe I haven’t attempted this frosting until now! Will be a new favourite. Thanks for the great blog post and video.
Hi.
I don’t have a counter top mixer. I have a hand mixer -would I just use it the same as you did with yours? Wondering if it will work ? Amy suggestions. My hand mixer didn’t have paddle blades. ??? Any tips will help!! Thanks.
To be honest, this recipe would be quite a bit more difficult without a stand mixer. I’ve never attempted it, though I’m sure it would work out in the end. Do you just have the whisk attachments?
I followed the tutorial on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream;everything was perfect until the 4th cube of butter was added…then all went south.The whole batch looked like wet cottage cheese.I tried to cool it in the fridge and continue to beat again but the batch never recovered.What went wrong???
Fantastic. Thanks, it’s really sturdy and works well with naked cakes. Love that it’s not too sweet. I coloured it pink with raspberry juice and it started to separate but I followed your advice and kept beating and it was fine. Thanks a lot – well explained and very helpful! (Sydney NSW)
Hello everyone. So I tried this recipe over the weekend for some cupcakes. AMAZING AMAZING recipe. I have tried a recipe long time back for SMBC and it was ok but this one is simply gorgeous. I had no issue what so ever, the process was smooth and the end result is silky, out of this world frosting. I live in a very hot country bu the kitchen temp was nearly 21-22C. I left one cupcake (iced) at room temperature till next day and it holds the shape pretty much well.
I used half of a vanilla pod for flavor.
One question though: can i try this with only 1 cup of sugar?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I’m really not sure if it would work with less sugar since the meringue is really the base of the buttercream’s structure. If you do try it with less, let us know how it turns out!
Hi Tessa! I have a question, my friend want me to make a smash cake for her daughter’s 1st birthday. I am not a big fan of American buttercream because I think it is very sweet for me however some people do like it. Can I use swiss buttercream for smash cake? Is it ok for toddlers to eat it? I would be appreciate to hear from you! Thank you!
Hi Amanda! I’ve never made a smash cake so I can’t speak to that, but it should be perfectly safe for toddlers to eat since the egg whites are cooked to 140°F. If you’re worried, I’d use a thermometer just to be safe. Have fun at the birthday!
I love your recipes! But i have a question, in mi city we have high temperatures, we also have days at 120degrees…. what kind of buttercream you recomended… one that no melted 😀
This looks fantastic! Just a quick question. I’m going be making an 8 inch rainbow cake with six layers, and decided on Swiss meringue buttercream for its stability. Will one batch be enough to fill and frost all layers and cover the whole cake?
Probably not with a cake with 6 layers. If you’re following a specific recipe it should say how many cups of frosting you’ll need. For a cake like that I always like to have more frosting than I think I’ll need on hand, somehow it gets used up 🙂
Hi, could you please help me , my daughter is getting married in July , she’s haveing a beach wedding , but after honeymoon , we’re have a big Bar BQ cook out at my house when they come home ,and I want to surprise the Newley wedding couple with a big wedding cake , I have never tried this before but I have watched lots if video , so I think I can pull this off , I have already make my gum paste flowers ,they turn out beautiful , but I need your help with icing , I’m think Swiss meringue buttercream on cake with my gum paste flowers , do you think this is a good idea using this icing with gum paste flowers together , it well be hot weather but would be cooled until time to cut cake , any advise would be great Thanks Velita
Sure! You can make a few big batches and freeze it so you can have things ready ahead of time, too. That comes in handy during the chaos of a wedding 🙂 I’ve done that for a wedding cake with this recipe. Let come to room temperature and rewhip in the mixer with the paddle attachment before using.
Tessa , Thank you for getting back with me I’m going to try this my sweet husband give a me a new mixer for Mother’s Day . I will post pictures every one please say a little pray for me ,Thanks Velita
All those years of using canned frosting for school birthday cupcakes, what a waste! I now find myself looking for reasons to bake so I can pipe this beautiful Swiss buttercream on my cupcakes. I’m so very glad I found your video. Thank you.
Hi Tessa! Thanks for sharing your swiss buttercream recipe! Can’t wait to give it a try. But my concern is i’m only using a hand mixer … dont have the paddle attachment. I’m wondering if i can still achieve the same consistency. Thanks
That should still work fine! You just might have to scrape the beaters down more often. Also you’ll be standing there mixing for a while, but it’ll be worth it 😉
Hi Tessa ! I just made a half batch of the SMB to try out with Russian piping tips. Have been experimenting with frostings for these tips the past few days as I find buttercream too sweet. This worked like a dream !!! I had to rewhip the frosting as it didn’t hold up the first time. To respond to another comment – I used an electric hand mixer for whipping with no trouble at all. Since these don’t have a paddle attachment I used a whisk to combine the butter.
The frosting held up very well even though I scraped off my experiments several times and reused it. And the temperature here is close to 90 today ! Am going to use this frosting a lot
Can a cake with this icing sit out like a regular buttercream cake? I live in Australia & it gets hot, my regular buttercream recipe I use half butter & half copha, could I do the same with this recipe?
Oh I have a fail. Mine is too soft no body to it. I’ve tried refrigerating and remixing. Should I mix on high speed? Or maybe too much butter. Please help. This is my first failed Swiss meringue and my first time using this recipe.
Hi, Tessa! I made this frosting this morning ahead of time to frost my daughters cake with. As I was putting it in the container, I noticed gelatin like pieces throughout. What would have caused this? After I take it out of the fridge and bring to room temp, will I be able to get rid of them by mixing the frosting up again in my mixer or is it totally ruined? Otherwise looks and tastes amazing!! Thank you!
I did exactly like your recepie and I NEVER got to the firm and creamy stage, ended up throwing it out. Got so frustrated and I felt like my mixer was going to blow up it as i beat it for so long. I even put it in the fridge. never got to the stage I needed not sure what I did wrong. had to go back to the Amercian Butter cream which I wanted to avoid….feel like I failed 🙁
I made your Swiss buttercream for a rose cake for my granddaughter’s third birthday! It is amazing, and pipes like a dream! Thank you! I had first tried a different recipe, and it was good, but not nearly as good as this recipe! After filling the cake and starting to pipe the roses on, I didn’t have enough icing left to finish the cake. I used your recipe, and scraped off thirst try and blended them together so the color and flavor would be consistent throughout the cake. Both were great, but yours and your instructions were the best!
This is my first time making Swiss meringue buttercream and I will never go back to American buttercream. I followed your recipe and it came out delicious. I’m so glad I came across your video, thank you for sharing.
Hi Tessa! I made this last month for some Maple Whiskey Candied Bacon Cupcakes! It turned out so good, I will never make a regular old American Buttercream again! Everyone kept asking, who made the cupcakes?!? I’m making cupcakes for the 4th of July this weekend and I’m wondering if this is possible to double? Do you think it would be too much for a standard Kitchen Aid mixer to handle? Or would proportions be off? You’re the best! Thanks!
Love love love this recipe. Wish I would have known about it sooner. Will never make the icky powdered sugar and shortening recipe again. So smooth and silky. It is easy to make too!
Hello! This is a great recipe and wasn’t hard to follow at all. Thanks for that! My question is about the completed amount. It says 5 cups, but I think I barely got less than 4. Did I not whip it enough? I still need to add the coloring, so plan to whip it up again after some refrigeration.
Made this and loved it! I piped it for my son’s 1st birthday cake. Question though now that my daughters 3rd birthday is coming up – will I get a reasonably smooth finish if I use a spatula on this icing? I’m wanting to stick fondant cut outs on but dont want fondant all over my cake as this icing tastes SO much nicer!!! Thanks 🙂
Have you ever tried the buttercream recipe where you cook flour and milk first before adding the sugar and butter? It is delicious but I don’t know what kind/style of buttercream it is.
Hi, i tried the recipe, despite the fact i almost cooked the eggs in the beginning everything seemed to go well. However at the end i wanted to add some blueberries to reach a “blueberry flavor” and i guess this was the main mistake. In a while i had just disgusting liquid mess. Could you advise how can i flavor this cream and avoid this mess? Do you think that the cream would be OK (without blueberries) even though i cooked it a bit too much at the beginning or would it influence some attributes of this cream?
Thanks! 🙂
Your best bet would be blueberry jam or preserves (which I know can be more difficult to find than other berries). Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a little more difficult to customize because you can’t easily offset extra liquid with more confectioner’s sugar like you can with American buttercream. Besides the flavor customization options I’ve listed in this post, jams/preserves or even gourmet extracts work best. Hope that helps!
Hi Tessa. I had a question about this buttercream. I made Italian meringue buttercream before and stored it in the fridge. When I took it out of the fridge the next day I brought it to room temperature or at least I thought it was at room temp and when I re-whipped it the buttercream curdled. Will with happen with Swiss Meringue buttercream and if so how can I avoid this? Thanks for this tutorial!
Hi Vanessa! I have made this Swiss buttercream and refrigerated it many times. The key is to let it come to a cool room temperature then beat the heck out of it with an electric mixer. If it looks curdled, just keep beating until it’s smooth 🙂
Just made swims meringue buttercream for the first time – following our recipe and am delighted!!! It’s wonderful! Still have to make the cake and pipe it on but at this point I couldn’t be happier! Thank you Tessa. PS I used a hand held whisk – and only had the egg beater attachments – and no issues at all.
First time making this icing and it was amazing. Though yours seemed a bit more thicker mine was still a bit soft. I put it in the fridge and it did harden up nut once back to room temperature it was thinner. It still stayed on the cupcakes so it wasn’t that thin but it wasn’t like set icing. Have I done something wrong, it just didn’t look quite as stiff as your finished product.
Hmm it could have been a simple ingredient mis-measurement (were you using large eggs for the whites?) or possibly your climate. Was it warm or humid when you made the buttercream?
I think I broke the record… lol… I tried to make this 3 times in one dah….i….I used the buttercup brand butter. It turned out very yellow….the taste is good though…just not happy with the colour and the texture is a bit too runny…although I tried refrigerating it a while it still goes back to the runny texture aft some time. I think it’s probably because of the weather. I’m in Southeast Asia. I also tried substituting the butter with shortening but it ended up curdled…..I followed what u said and kept on beating it but it hardly did any good…
This was my first attempt at making a swiss buttercream, and wow it is silky smooth and delicious! I made it with salted butter, because I didn’t have unsalted. It still tastes delicious, but I think for a cake I’m making later this month I’ll definitely go with the unsalted. I was intimidated by making meringue, as I don’t have a double-boiler, but I rigged one up with a saucepan and my kitchenaid mixing bowl and it turned out perfectly. So smooth, light, and delicious. I added vanilla bean paste to it, and I can’t rave enough about it. Thank you for posting such an easy-to-follow recipe!
I just found your recipe, It looks absolutely perfect.!!!
I have a question, do I have to use granulated sugar, or I can use Berry sugar instead? or it will can I used either??
I watched your video and it look exactly as it should be, You are fantastic!!
I am starting to cut the butter, and I have a question, how small I should cat the butter,? and how often do you feed the buttercream with the butte? after a 1 minute?
I am making this recipe for my future daughter in law, I am in charge of the Wedding cake!!!!
Hi there! I’m not sure what Berry sugar is. Granulated is best for this recipe. The butter should just be cut into cubes about 1/2-inch big. Add the butter after the last pieces have been incorporated. Good luck!!
I just finished your recipe for the Perfect Meringue Buttercream and it is WONDERFUL!!!!
All I did was to follow your instructions, without rushing with the adding butter, one piece at the time,
it is so silky so delicate, and absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!
O-M-Goodness!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best frosting I’ve ever had or made, i will NEVER make ABC again! So worth the time and effort, absolutely beautiful and stable. Perfection! People, you HAVE to make this SABC! To die for
Hi there! This is my go-to recipe for SMBC as it always tastes delicious! I just have a very quick question, how long can a SMBC covered cake be stored in the fridge for? I’m a hobby baker and a friend needs a cake for Sunday but I only have Wednesday free to bake, ice and decorate. Will the cake remain moist if it’s in the refrigerator for 3-ish days?
Hmmm to be honest I’ve never frosted and stored a cake for that long before. I think it could work, as long as you use a thick coating of buttercream to “seal” in the cake.
Great recipe! Just wondering how it goes if you make it in a double batch? Does it affect the ebd result at all?
And if a double batch would fit in a 5L mixing bowl?
Oooh that’s a tough one. Eggs are essential to this recipe so I’m thinking an egg-free version would require a lot of experimenting and testing, if it’s possible.
Tessa, is this stable buttercream?? because the temperature reaches 34-38°C in my place. What would you suggest that could stand long in hot temp? The american style too sweet.
Hi Claire, since butter starts to melt at 32-35°C, no buttercream is going to be stable at those temperatures unfortunately. That’s also what gives butter its melt-in-your mouth appeal! The only way around that would be to use shortening, which has a melting temperature of about 48°C.
I made the Swiss buttercream once and decided it should be its own food group! Delicious! Then I made it again and added lemon juice. It was a disaster. It curdled and I was never able to get the clumps out. Now I want to try chocolate but am skittish after the last mess. Can you be more specific on what chocolate to melt and add? Thanks.
People are experiencing deflated meringues because they should not be switching to a paddle attachment. Swiss meringue buttercream can easily be made without viewing it as too technical. Heat sugar and egg whites over a simmering water pot (the water should never physically touch the bottom of your egg mixture bowl), while constantly stirring (don’t walk away at this point), and in about 5 minutes you’ll get a very hot (not boiling) to the touch mixture, with a slightly eggy smell and completely melted sugar. immediately place in stand mixer with whisk attachment and whip at medium speed until a shaving cream consistency (medium peak) has been reached. At this point the bottom of the bowl will/should be barely warm to the touch (takes 10-15 mins), that means it’s safe to add the butter. It’s imperative that the butter consistency is just slightly softer than room temp (but NOT melted/runny), if you can’t easily smush your finger into it, let it soften more; it has to be super pliable. Turn the whisk speed up to medium high and add a small chunk of butter every few spins. When butter is out, add flavoring and salt with another 20 second spin and you should have a smooth, fluffy buttercream. If it’s still lumpy, keep on whipping.
I tried my hand at this over the weekend. The first time, my egg whites started to cook and I started getting scrambled egg whites. lol. Lesson learned.
The next go around, I made sure the temp was lower and it worked great. By the time I added my butter, it was pretty runny (butter was too warm).
I let it sit in the fridge and whipped it again, adding my vanilla extract and salt. It turned into cottage cheese which made me laugh. You get that moment of ‘this isn’t working, maybe I should throw it out’.
But I knew you advised to just let it keep going in the mixer and pretty soon, fluffy buttercream. Amazing to watch. Hahaha
My family loved it. My husband wants a giant batch of it all his own.
Hi, Tessa.
After hearing about Swiss Meringue Buttercream for a long time, I researched recipes online and chose yours as the one to try. It came our perfectly! OMG. Fluffy, silky-smooth, not too sweet, just a wonderful frosting and alternative to traditional buttercream. BTW I don’t have a stand mixer and used my trusty hand electric mixer that’s over 15 years old, and it worked great. I followed your instructions to a “t”, and the result was out of this world. Thank you 🙂
Hi Tessa, im reading all the comments from top to the end. Im so interested making this SBM. Just few questions, can i use this for fondant cakes? Does it need to be fridge? I use ganache and i dont refrigerate my fondant cakes. And can i use this for filling as well? Would it stay soft and creamy? Thank u. Sorry have so many questions. Im dying to discover a great SMB.
Regards,
Lenny
Hi Lenny, you can basically use this in any way you’d use American buttercream. It’s just much smoother, creamier, and less sweet. It should work just fine under fondant and in filling. Good luck 🙂
Hi Tessa,
At what point do you add in the flavorings such as preserves, or chocolate, etc? Does the instant coffee and cocoa need to be dissolved first for the mocha flavoring? Thanks! This looks delicious. I love your ABC recipe too.
Italian meringue has raw eggs ? what ?
Yes, for sure, pouring 275° C sugar syrup in raw eggs won’t cook them. Because what cooks at that temperature! lol
Hi! I need to amend my review regarding using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer for this recipe. If you’re going to use a hand mixer, you need to use it throughout the recipe. Use it instead of the whisk while beating the egg whites and sugar over the simmering water, and then use it to finish the frosting off the heat. I think the whisk doesn’t provide enough volume since you won’t be using a powerful stand mixer to finish off the frosting. (Using a hand mixer is only if you don’t have a stand mixer – they’re so darned expensive.)
Hi Tessa!
I’m about to give the SMBC a second try. First try turned out great, I put it in the fridge overnight, rewhipped, and after about 20 minutes in a 75 degree kitchen it looked like it shrunk in half. I need to fill a cake tomorrow and want to make the BC tonight. Do you think the same thing could happen again?
PLEASE….tell me WHY when taking this fabulous frosting recipe out of the freezer of one month, whipping again to pipe….looked greasy, ugly texture!!!!?????? I’ve been making SMB for years…
I do not have a kitchen aid but have a steel bowl… Can I do the first process then transfer to my electric mixer and if I need to pipe 36 cup cakes can I use this recipe plus half…. Also can I make it the day before needing it and if so what is the best way to prep it before piping…Im from South Africa an its going to be 30 C on the day I need it…will it be stable enough or what do you suggest… This will be my first attempt so im fairly nervous
Hi Tessa, I just discovered your videos and website a few days ago and have successfully recreated a few of your recipes. Your instructions are clear and I’ve gotten great results! Thank you! I’m wondering if for the Swiss meringue buttercream if I can substitute egg whites with egg whites from a carton?
Thanks again!
Since there’s only a few ingredients in this recipe, I’d suggest using the freshest possible! Egg whites from a carton may not produce the best results.
Hi Tessa
I did a fair bit of research and youtubing until I settled for your SMBC recipe – this was my first attempt and it worked perfectly, I think. But I have a (probably dumb) question – is the egg and sugar mixture meant to smell a bit eggy after it’s been heated? The temp never really went above 140 even though I wanted it to get to 150 to make sure eggs were safe, but then I thought maybe I “cooked” my eggs if it smelled a bit eggy? But the meringue whipped up fine within four minutes, the whole thing had the right texture and taste, just a bit curious about the smell. I feel like it still lingered.. Not enough vanilla or cooked eggs, you think?
Thanks
Zohra
xx
Would this swiss meringue buttercream work for a wedding cake?? Any suggestions on a frosting that I can use that is not so sweet as standard buttercream?! I am making my friends wedding cake -14″ -10″ & 6″ tiers!
Any tips would be welcomed!!
Yep! I made my dad’s wedding cake and used this recipe. Just made a TON of it ahead of time, froze it in ziptop bags, then let it defrost overnight. Brought it to room temp and rewhipped in an electric mixer before frosting. Wilton’s website has a great guide on how much frosting you’ll need for different cake sizes 🙂
Hi Tessa!!
I tried this recipie and it was awesome…. creamy and satin feel in mouth… i never liked American buttercream..way too sweet and buttery..this recipie was just perfect! Your tips also helped when it turned little soupy.
I was just wondering if its possible to reduce the sugar in this recipie? If yes how much can i reduce or will it break any SMB rule 😉
Thanks
Betsy
Yay! Thrilled to hear that, Betsy. I haven’t tried to reduce the sugar since it’s so crucial to the structure of this recipe, so unfortunately I can’t offer any tips there.
Yes!!! Thank you so much, I just made this and used it to fill and frost a cake. Absolutely perfect! I’ve tried several recipes for swiss meringue in the past and none have been this good and as easy to follow. You’ve got a new fan in me!
Hi there was wondering if you have to use 3 stick of butter?! It’s seam like a lot of fat for 150g of egg white. Many I can use 2 stick just curious because I have never made Swiss on marshmallow. Thanks Ana
HAND MIXER And HOT WEATHER: This works with a hand mixer!! I grew up with a kitchen aid, but until a few weeks ago, I only had a hand mixer. This recipe worked just fine, you just need a strong arm for the lengthy mixing. Also, I have no air conditioning and I’ve made this recipe in hot weather in July. This has become my favorite “classy” frosting.
I am making this NOW and wanted to k now how long it usually takes to incorporate the butter chunks into the meringue after the bowl has cooled. So far I have been adding a chunk every minute or so and 3 sticks of butter gave me about 36 chunks … I have about 10 left. That means I having incorporating the butter now for almost a half hour … is that right? Seeing as the recipe says the time to make this is 20 minutes, I am confused because it took almost 15 minutes to get the sugar/egg white mixture up to 140 degrees. The frosting isn’t super smooth and has itty bitty ‘grains’ of butter in it. What am I doing wrong, or not doing ?
Follow-up …. The frosting still didn’t come nice and smooth after mixing it for a long long long time so I googled to see what I could do. I found a forum where someone had suggested that if the frosting was like ‘cottage cheese’, it was too cold. This appeared to be my situations. the suggestion was to warm a small amount of the frosting in the microwave til it looked like melted ice cream (this took about 10 seconds on 50%) then slowly add it to the bowl. Success!!! I now have smooth frosting that not only tastes amazing but looks nice and smooth. thanks. I will keep this recipe .
Hi Tess,
Ive just made 3 batches of Swiss Meringue buttercream today , 2 batches ive coloured them in 2 shades of pink that was fine happy with those but my 2 shades of blue are not coming out as blue its more greenish especially the light blue that I want the most but the darker one is ok. Is their a trick in making the buttercream white cause after you add the amount of butter it turns yellowish. Apart from that I love it .
Hi! I adore this recipe. I am planning on making it for cupcakes today but I just tasted one of the cupcakes and they are not sweet enough. If I add a bit more sugar to this buttercream during the double boiler stage will it affect he consistency/ ruin the meringue? I was thinking of adding a 1/2 cup. Thank you!
I wouldn’t touch the amount of sugar in this recipe. I haven’t tried that but I don’t think it’s worth the risk! Maybe you can fill the cupcakes with something sweet, like marshmallow creme, Nutella, or caramel?
Hi Tessa – I made this 3 times and the first 2 times I couldn’t get it really smooth. The third time, I took my time and when the butter was all in it was still not really creamy – a little broken looking – bits of butter. Then I upped the speed to 4 or so on my Kitchenaid and it got completely smooth and creamy! Amazing! I made coffee swiss meringue buttercream and I added the instant coffee to the egg whites in the beginning – 2 tsp per batch – I made a double batch! Finally, a few years ago I made a wedding cake for a good friend and the book I had recommended Italian buttercream. This is so much easier! Thank you!! I put this on your double chocolate cake which is also amazing!
Hi Tessa,
I have my mum’s old school mixer which doesn’t have a paddle attachment. Will it still work? What would I have to do to add the butter using the regular attachments?
Cheers,
Nicole
So glad I found this recipe! It’s my new favorite frosting by far. Made it today and it is AMAZING. Thanks so much for the post. I follow your website and love your recipes, tips and tricks. You’re a very talented young lady and very good at what you do. Keep up the good work! One quick question..do you need at add or subtract anything to the recipe in order to make the additional flavors or purees work? I’m worried about ruining the frosting. Thanks.
Thanks ,for this recipe it’s a big hit in my house .Previously I used to make American buttercream but everyone felt it was too sweet,after trying your recipe everyone liked it .Now any cake we bake at home we use this recipient.
Hi Tessa
My daughter and I tried twice to make the Swiss Meringue butter cream. The meringue was so thick and fluffy but the instant we added a cube of better it “turned to soup” according to my daughter. We were careful to make sure the bowl no longer had any warmth to it. We used room temperature butter (about 70 degrees).
It went totally flat and no longer fluffy. We tried continuing to beat it, refrigerated it, nothing seemed to work. Any ideas?
Thanks!
I was wondering if you have used this to make a cream cheese frosting? My cream cheese frosting always comes out runny and I’m looking for a stiffer cream cheese frosting. Also when you are adding flavors such as chocolate do you mix it in the stand mixer after it whips up? I’m nervous about over beating the frosting and it turning into a mess. I wasn’t sure if you fold the chocolate in by hand or continue to beat it in the stand mixer? Thanks for your video it really helped me through making this (and being successful at it) 🙂
Hi. Can you tell me if there is a particular type of chocolate to add for the swiss buttercream? Recipe calls for 2/3 cup cooled melted chocolate. I have Merckens milk chocolate disks. Would this work?
Hey! Thanks for this awesome recipe- it’s my favorite and new go-to!
I’m making lemon blueberry cupcakes for an outdoor party in June, but I’m afraid the lemon cream cheese frosting won’t hold up in the heat, especially since it was difficult to pipe in 50 degree weather. I was wondering if cream cheese could be added to the meringue, instead of or in addition to the butter, to make it like a cream cheese swiss meringue frosting. Thank you!
I LOVE your blog and this video was fantastic! I’m a visual learner and it makes things so much easier and clearer. Also, all the ways to change the flavor of the icing was wonderful as well. You are such a lovely young woman as well as a very talented baker and writer!
I live in FL and room temp is 75 degrees, is that too warm for room temp butter? Also, after I make frosting for cupcakes, I can refrigerate but they will be sitting out, through out party, will the frosting melt at 75degress?
Hey Tessa, me going to make this for my daughter’s 11 the birthday cake next week. I was wondering if I can use salted butter instead? Thanks it look goot!
I wanna give a try of your SMBC recipe, but might need to mix it with shortening as I need to let the cake out at diff room temperature and scared that without shortening it’ll melt easily.
Any suggestions for the one mix with shortening? And lastly, can I do the double boiler using another bowl and transfer it to the stand mixer after instead of using my stand mixer bowl directly?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE swiss meringue buttercream, it changed my life and it gives my cake a more delish taste. but i wanna ask what do u do with the egg yolks, i tried making pastry creme but it turned too runny i guess i want it fluffier for filling a cake, because it kind of melted in my cake
Hello Tessa, first of all, thank you for taking me up in your comunity.
In Germany you have a very very good type of buttercream, made with custard.
I find it lighter than pure buttercream.
You prepare a custard (normally in Germany you use a powder, but you can prepare it all homemade), but with more sugar, when that is cold enough, you mix it and add, always mixing, butter at room temperature.
Try it, you can eat ten times the quantity of normal buttercream without feeling heavy… 😀
I’m making monster cupcakes and smash cake, which of the buttercream would you recommend the Italian or the Swiss? I need it to be stiff enough that monster ” fur” stays stiff.
I tried making swiss meringue buttercream using only hand mixer but it is very soft as in runny. My hand mixer don’t have paddle attachment, i only used the whisk. What could be the problem?? I followed every single step in the video.Thank you.
Thank you for your tutorial. You broke it down well. One question: I want to make this passionfruit flavored. Can I use passionfruit fruit juice? And how much? I have no clue what’s the best way to flavor it. Thank you in advance.
I have two questions. I am baking cupcakes for a wedding in the middle of September in Eastern PA. My first question is how does your Swiss Meringue Buttercream hold up in the heat if it’s still 80 degrees and humid in Sept? The second question can I use the flavor ideas you have posted under how to make perfect buttercream for the swiss meringue buttercream recipe? Thanks so much and I hope to hear from you soon!
Stephanie
Tessa,
Sorry, I thought of a third question. If the swiss meringue won’t stay nice in hot and humid weather, can you do half butter/half shortening to make it more stable? Thanks again!!
Stephanie
Hello, I need to make a cake 2 days before the event and drive 6 hours with it. How do you suggest I store the cake before transporting it? It will have swiss meringue buttercream flowers decorations. Will it hold up?
This will only work if you use fresh eggs and not egg whites from a box. Egg whites from a box will not whip stiff enough. If you are using them add 1/4 of a teaspoon of cream tartar per egg white, 5 for this recipe. Otherwise you will end up with a ‘soup’. I also had to watch while adding butter and was able to add half the portion before I started to notice the butter turning into ‘soup’.
I have used this recipe a few times. Tonight, the butter got too cold and caused a soupy mess with little specs of butter. First off, I forgot to switch to the paddle attachment so I made that change immediately. Then, i had to whip it for what seemed like eternity. It gets to the point where it is a mass like butter but sweet. I decided to keep whipping it at medium high speed for another 15 minutes plus. The butter finally warmed up a bit and I eventually had the best-textured, fluffiest and divine tasting frosting yet! If it gets soupy – just keep beating. Might take 25 – 30 minutes. Also, it tastes wonderful on this white cake recipe I found. It is a combo made in cupcake heaven:
Ive just discovered this recipe. I always make normal buttercream and then regret it as my cakes are always too sweet and sickly. Your icing (Swiss meringue) is absolutely delicious…. i left out the vanilla and salt and used my favourite butter, Lurpak. It’s so silkly, light and buttery and a lovely pale colour. Straightforward to make and good to pipe. My husband is licking the bowl now. Thank you so much. I will always choose to put in the little extra effort to make this in the future.
Hi Tessa,
I want to use the swiss meringue buttercream for a cake decorating competition that i have to decorate at the venue. Can it withstand temp of 30- 32 C ? Or what other alternative can i use ?
Hi great video! Thank you !
I was wondering if i could use pasteurized egg whites from a carton? If yes, do i need to heat it up or can I use it at room temperature?
Thanks
Hey i tried your swiss buttercream recipe and let me tell you its not at all easy to work with…i used it for piping rosettes and they were not at all stable but kept drooping all the time..please tell me what went wrong. .plus I did refrigerate it couple of times but every time it was out othe fridge it started to melt
Hi! May i ask why do you have to switch over to the paddle attachment when you add the butter? Will there be a difference in the buttercream if i continue to use the whisk attachment? I want to understand the science behind this
I made this buttercream to decorate the top of a chocolate cake and it was absolutely delicious! it took a bit long to make because I don’t own a stand mixer, but it turned out well:) the only problem I had was the consistency, which wasn’t as thick as I expected, but apart from that this recipe was a success! I wonder if Tessa can explain why the consistency was rather thin:) have a nice day!!
Can I use an any own mixing bowl to place over the shimmering water not to touch it when whisking?? Because I didn’t own a mixer bowl specified at my home !
I love this recipe, its like eating a cloud! So light and fluffy sweet but not too sweet.
I wonder if you could help me with a problem I’m having – I use this under fondant and i’m having problems with it after it comes from the fridge, it becomes soft quickly and my first attempt ended with slight bulging (I only do a thin crumb coat)
@Elena Carrara : you need to beat it more and on a slightly higher speed then it will thicken up. HTH
@Lalruatsanga: Yes I do as my mixer bowl is glass with a thick metal ring on the base and it takes and age to cool down so I use another bowl and tip the into my mixer’s bowl after ‘cooking’ HTH
If we could get an answer on the melting though that would be great 🙂
Whelp, I just made this recipe with the addition of almond flavoring, and…..it turned out great! I was afraid my butter was too soft, but it went through every stage you showed in the video. Gotta be honest, I can’t decide which was scarier, the thin, runny stage or the curdled stage. Thanks so much for the recipe and the video showing all of it. Can’t wait to ice my mom’s birthday cake. She’ll be 89 tomorrow, July 4th, and still living by herself and playing golf even after breaking her pelvis in 3 places this time last year!
Blessings…
Hi and thanks for all your work perfecting and posting your recipes! I’m really excited to try this buttercream with your chocolate cupcakes for the first time this week. However, my stand mixer has a metal bowl. Do you recommend using the metal bowl over the double boiler or should I use a different glass bowl and transfer? Either way, does this affect the timing of the other instructions, like how long to whisk the egg whites? I saw a couple others ask similar questions, but no answers posted from you yet. Hope you can help! Thanks!
Hi Tessa,
What went wrong!
I tried this recipe this weekend and what a disaster. I followed the direction exactly. Some of my sugar granular never dissolved. I used a digital thermometer and measured to 160F, and some of the sugar crystalized on the side of the mixing bowl. After whipping the egg white and sugar for about 30 minutes, it turned out looking like whipped butter. I just can’t imagine anyone frosting a cake with whipped butter. It showed very little evidence of egg white in the mixture. I was very excited to try this recipe, but what a disappointment.
I have always been in love with the icing at my favourite local bakery… but never knew what kind of black magic they used to create their cravable icing.
For my own cakes I usually use a whipping cream base frosting, but I was baking today with my kids and started searching the web for a not to sweet icing… I thought I’d give this a try, low and behold THIS is the icing the bakery uses!!!
This looks amazing. But i do have a question… im trying to find a recipe for a buttercream that isnt made with powered sugar, but that also doesnt have to be kept cool. My italian buttercream melts every time… help!
I just tried this recipe and it was amazing. Search for the best swiss meringue buttercream is over. Next time I’m going to try it with the flavours. Thank you so much for this recipe
Abigail Van de Bulk — September 7, 2018 at 11:24 am
The comments on this made me laugh, seriously stick to the recipe, and follow EVERY instruction, from making sure there is no grease to weighing every ingredient and you will have the perfect buttercream! I have used this recipe over 100 times and it never failed me… I double and triple the portions (kitchen aid stand mixer) and before I add the butter I measure out 3 equal bowls of the cooked and whipped egg whites, then whisk them up individually with the butter and add different flavours, it saves so much time!
Hi tessa. I’m just wondering how to leave the smbc white after it comes to room temp after being in the fridge. My batch went yellow and it was really soft
I just stumble upon your buttercream guide, and i must confess that watching your video has immensely improved my skills on buttercream. Indeed, I am grateful for sharing these videos that have helped a beginner like me.
However, my question is thus: What alternative can you recommend for someone that doesn’t have electric mixer?.
Hi! I tried this recipe and is super delicious! But since I live in Puerto Rico, the heat keeps melting it too fast! It wont allow me to pipe not even cupcakes, it acts like whipped cream. Do you have any suggestions??
Hi Tessa, thanks so much for sharing! I’m hoping to make a three tier or two tier wedding cake..plan to use Swiss meringue buttercream. Would it be essential to use the same bowl that I’m heating up egg whites and sugar to whip it up? My electric mixer uses a plastic bowl so thinking of transferring heated egg whites mixture to it to whisk.
Meringue came out perfect – not used a double boiler before – however ended up throwing it all away. Once the butter was added it curdled, or so I thought, so I beat it like a woman possessed. No change at all.
It was the consistency of runny jelly so I cooled it, but nothing! Waste of time and good ingredients. Obviously I did something wrong but I can’t figure out what?
Happy New Year Tessa. Made my first Swiss meringue with my first kitchen aid mixer I got for Christmas. Turned out so thick had trouble piping. What happened? Put it n you marble cake posted recently, making cupcakes. New Wilton silicone liners made them too small and turned out dry. Sad. Frosting tasted good but not fluffy? Any suggestions?
I love your SMBC but am having trouble with my colours changing, pink turns peach, blue turns green etc.
I know it’s because of the yellow butter but how do I avoid?
I’ve made Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting 30 or more times, always successfully, until today. Meringue was perfect, glossy very voluminous. I switched to paddle , beat on Med low until bowl was cool, then added room temperature butter(still firm), 1 tablespoon at the time. Before I finished adding 2nd stick, frosting began to curdle. It quickly went downhill from there. I tried refrigeration for about an hour, mixing for 10 minute increments, adding 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Nothing brought it back. I hate to throw it out. Can I use it to make pound cake? It is now refrigerated.
It appears that this blog is dead. No replies to posts and questions??? Maybe one of the readers can answer my Question. I want to add cookie butter. First, I am afraid to make this traditional style SMBC. I am newish to baking, but I make mine flip flopped but it always turns out perfect. MUCH easier. I microwave sugar and carton pasteurized egg whites slowly til sugar dissolved. Then I put in freezer til cool room
temperature. It will not freeze. Too high of a sugar level. When The sugar and egg syrup is cool, I beat BUTTER til light and fluffy. The butter is the item better able to take the additional ingredients and create a stabile emulsion. After, I add half the syrup and beat til incorporated, then add remaining plus vanilla. It is firm at this point!
Being newish, I don’t know what adding cookie butter will do to it. My son loves loves cookie butter. Does anyone else make SMBC like me? Have you added semi fluid type ingredients to final SMBC? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!
Hi Tessa! Love all of your recipes. I was wondering if I could half this recipe because I need it for two 6 Inch layer cakes. I guess it’s totally doable as you also gave the weight of the egg whites. Thanks a lot! I’m also considering in buying the secrets of baking couese.
Halving this recipe is a little tricky unless you use a hand held mixer, otherwise there’s just not enough to beat! You can always freeze the leftover buttercream 🙂
I made this recipe using the dark brown sugar in place of the white sugar. I had 3 sticks of butter softened. I used 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of Frangelico liquor. 1.) took 10 minutes to dissolve the dark brown sugar and didn’t reach 140 deg. I thought that would be ok, not reaching 140. The bowl was very hot so i continued to move the bowl to the mixer and beat the eggs whites and the sugar to a meringue texture. It worked, looked perfect. The bowl cooled really fast, i found that odd as I have made a similar recipe before and had to ice the bowl to get it to cool. The temp in my house was the same as before. Problem was that the butter was chunky like and never got creamy.
I had soup with chunks, put in fridge for a minute and thought, this isn’t going to get rid of the chunky soft butter I put in so I added about a cup and a half or 2 cups of confection sugar to fix it. The taste was great and the texture was too.
I don’t think it was the mixer attachment, I used the whisk, the paddle and the paddle/scrapper. Maybe it was the dark brown sugar?
Michelle Gremillion — September 4, 2019 at 4:40 am
Tessa.. Thanks for these recipes..I haven’t found a buttercream recipe that holds up to Louisiana’s hot temps to date.. This Swiss buttercream worked well…
Hi Tessa,
This recipe sounds absolutely wonderful! I just have a few questions: first, is the candy thermometer required? And second, will this frosting crust over if it’s refrigerated overnight already on the cake?
Thank you very much!
Whilst this recipe is the quintessential Swiss buttercream, it does not need the salt! I added it just to see and it was so salty that I may as well have used regular salted butter. What’s worse is that the longer i sits the stronger the salt taste becomes.
Honestly, don’t add the salt. It’s light and smooth and silky without it
I’m sorry. This recipe just doesn’t work. The steam of the double boiler cooks the egg on the side of the bowl. It’s a total waste of time. Please pull the recipe.
I’ve been using this for a couple years now and had that issue one time because I didn’t stir right away otherwise it works just fine and I also omit the salt. You have to constantly stir as soon as you put the egg whites on the double boiler. I use pasteurized egg now to reduce the cooking time since all you need is to melt the sugar.
Quick question. If I wanted to do the caramel SMBC, would adding 3/4 c make the frosting too sweet? Is it possible to lower the sugar in the meringue and add the sweetness using the caramel?
I tried this and the meringue didn’t come to the same texture as yours after about 30 minutes in the stand mixer? It was quite white and i though oh it’s nearly getting there but didn’t so when I though it was quite thick i added the butter, but it became quite yellow and chunky! I’ve obviously done something wrong here but not sure what, I used four egg whites instead of 5 because it came to 150, could that possibly be it? Thank you!
Even though you say, this is the video you’ve “made-on-demand”, but I see how you do it very professionally, the Swiss Buttercup is great. luckily I signed up for the e-mail notification, otherwise, I would be sorry to discover this video later!
Hi tessa,
How much espresso powder could i use as additional flavor? Above you only said : Dissolve espresso powder in 2 tablespoons hot water.
Should i shift the espresso powder?
Dear Tessa, sorry to bother you I just wanted to ask you, for your Swiss meringue buttercream recipe flavour adaptations when you say cup is meant as the same cup measurement you use for the sugar?
For example 2/3 cup jam = 135g? 3/4 cup of nutella = 150g? So sorry, there are so many cup conversions according to the country and ingredient itself etc that I thought I’d double check with you. Hope you don’t mind.
Thank you so very much for your time and please know that your recipe is the best one I have used (I have tried many) and I absolutely trust it and love it. If you have developed any more flavours I can’t wait to hear, I feel like the possibilities are endless and want to try them all!!
Thank you, thank you for your amazing hard work and passion!
Many greetings from afar,
Best wishes Veronica
Hi Veronia, I understand your confusion! A cup measurement is the same as how I measured the sugar; however, as things weigh differently, a cup of sugar will weigh differently than a cup of jam! 3/4 cup of Nutella is about 217g (1 cup of Nutella is around 290g total). 2/3 cup jam is around 215g. Hope this helps! If you’re ever unsure about the add-ins, you can also slowly add them into the buttercream to your taste 🙂
Thank you very much for your kind reply and for providing this really wonderful recipe for free, I just hate to think that I may ruin it by adding the wrong amount of flavours! I will never understand cups, everything weighs the same in grams, I just would have loved that as the recipe itself has conversions in grams it would have been the same for the add ins…Thank you kindly anyway for giving me the conversion for nutella and jam! I wish I could have them for everything hehe! X
Hello dear Tessa, may I ask if I can use any chocolate to melt and then add to the buttercream? And how much would it be in grams?
Many thanks, much appreciated
Sorry forgot to ask if I wanted to make chocolate orange buttercream, is it better to melt a chocolate orange bar or do the amount you indicate of melted chocolate and then the amount you suggest for the orange addition? Thank youuu so much!!
I haven’t tried melting a chocolate orange bar, but you’re welcome to experiment with it. I would imagine it’d taste delicious 🙂 You can also combine two flavor ideas as stated in the flavor customizations as well 🙂
I have tried making Swiss Meringue Buttercream in the past but without success. The directions were never simple to follow and I would wind up with a soupy mess! The instructions for this recipe are excellent! Very specific and detailed which you need for this type of frosting. I was so happy when I finished it. Very light texture and delicious. I also added the extra cocoa powder and espresso to make it mocha flavored. It’s great.
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Swiss buttercream is one of my absolute favorites! i love it’s silky texture and slightly mild flavor…btw: I wanted to let you know that I discovered this post in my inbox and when I navigated to your site, I found that it isn’t on your home page, only on your videos page. Not sure if this was your intention.
Hi Patty! That’s so strange. What browser are you using?
Swiss meringue buttercream has changed my cake baking completely, it’s just the best! The possibilities are endless and it’s SO much better than the way too sweet frostings I used to make (that had heaps of confectioner’s sugar in them). A few weeks ago I made a chocolate cake filled with passion fruit mousse and covered in while chocolate Swiss buttercream… So yummy!
Looking forward to trying your recipe the next time!
I really want to try this recipe, but need a non-dairy option. Will unsalted margarine or shortening work in place of the butter? Thanks!
Hi Miriam! That can work if it’s your only option but obviously won’t have quite the same wonderful buttery flavor or melt-in-your mouth texture.
One more question – Where did you get that awesome side scraper paddle attachment??
It’s from KitchenAid! http://amzn.to/1U23ZFj
Thank you for this video! I have been wanting to make Swiss meringue buttercream, but was afraid I might mess it up.
I LOVE Swiss Meringue – awesome tutorial Tessa!
Thanks Joan!
Hi Tessa,
I use Google chrome, but it’s now showing up on the home page now. Maybe it was just something temporary.
Hi Tessa, your Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe is amazing!!! Keep it up and looking forward for more wonderful recipes. Thank you.
Hi. Will this not melt on a hot weather?
It will melt if left in hot weather for too long.
Tessa, I just found you and love your videos, approach and recipes. I was looking for a great buttercream recipe and came across your American version vs. Swiss meringue. I don’t know that I’ve had Swiss meringue before and I’m intrigued. Which is more stable when piped, if left at room temperature for several hours? I would suspect the meringue. (I just subscribed and am looking forward to trying out your recipes!)
Hi Laura! Thanks so much. American buttercream is a bit thicker and sturdier, Swiss is more light, smooth and fluffy. I think that Swiss may be slightly more stable at room temperature but both will get a little melty if left out too long. Whenever I’m serving frosted cakes, cupcakes, etc. I will usually refrigerate them for a while so they keep at room temperature for longer.
What kind of chocolate do you use to flavor? If you use chocolate depending on which kind do you have to use more or less sugar?
Any baking chocolate you desire. It’s completely up to you and your preferences – feel free to experiment!
Hi Tessa! Love this post, cause it shows all the alternatives you have to make better buttercreams, and most of the people didn’t know that. I didn’t know you could do it with Swiss… Just don’t be afraid about Italian or French buttercream, those are the safest cause you’re not eating raw eggs at all, the syrup is at 245F aprox. and the eggs get completely cooked. Instead of Swiss you’re only pasteurizing the eggs and it has to be consumed in the same day. Hope my comment have been helpful!! I enjoy your post very much!
Hey so if I use this buttercream on a cake I don’t plan on covering all in fondant do u have to store in fridge and how long can it sit out?
Tessa!! Thank you for making such a detailed and beautiful video! I have been trying it out tonight, unfortunately my butter doesn’t seem to mix with the meringue :'( it is so lumpy but soggy…..would you know the reason for it? is it because I mixed the meringue for too long or too strong? I really want to make ones like yours! thank you..
Which type of Buttercream frosting would you suggest for a two tiered wedding cake? Please do have in mind that the venue is an enclosed place with a possibility of being hot. Thank you.
hi thankyou for your amazing tutorial ? how long does this sit on room temperature?
Great recipe, Tessa. I made your birthday cake and topped it with the swiss meringue. Planning on using your recipes for my son’s Eagle ceremony. I want to make a sheet cake. Would doubling the cake recipe and the meringue work for a sheet cake?
So excited to try this and all the variations!! Just what I was looking for! 🙂 I will have to let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
Can this be coloured? If so would you use powder or gel colouring? Would this be suitable to pipe ruffles or rosettes? I have used normal buttercream to pipe rosettes on a cake before and they ended up sliding down the cake!
Sure! I’ve only ever used gel food coloring. As long as you’re in a relatively cool environment it should be fine to pipe shapes like that. Try to keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve to avoid your designs sliding down 🙂
Thanks for the video. Can granulated sugar be replaced with Confectioners sugar?
I made this recipe turned out lovely refrigerated to use the nxt day but when I was beating it the nxt day it looked like scrambled egg.what did I do wrong
Hi I am wondering what if I will not use the paddle attachment as my mixer doesn’t have that. what will happen?
Thanks
Can I substitute half the butter with cream cheese or shortening? If I am making a trial batch with (1) all butter, (2) half butter and half cream cheese and (3) half butter and half shortening, is it correct that after I have made the meringue, I weigh it and portion it equally into 3 bowls and the total weight of the butter / cream cheese / shortening for each batch would be 113.3g? Thanks
Wow! All I can say is wow! Where has this frosting been all my life? I made it exactly as you instructed and I added in raspberry puree and it was fantastic! Amazing job with this recipe!
Wonderful, Alex! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I kept hearing about Swiss Meringue Buttercream on the baking competition shows and did not know what it was. I was web surfing and found your blog/website and it has become my new favorite. I made th SMB this evening as an experiment for some cupcakes for work, I have a new favorite frosting! Creamy, rich and not sickenly sweet.
Thanks!
So happy to hear that! Welcome 🙂
I absolutely love the detailed step by step video on how to make Swiss buttercream. I have personally always found American buttercream extremely sweet and have been looking for an alternative since a long time. I am so glad i came across you post. I am going to try your chocolate cupcake recipe with chocolate swiss buttercream tomorrow for my nephew’s birthday. Hope it turns out good and everyone likes it. 🙂
Hi there, I have been wondering whether it’s possible to freeze a cake that’s been filled with swiss meringue buttercream. I have frozen it in a container so know how the consistency changes when it thaws. Have you any experience/thoughts on this? I have searched all over the net and no one talks about this aspect of smb.
Thanks for any help!
Hi Dana! I wouldn’t freeze a frosted cake. You could freeze the buttercream and cake layers separately, defrost overnight, rewhip the buttercream, and assemble when ready. That preserves the texture the best.
What went wrong? All I got from this is a slack mess. It’s 40F outside here today, and 68F inside, so ambient temp isn’t the problem. It took 45 minutes to get the temp of the egg white mixture down to where the bowl didn’t feel “warm” anymore, so long I didn’t know whether to get beating the meringue or stop for fear of overworking it. (I’m not sure where you got your time estimate for that step; do you make this inside a walk-in?) By then the butter was probably too soft but time was running out and I had to use it regardless. The mix started to slop up immediately as soon as I started adding the butter. It became the consistency of thin cake batter with millions of specks of butter in it. I couldn’t determine if it had broken or what. I tried refrigerating and rebeating it, but all I got from that was well-beaten cold butter specks soup. So I changed course and applied a hot towel to the bowl. After a few minutes of whipping the mess vigorously over heat, it actually began to thicken. Twenty minutes of whipping later — by the way, lose the bit about changing to the paddle attachment cuz when this stuff goes south, and it will, the paddle is as useful as one boot — it became a cohesive mass with a bit of loft but absolutely no strength or ability to hold its shape. Even after refrigeration, it is unable to maintain form and if applied to the sides of a cake will slump right off. Honestly, this isn’t worth going through. Plain buttercream is blehhh but it’s more predictable and easier than this, and will work every time.
45 minutes?! That’s insane!!
I definitely don’t make this inside a walk-in, in fact I live in the desert. Did you use a thermometer to gauge the temperature of the egg whites as they cooked? I’m thinking something went wrong at the very start that ruined the recipe. It should certainly not take 45 minutes for eggs whites to cool. Did you watch the video? I cover what to do if your buttercream breaks. I hope you’ll give it another go because I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and many others have too with success.
Tessa, as I said, I couldn’t determine if it had broken or not. It was liquid with tons of tiny butter flecks in it — tiny! — and didn’t have the clumpy curdled look of broken mayonnaise or hollandaise. So I tried chilling it, and when that went nowhere I resorted to heat. It finally whipped up silky and was delicious, but it had absolutely no body so ideas of piping it went out the window. You video doesn’t come close to depicting the soup I was dealing with. I warmed the eggs and sugar over hot water to 140F as measured with my most reliable digital thermometer, and whipped it on the stand mixer for absolutely ever waiting for it to cool down to “no longer feels warm” (a highly subjective determination that might be part of the problem). I’m in the desert too (Utah) but that’s not an issue this time of year. Thanks for responding. I’ll try it again because I’m a diehard, but my goodness but this one was a bear!
Hmmm. I’m still a bit surprised! It’s so hard to help without having been there to see it all. Perhaps this time stop whipping at the 10 minute mark since the warmth may indeed be too subjective. Let me know how it goes!!
This was my fist attempt at Swiss meringue buttercream and I must say WOW!! It turned out perfectly. The little bit of extra time it takes is well worth it. The texture is amazingly smooth with out the gritty texture my standard buttercream sometimes gets. I winged it when cooking the sugar and egg whites as I didn’t have a candy thermometer but I made sure the whites where hot and the sugar was melted. I can’t believe I haven’t attempted this frosting until now! Will be a new favourite. Thanks for the great blog post and video.
So happy to hear it, Kristy! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
excelente muy muy bueno exitos
Hi.
I don’t have a counter top mixer. I have a hand mixer -would I just use it the same as you did with yours? Wondering if it will work ? Amy suggestions. My hand mixer didn’t have paddle blades. ??? Any tips will help!! Thanks.
To be honest, this recipe would be quite a bit more difficult without a stand mixer. I’ve never attempted it, though I’m sure it would work out in the end. Do you just have the whisk attachments?
Hi Tessa,
I followed your Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and it turned out great. Thank you.
Hi x its got to the curdled point and been mixing for 10mins n doesnt seem to change? Any tips? Thanks
Hi Tessa!
Have you made a version with cream cheese? If so, what were your measurements?
Thanks!
No, I haven’t tried that out yet so I’m not much help. Let me know if you give it a go!
I followed the tutorial on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream;everything was perfect until the 4th cube of butter was added…then all went south.The whole batch looked like wet cottage cheese.I tried to cool it in the fridge and continue to beat again but the batch never recovered.What went wrong???
Did you watch my video? It just takes patience to beat it back into shape 🙂
Fantastic. Thanks, it’s really sturdy and works well with naked cakes. Love that it’s not too sweet. I coloured it pink with raspberry juice and it started to separate but I followed your advice and kept beating and it was fine. Thanks a lot – well explained and very helpful! (Sydney NSW)
Wonderful! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hello everyone. So I tried this recipe over the weekend for some cupcakes. AMAZING AMAZING recipe. I have tried a recipe long time back for SMBC and it was ok but this one is simply gorgeous. I had no issue what so ever, the process was smooth and the end result is silky, out of this world frosting. I live in a very hot country bu the kitchen temp was nearly 21-22C. I left one cupcake (iced) at room temperature till next day and it holds the shape pretty much well.
I used half of a vanilla pod for flavor.
One question though: can i try this with only 1 cup of sugar?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I’m really not sure if it would work with less sugar since the meringue is really the base of the buttercream’s structure. If you do try it with less, let us know how it turns out!
Hi Tessa! I have a question, my friend want me to make a smash cake for her daughter’s 1st birthday. I am not a big fan of American buttercream because I think it is very sweet for me however some people do like it. Can I use swiss buttercream for smash cake? Is it ok for toddlers to eat it? I would be appreciate to hear from you! Thank you!
Hi Amanda! I’ve never made a smash cake so I can’t speak to that, but it should be perfectly safe for toddlers to eat since the egg whites are cooked to 140°F. If you’re worried, I’d use a thermometer just to be safe. Have fun at the birthday!
I love your recipes! But i have a question, in mi city we have high temperatures, we also have days at 120degrees…. what kind of buttercream you recomended… one that no melted 😀
Your best bet is to use shortening instead of butter, it will hold up to the high temperature without melting as easily.
This looks fantastic! Just a quick question. I’m going be making an 8 inch rainbow cake with six layers, and decided on Swiss meringue buttercream for its stability. Will one batch be enough to fill and frost all layers and cover the whole cake?
Probably not with a cake with 6 layers. If you’re following a specific recipe it should say how many cups of frosting you’ll need. For a cake like that I always like to have more frosting than I think I’ll need on hand, somehow it gets used up 🙂
Can you make Swiss maringue with caster sugar to make a little more smooth????
Wow wow and wow!!!!!!!!!!!Just made this fantastic butter cream, and it turned out so light, fluffy and full of shine. Love it, will use all the time.
Fantastic, Janet! Thanks for your comment.
Hi, could you please help me , my daughter is getting married in July , she’s haveing a beach wedding , but after honeymoon , we’re have a big Bar BQ cook out at my house when they come home ,and I want to surprise the Newley wedding couple with a big wedding cake , I have never tried this before but I have watched lots if video , so I think I can pull this off , I have already make my gum paste flowers ,they turn out beautiful , but I need your help with icing , I’m think Swiss meringue buttercream on cake with my gum paste flowers , do you think this is a good idea using this icing with gum paste flowers together , it well be hot weather but would be cooled until time to cut cake , any advise would be great Thanks Velita
Sure! You can make a few big batches and freeze it so you can have things ready ahead of time, too. That comes in handy during the chaos of a wedding 🙂 I’ve done that for a wedding cake with this recipe. Let come to room temperature and rewhip in the mixer with the paddle attachment before using.
Tessa , Thank you for getting back with me I’m going to try this my sweet husband give a me a new mixer for Mother’s Day . I will post pictures every one please say a little pray for me ,Thanks Velita
Hi Tessa,
I was just wanting to know how long the buttercream can be left at room temperature?
Thanks Hayley 🙂
All those years of using canned frosting for school birthday cupcakes, what a waste! I now find myself looking for reasons to bake so I can pipe this beautiful Swiss buttercream on my cupcakes. I’m so very glad I found your video. Thank you.
Wow, that makes me so happy! Thanks Terry!
Hi Tessa! Thanks for sharing your swiss buttercream recipe! Can’t wait to give it a try. But my concern is i’m only using a hand mixer … dont have the paddle attachment. I’m wondering if i can still achieve the same consistency. Thanks
That should still work fine! You just might have to scrape the beaters down more often. Also you’ll be standing there mixing for a while, but it’ll be worth it 😉
Hi Tessa ! I just made a half batch of the SMB to try out with Russian piping tips. Have been experimenting with frostings for these tips the past few days as I find buttercream too sweet. This worked like a dream !!! I had to rewhip the frosting as it didn’t hold up the first time. To respond to another comment – I used an electric hand mixer for whipping with no trouble at all. Since these don’t have a paddle attachment I used a whisk to combine the butter.
The frosting held up very well even though I scraped off my experiments several times and reused it. And the temperature here is close to 90 today ! Am going to use this frosting a lot
Can a cake with this icing sit out like a regular buttercream cake? I live in Australia & it gets hot, my regular buttercream recipe I use half butter & half copha, could I do the same with this recipe?
I’m all out off vanilla extract would and normally I would use maple syrup as a substitute. Would this work here?
Oh I have a fail. Mine is too soft no body to it. I’ve tried refrigerating and remixing. Should I mix on high speed? Or maybe too much butter. Please help. This is my first failed Swiss meringue and my first time using this recipe.
Hi, Tessa! I made this frosting this morning ahead of time to frost my daughters cake with. As I was putting it in the container, I noticed gelatin like pieces throughout. What would have caused this? After I take it out of the fridge and bring to room temp, will I be able to get rid of them by mixing the frosting up again in my mixer or is it totally ruined? Otherwise looks and tastes amazing!! Thank you!
Hi, love the video but could i just use a hand held electric whisk, even for when u ned the padle attachment? Thanks
I did exactly like your recepie and I NEVER got to the firm and creamy stage, ended up throwing it out. Got so frustrated and I felt like my mixer was going to blow up it as i beat it for so long. I even put it in the fridge. never got to the stage I needed not sure what I did wrong. had to go back to the Amercian Butter cream which I wanted to avoid….feel like I failed 🙁
I made your Swiss buttercream for a rose cake for my granddaughter’s third birthday! It is amazing, and pipes like a dream! Thank you! I had first tried a different recipe, and it was good, but not nearly as good as this recipe! After filling the cake and starting to pipe the roses on, I didn’t have enough icing left to finish the cake. I used your recipe, and scraped off thirst try and blended them together so the color and flavor would be consistent throughout the cake. Both were great, but yours and your instructions were the best!
This is my first time making Swiss meringue buttercream and I will never go back to American buttercream. I followed your recipe and it came out delicious. I’m so glad I came across your video, thank you for sharing.
Hi tessa
I have a questation why my buttercream is so loose?
Hi Tessa! I made this last month for some Maple Whiskey Candied Bacon Cupcakes! It turned out so good, I will never make a regular old American Buttercream again! Everyone kept asking, who made the cupcakes?!? I’m making cupcakes for the 4th of July this weekend and I’m wondering if this is possible to double? Do you think it would be too much for a standard Kitchen Aid mixer to handle? Or would proportions be off? You’re the best! Thanks!
Love love love this recipe. Wish I would have known about it sooner. Will never make the icky powdered sugar and shortening recipe again. So smooth and silky. It is easy to make too!
Awesome, Kim! So happy to hear that 🙂
Hello! This is a great recipe and wasn’t hard to follow at all. Thanks for that! My question is about the completed amount. It says 5 cups, but I think I barely got less than 4. Did I not whip it enough? I still need to add the coloring, so plan to whip it up again after some refrigeration.
Can this recipe be cut in half? If I only need it for 12 cupcakes.
Made this and loved it! I piped it for my son’s 1st birthday cake. Question though now that my daughters 3rd birthday is coming up – will I get a reasonably smooth finish if I use a spatula on this icing? I’m wanting to stick fondant cut outs on but dont want fondant all over my cake as this icing tastes SO much nicer!!! Thanks 🙂
Have you ever tried the buttercream recipe where you cook flour and milk first before adding the sugar and butter? It is delicious but I don’t know what kind/style of buttercream it is.
My swiss frosting is not getting stiff .what to.do?
Hi, i tried the recipe, despite the fact i almost cooked the eggs in the beginning everything seemed to go well. However at the end i wanted to add some blueberries to reach a “blueberry flavor” and i guess this was the main mistake. In a while i had just disgusting liquid mess. Could you advise how can i flavor this cream and avoid this mess? Do you think that the cream would be OK (without blueberries) even though i cooked it a bit too much at the beginning or would it influence some attributes of this cream?
Thanks! 🙂
Your best bet would be blueberry jam or preserves (which I know can be more difficult to find than other berries). Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a little more difficult to customize because you can’t easily offset extra liquid with more confectioner’s sugar like you can with American buttercream. Besides the flavor customization options I’ve listed in this post, jams/preserves or even gourmet extracts work best. Hope that helps!
Hi Tessa. I had a question about this buttercream. I made Italian meringue buttercream before and stored it in the fridge. When I took it out of the fridge the next day I brought it to room temperature or at least I thought it was at room temp and when I re-whipped it the buttercream curdled. Will with happen with Swiss Meringue buttercream and if so how can I avoid this? Thanks for this tutorial!
Hi Vanessa! I have made this Swiss buttercream and refrigerated it many times. The key is to let it come to a cool room temperature then beat the heck out of it with an electric mixer. If it looks curdled, just keep beating until it’s smooth 🙂
Just made swims meringue buttercream for the first time – following our recipe and am delighted!!! It’s wonderful! Still have to make the cake and pipe it on but at this point I couldn’t be happier! Thank you Tessa. PS I used a hand held whisk – and only had the egg beater attachments – and no issues at all.
Wonderful, Gaye! Thanks for your note about the hand held egg beater, that’s helpful! 🙂
First time making this icing and it was amazing. Though yours seemed a bit more thicker mine was still a bit soft. I put it in the fridge and it did harden up nut once back to room temperature it was thinner. It still stayed on the cupcakes so it wasn’t that thin but it wasn’t like set icing. Have I done something wrong, it just didn’t look quite as stiff as your finished product.
Hmm it could have been a simple ingredient mis-measurement (were you using large eggs for the whites?) or possibly your climate. Was it warm or humid when you made the buttercream?
It’s cool here in Australia at the moment. I missed using the salt so maybe that could have affected it? They were large eggs as well.
Hello , tried youy swiss buttercream and it taste good. Just wondering what if i will do white chocolate wissbuttercream frosting.. Thank you.
Can I make the Swiss meringue buttercream with salted butter cause I can’t find unsalted butter!!!!
Hi, I was just wondering which caramel do you add to get the caramel flavour?
I think I broke the record… lol… I tried to make this 3 times in one dah….i….I used the buttercup brand butter. It turned out very yellow….the taste is good though…just not happy with the colour and the texture is a bit too runny…although I tried refrigerating it a while it still goes back to the runny texture aft some time. I think it’s probably because of the weather. I’m in Southeast Asia. I also tried substituting the butter with shortening but it ended up curdled…..I followed what u said and kept on beating it but it hardly did any good…
This was my first attempt at making a swiss buttercream, and wow it is silky smooth and delicious! I made it with salted butter, because I didn’t have unsalted. It still tastes delicious, but I think for a cake I’m making later this month I’ll definitely go with the unsalted. I was intimidated by making meringue, as I don’t have a double-boiler, but I rigged one up with a saucepan and my kitchenaid mixing bowl and it turned out perfectly. So smooth, light, and delicious. I added vanilla bean paste to it, and I can’t rave enough about it. Thank you for posting such an easy-to-follow recipe!
Hello Tessa,
I just found your recipe, It looks absolutely perfect.!!!
I have a question, do I have to use granulated sugar, or I can use Berry sugar instead? or it will can I used either??
I watched your video and it look exactly as it should be, You are fantastic!!
I am starting to cut the butter, and I have a question, how small I should cat the butter,? and how often do you feed the buttercream with the butte? after a 1 minute?
I am making this recipe for my future daughter in law, I am in charge of the Wedding cake!!!!
Thank You Tessa,
Hi there! I’m not sure what Berry sugar is. Granulated is best for this recipe. The butter should just be cut into cubes about 1/2-inch big. Add the butter after the last pieces have been incorporated. Good luck!!
I just finished your recipe for the Perfect Meringue Buttercream and it is WONDERFUL!!!!
All I did was to follow your instructions, without rushing with the adding butter, one piece at the time,
it is so silky so delicate, and absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!
Thank You soooo much!!!!
Yay! So happy to hear that. Thanks for sharing 🙂
O-M-Goodness!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best frosting I’ve ever had or made, i will NEVER make ABC again! So worth the time and effort, absolutely beautiful and stable. Perfection! People, you HAVE to make this SABC! To die for
Thank you so much, Rachel!! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 🙂
Hi there! This is my go-to recipe for SMBC as it always tastes delicious! I just have a very quick question, how long can a SMBC covered cake be stored in the fridge for? I’m a hobby baker and a friend needs a cake for Sunday but I only have Wednesday free to bake, ice and decorate. Will the cake remain moist if it’s in the refrigerator for 3-ish days?
Hmmm to be honest I’ve never frosted and stored a cake for that long before. I think it could work, as long as you use a thick coating of buttercream to “seal” in the cake.
When do i incorporate the food coloring? I need to make a colored cream for my cupcakes. Thanks!
I love SMBC, but this is just too buttery for me! If I reduce the butter (and/or sugar) content, will the texture still come out ok? 🙁
That’s the nature of Swiss Meringue Buttercream! You can try to reduce the butter, but it might not come together properly.
Did you ever try reducing the butter??? I want to make this next weekend. I tried it out today and I feel like I’m just eating a stick of butter XD
I haven’t tried that!
Great recipe! Just wondering how it goes if you make it in a double batch? Does it affect the ebd result at all?
And if a double batch would fit in a 5L mixing bowl?
Doubling shouldn’t affect anything else! It should fit in that sized bowl, but I’m not 100% sure.
Thanks so much, and one last question… would using an egg replacer be ok in instance of egg free request?
Oooh that’s a tough one. Eggs are essential to this recipe so I’m thinking an egg-free version would require a lot of experimenting and testing, if it’s possible.
Tessa, is this stable buttercream?? because the temperature reaches 34-38°C in my place. What would you suggest that could stand long in hot temp? The american style too sweet.
Hi Claire, since butter starts to melt at 32-35°C, no buttercream is going to be stable at those temperatures unfortunately. That’s also what gives butter its melt-in-your mouth appeal! The only way around that would be to use shortening, which has a melting temperature of about 48°C.
I made the Swiss buttercream once and decided it should be its own food group! Delicious! Then I made it again and added lemon juice. It was a disaster. It curdled and I was never able to get the clumps out. Now I want to try chocolate but am skittish after the last mess. Can you be more specific on what chocolate to melt and add? Thanks.
Can I use a stick more of butter?
People are experiencing deflated meringues because they should not be switching to a paddle attachment. Swiss meringue buttercream can easily be made without viewing it as too technical. Heat sugar and egg whites over a simmering water pot (the water should never physically touch the bottom of your egg mixture bowl), while constantly stirring (don’t walk away at this point), and in about 5 minutes you’ll get a very hot (not boiling) to the touch mixture, with a slightly eggy smell and completely melted sugar. immediately place in stand mixer with whisk attachment and whip at medium speed until a shaving cream consistency (medium peak) has been reached. At this point the bottom of the bowl will/should be barely warm to the touch (takes 10-15 mins), that means it’s safe to add the butter. It’s imperative that the butter consistency is just slightly softer than room temp (but NOT melted/runny), if you can’t easily smush your finger into it, let it soften more; it has to be super pliable. Turn the whisk speed up to medium high and add a small chunk of butter every few spins. When butter is out, add flavoring and salt with another 20 second spin and you should have a smooth, fluffy buttercream. If it’s still lumpy, keep on whipping.
I tried my hand at this over the weekend. The first time, my egg whites started to cook and I started getting scrambled egg whites. lol. Lesson learned.
The next go around, I made sure the temp was lower and it worked great. By the time I added my butter, it was pretty runny (butter was too warm).
I let it sit in the fridge and whipped it again, adding my vanilla extract and salt. It turned into cottage cheese which made me laugh. You get that moment of ‘this isn’t working, maybe I should throw it out’.
But I knew you advised to just let it keep going in the mixer and pretty soon, fluffy buttercream. Amazing to watch. Hahaha
My family loved it. My husband wants a giant batch of it all his own.
Haha! I’m so happy you were able to power through and make it work! 🙂
awesome tutorial
Hi, Tessa.
After hearing about Swiss Meringue Buttercream for a long time, I researched recipes online and chose yours as the one to try. It came our perfectly! OMG. Fluffy, silky-smooth, not too sweet, just a wonderful frosting and alternative to traditional buttercream. BTW I don’t have a stand mixer and used my trusty hand electric mixer that’s over 15 years old, and it worked great. I followed your instructions to a “t”, and the result was out of this world. Thank you 🙂
So happy to hear that, Kim!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Hi Tessa, im reading all the comments from top to the end. Im so interested making this SBM. Just few questions, can i use this for fondant cakes? Does it need to be fridge? I use ganache and i dont refrigerate my fondant cakes. And can i use this for filling as well? Would it stay soft and creamy? Thank u. Sorry have so many questions. Im dying to discover a great SMB.
Regards,
Lenny
Hi Lenny, you can basically use this in any way you’d use American buttercream. It’s just much smoother, creamier, and less sweet. It should work just fine under fondant and in filling. Good luck 🙂
Hi Tessa,
At what point do you add in the flavorings such as preserves, or chocolate, etc? Does the instant coffee and cocoa need to be dissolved first for the mocha flavoring? Thanks! This looks delicious. I love your ABC recipe too.
Italian meringue has raw eggs ? what ?
Yes, for sure, pouring 275° C sugar syrup in raw eggs won’t cook them. Because what cooks at that temperature! lol
Hi! I need to amend my review regarding using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer for this recipe. If you’re going to use a hand mixer, you need to use it throughout the recipe. Use it instead of the whisk while beating the egg whites and sugar over the simmering water, and then use it to finish the frosting off the heat. I think the whisk doesn’t provide enough volume since you won’t be using a powerful stand mixer to finish off the frosting. (Using a hand mixer is only if you don’t have a stand mixer – they’re so darned expensive.)
Hi Tessa!
I’m about to give the SMBC a second try. First try turned out great, I put it in the fridge overnight, rewhipped, and after about 20 minutes in a 75 degree kitchen it looked like it shrunk in half. I need to fill a cake tomorrow and want to make the BC tonight. Do you think the same thing could happen again?
PLEASE….tell me WHY when taking this fabulous frosting recipe out of the freezer of one month, whipping again to pipe….looked greasy, ugly texture!!!!?????? I’ve been making SMB for years…
I do not have a kitchen aid but have a steel bowl… Can I do the first process then transfer to my electric mixer and if I need to pipe 36 cup cakes can I use this recipe plus half…. Also can I make it the day before needing it and if so what is the best way to prep it before piping…Im from South Africa an its going to be 30 C on the day I need it…will it be stable enough or what do you suggest… This will be my first attempt so im fairly nervous
I’m a diabetic. Can I use a sugar substitute, like truvia, in place of sugar? Thank you
How much espresso powder do you dissolve in the 2 tbsp water?
Thanks!
Hi Tessa, I just discovered your videos and website a few days ago and have successfully recreated a few of your recipes. Your instructions are clear and I’ve gotten great results! Thank you! I’m wondering if for the Swiss meringue buttercream if I can substitute egg whites with egg whites from a carton?
Thanks again!
Since there’s only a few ingredients in this recipe, I’d suggest using the freshest possible! Egg whites from a carton may not produce the best results.
I used this recipe as my first attempt at Swiss meringue. Worked a treat!! Beautifully glossy and smooth. I flavoured mine with peppermint essence.
I read some other comment about the eggs not whipping – did you use packaged egg whites?
Excellent, Hayley!! Thanks for sharing xo
I made this today for the first time – worked great and it’s delicious! The video was very helpful in knowing what to look for, thank you! 🙂
can you use meringue powder instead of the egg whites?
Hi Tessa
I did a fair bit of research and youtubing until I settled for your SMBC recipe – this was my first attempt and it worked perfectly, I think. But I have a (probably dumb) question – is the egg and sugar mixture meant to smell a bit eggy after it’s been heated? The temp never really went above 140 even though I wanted it to get to 150 to make sure eggs were safe, but then I thought maybe I “cooked” my eggs if it smelled a bit eggy? But the meringue whipped up fine within four minutes, the whole thing had the right texture and taste, just a bit curious about the smell. I feel like it still lingered.. Not enough vanilla or cooked eggs, you think?
Thanks
Zohra
xx
Yep, a slight egg aroma is completely normal!
Hi, Tessa. Inwanted to make mocha flavored SMBC. So would I need to dissolve the cocoa powder and instant coffee before I add it to the frosting.
Would this swiss meringue buttercream work for a wedding cake?? Any suggestions on a frosting that I can use that is not so sweet as standard buttercream?! I am making my friends wedding cake -14″ -10″ & 6″ tiers!
Any tips would be welcomed!!
Yep! I made my dad’s wedding cake and used this recipe. Just made a TON of it ahead of time, froze it in ziptop bags, then let it defrost overnight. Brought it to room temp and rewhipped in an electric mixer before frosting. Wilton’s website has a great guide on how much frosting you’ll need for different cake sizes 🙂
Hie Tessa
I just made mine but it is appearing as if it has some liquid.how do i rectify this?
Hi Tessa!!
I tried this recipie and it was awesome…. creamy and satin feel in mouth… i never liked American buttercream..way too sweet and buttery..this recipie was just perfect! Your tips also helped when it turned little soupy.
I was just wondering if its possible to reduce the sugar in this recipie? If yes how much can i reduce or will it break any SMB rule 😉
Thanks
Betsy
Yay! Thrilled to hear that, Betsy. I haven’t tried to reduce the sugar since it’s so crucial to the structure of this recipe, so unfortunately I can’t offer any tips there.
Tried twice. Failed miserably.
Yes!!! Thank you so much, I just made this and used it to fill and frost a cake. Absolutely perfect! I’ve tried several recipes for swiss meringue in the past and none have been this good and as easy to follow. You’ve got a new fan in me!
So glad to hear that, Jess! 🙂
Hi there was wondering if you have to use 3 stick of butter?! It’s seam like a lot of fat for 150g of egg white. Many I can use 2 stick just curious because I have never made Swiss on marshmallow. Thanks Ana
Yes, this recipe was carefully constructed and reducing the butter would likely result in a flop.
Thank you making it now ! Mom bday TM . So excited to try this buttercream!! Wish me luck!
HAND MIXER And HOT WEATHER: This works with a hand mixer!! I grew up with a kitchen aid, but until a few weeks ago, I only had a hand mixer. This recipe worked just fine, you just need a strong arm for the lengthy mixing. Also, I have no air conditioning and I’ve made this recipe in hot weather in July. This has become my favorite “classy” frosting.
I am making this NOW and wanted to k now how long it usually takes to incorporate the butter chunks into the meringue after the bowl has cooled. So far I have been adding a chunk every minute or so and 3 sticks of butter gave me about 36 chunks … I have about 10 left. That means I having incorporating the butter now for almost a half hour … is that right? Seeing as the recipe says the time to make this is 20 minutes, I am confused because it took almost 15 minutes to get the sugar/egg white mixture up to 140 degrees. The frosting isn’t super smooth and has itty bitty ‘grains’ of butter in it. What am I doing wrong, or not doing ?
Follow-up …. The frosting still didn’t come nice and smooth after mixing it for a long long long time so I googled to see what I could do. I found a forum where someone had suggested that if the frosting was like ‘cottage cheese’, it was too cold. This appeared to be my situations. the suggestion was to warm a small amount of the frosting in the microwave til it looked like melted ice cream (this took about 10 seconds on 50%) then slowly add it to the bowl. Success!!! I now have smooth frosting that not only tastes amazing but looks nice and smooth. thanks. I will keep this recipe .
Hi Tess,
Ive just made 3 batches of Swiss Meringue buttercream today , 2 batches ive coloured them in 2 shades of pink that was fine happy with those but my 2 shades of blue are not coming out as blue its more greenish especially the light blue that I want the most but the darker one is ok. Is their a trick in making the buttercream white cause after you add the amount of butter it turns yellowish. Apart from that I love it .
Hi! I adore this recipe. I am planning on making it for cupcakes today but I just tasted one of the cupcakes and they are not sweet enough. If I add a bit more sugar to this buttercream during the double boiler stage will it affect he consistency/ ruin the meringue? I was thinking of adding a 1/2 cup. Thank you!
I wouldn’t touch the amount of sugar in this recipe. I haven’t tried that but I don’t think it’s worth the risk! Maybe you can fill the cupcakes with something sweet, like marshmallow creme, Nutella, or caramel?
Hi Tessa – I made this 3 times and the first 2 times I couldn’t get it really smooth. The third time, I took my time and when the butter was all in it was still not really creamy – a little broken looking – bits of butter. Then I upped the speed to 4 or so on my Kitchenaid and it got completely smooth and creamy! Amazing! I made coffee swiss meringue buttercream and I added the instant coffee to the egg whites in the beginning – 2 tsp per batch – I made a double batch! Finally, a few years ago I made a wedding cake for a good friend and the book I had recommended Italian buttercream. This is so much easier! Thank you!! I put this on your double chocolate cake which is also amazing!
Hi Tessa,
I have my mum’s old school mixer which doesn’t have a paddle attachment. Will it still work? What would I have to do to add the butter using the regular attachments?
Cheers,
Nicole
Hi, is there any way to make a lower calorie buttercream/frosting that is a thick piping consistency? Thanks
So glad I found this recipe! It’s my new favorite frosting by far. Made it today and it is AMAZING. Thanks so much for the post. I follow your website and love your recipes, tips and tricks. You’re a very talented young lady and very good at what you do. Keep up the good work! One quick question..do you need at add or subtract anything to the recipe in order to make the additional flavors or purees work? I’m worried about ruining the frosting. Thanks.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that 🙂 You shouldn’t have to make any additional changes for the flavorings.
Hi! I was wondering, could you substitute the sugar for a replacement like Stevia in the raw?
I’ve never tried!
Thanks ,for this recipe it’s a big hit in my house .Previously I used to make American buttercream but everyone felt it was too sweet,after trying your recipe everyone liked it .Now any cake we bake at home we use this recipient.
Will this hold up well for making buttercream flowers? And will it work with the Russian piping tips for making tall tulips and such?
Thank you
This buttercream is very silky and soft. If you’re making intricate flowers I’d reccomend American buttercream so you can adjust the stiffness easily.
WOW! GREAT! A lot of helpful information …THANKS!
Hi Tessa
My daughter and I tried twice to make the Swiss Meringue butter cream. The meringue was so thick and fluffy but the instant we added a cube of better it “turned to soup” according to my daughter. We were careful to make sure the bowl no longer had any warmth to it. We used room temperature butter (about 70 degrees).
It went totally flat and no longer fluffy. We tried continuing to beat it, refrigerated it, nothing seemed to work. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Hi Tessa, can i reduce the amount of sugar? Since I don’t like it’s taste too sweet
I was wondering if you have used this to make a cream cheese frosting? My cream cheese frosting always comes out runny and I’m looking for a stiffer cream cheese frosting. Also when you are adding flavors such as chocolate do you mix it in the stand mixer after it whips up? I’m nervous about over beating the frosting and it turning into a mess. I wasn’t sure if you fold the chocolate in by hand or continue to beat it in the stand mixer? Thanks for your video it really helped me through making this (and being successful at it) 🙂
Hi. Can you tell me if there is a particular type of chocolate to add for the swiss buttercream? Recipe calls for 2/3 cup cooled melted chocolate. I have Merckens milk chocolate disks. Would this work?
Sure!
Hi, on the swiss meringue I can add any flavour I want like Mint, mocha?
Hey! Thanks for this awesome recipe- it’s my favorite and new go-to!
I’m making lemon blueberry cupcakes for an outdoor party in June, but I’m afraid the lemon cream cheese frosting won’t hold up in the heat, especially since it was difficult to pipe in 50 degree weather. I was wondering if cream cheese could be added to the meringue, instead of or in addition to the butter, to make it like a cream cheese swiss meringue frosting. Thank you!
Hi! I’m so glad to hear that! I’ve never tried to add cream cheese to SMB but I’ve seen someone else do it: http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/2014/07/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
Good luck!
I LOVE your blog and this video was fantastic! I’m a visual learner and it makes things so much easier and clearer. Also, all the ways to change the flavor of the icing was wonderful as well. You are such a lovely young woman as well as a very talented baker and writer!
I live in FL and room temp is 75 degrees, is that too warm for room temp butter? Also, after I make frosting for cupcakes, I can refrigerate but they will be sitting out, through out party, will the frosting melt at 75degress?
Just made a batch for the first time. This is awesome! Thank you for sharing a great recipe & a good tutorial!
Would the use of powdered egg whites work ok in this recipe?
Thanks
I have been looking for a stable frosting, is this frosting good with humid weather?
Thanks!
Hey Tessa, me going to make this for my daughter’s 11 the birthday cake next week. I was wondering if I can use salted butter instead? Thanks it look goot!
Hi Tessa,
I wanna give a try of your SMBC recipe, but might need to mix it with shortening as I need to let the cake out at diff room temperature and scared that without shortening it’ll melt easily.
Any suggestions for the one mix with shortening? And lastly, can I do the double boiler using another bowl and transfer it to the stand mixer after instead of using my stand mixer bowl directly?
Thanks a lot!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE swiss meringue buttercream, it changed my life and it gives my cake a more delish taste. but i wanna ask what do u do with the egg yolks, i tried making pastry creme but it turned too runny i guess i want it fluffier for filling a cake, because it kind of melted in my cake
Hi Tessa
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I used it for a naked cake, it looked spectacular and tasted delicious.
Hello Tessa, first of all, thank you for taking me up in your comunity.
In Germany you have a very very good type of buttercream, made with custard.
I find it lighter than pure buttercream.
You prepare a custard (normally in Germany you use a powder, but you can prepare it all homemade), but with more sugar, when that is cold enough, you mix it and add, always mixing, butter at room temperature.
Try it, you can eat ten times the quantity of normal buttercream without feeling heavy… 😀
Hi. I only have a standard mixer. Can I still make this work? I’m tired of sickeningly sweet buttercream.
Thanks in advance!
One more question. How does it do under fondant?
can you use the pasteurized egg whites that come in a carton for this swiss meringue buttercream?
I generally find the best texture comes from fresh egg whites!
Tessa,
I’m making monster cupcakes and smash cake, which of the buttercream would you recommend the Italian or the Swiss? I need it to be stiff enough that monster ” fur” stays stiff.
I tried making swiss meringue buttercream using only hand mixer but it is very soft as in runny. My hand mixer don’t have paddle attachment, i only used the whisk. What could be the problem?? I followed every single step in the video.Thank you.
Thank you for your tutorial. You broke it down well. One question: I want to make this passionfruit flavored. Can I use passionfruit fruit juice? And how much? I have no clue what’s the best way to flavor it. Thank you in advance.
hi mine went a bit lumpy and could still see butter bits what do I do?
Tessa,
I have two questions. I am baking cupcakes for a wedding in the middle of September in Eastern PA. My first question is how does your Swiss Meringue Buttercream hold up in the heat if it’s still 80 degrees and humid in Sept? The second question can I use the flavor ideas you have posted under how to make perfect buttercream for the swiss meringue buttercream recipe? Thanks so much and I hope to hear from you soon!
Stephanie
Tessa,
Sorry, I thought of a third question. If the swiss meringue won’t stay nice in hot and humid weather, can you do half butter/half shortening to make it more stable? Thanks again!!
Stephanie
Hello, I need to make a cake 2 days before the event and drive 6 hours with it. How do you suggest I store the cake before transporting it? It will have swiss meringue buttercream flowers decorations. Will it hold up?
This will only work if you use fresh eggs and not egg whites from a box. Egg whites from a box will not whip stiff enough. If you are using them add 1/4 of a teaspoon of cream tartar per egg white, 5 for this recipe. Otherwise you will end up with a ‘soup’. I also had to watch while adding butter and was able to add half the portion before I started to notice the butter turning into ‘soup’.
I have used this recipe a few times. Tonight, the butter got too cold and caused a soupy mess with little specs of butter. First off, I forgot to switch to the paddle attachment so I made that change immediately. Then, i had to whip it for what seemed like eternity. It gets to the point where it is a mass like butter but sweet. I decided to keep whipping it at medium high speed for another 15 minutes plus. The butter finally warmed up a bit and I eventually had the best-textured, fluffiest and divine tasting frosting yet! If it gets soupy – just keep beating. Might take 25 – 30 minutes. Also, it tastes wonderful on this white cake recipe I found. It is a combo made in cupcake heaven:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/tender-white-cake-recipe
Ive just discovered this recipe. I always make normal buttercream and then regret it as my cakes are always too sweet and sickly. Your icing (Swiss meringue) is absolutely delicious…. i left out the vanilla and salt and used my favourite butter, Lurpak. It’s so silkly, light and buttery and a lovely pale colour. Straightforward to make and good to pipe. My husband is licking the bowl now. Thank you so much. I will always choose to put in the little extra effort to make this in the future.
Hi Tessa,
I want to use the swiss meringue buttercream for a cake decorating competition that i have to decorate at the venue. Can it withstand temp of 30- 32 C ? Or what other alternative can i use ?
Hi i was wondering if i could use pasteurized liquid egg whites from carton? If yes, do i do the same steps(heating egg whites with sugar)?
Thank you
Hi great video! Thank you !
I was wondering if i could use pasteurized egg whites from a carton? If yes, do i need to heat it up or can I use it at room temperature?
Thanks
Hey i tried your swiss buttercream recipe and let me tell you its not at all easy to work with…i used it for piping rosettes and they were not at all stable but kept drooping all the time..please tell me what went wrong. .plus I did refrigerate it couple of times but every time it was out othe fridge it started to melt
Hi! May i ask why do you have to switch over to the paddle attachment when you add the butter? Will there be a difference in the buttercream if i continue to use the whisk attachment? I want to understand the science behind this
I think it is because the paddle attachment helps get the air bubbles out, so it is smoother when you pipe it or spread it on.
I made this buttercream to decorate the top of a chocolate cake and it was absolutely delicious! it took a bit long to make because I don’t own a stand mixer, but it turned out well:) the only problem I had was the consistency, which wasn’t as thick as I expected, but apart from that this recipe was a success! I wonder if Tessa can explain why the consistency was rather thin:) have a nice day!!
Can I use an any own mixing bowl to place over the shimmering water not to touch it when whisking?? Because I didn’t own a mixer bowl specified at my home !
I love this recipe, its like eating a cloud! So light and fluffy sweet but not too sweet.
I wonder if you could help me with a problem I’m having – I use this under fondant and i’m having problems with it after it comes from the fridge, it becomes soft quickly and my first attempt ended with slight bulging (I only do a thin crumb coat)
Am I doing anything wrong to cause this?
Thanks in advance
@Elena Carrara : you need to beat it more and on a slightly higher speed then it will thicken up. HTH
@Lalruatsanga: Yes I do as my mixer bowl is glass with a thick metal ring on the base and it takes and age to cool down so I use another bowl and tip the into my mixer’s bowl after ‘cooking’ HTH
If we could get an answer on the melting though that would be great 🙂
Whelp, I just made this recipe with the addition of almond flavoring, and…..it turned out great! I was afraid my butter was too soft, but it went through every stage you showed in the video. Gotta be honest, I can’t decide which was scarier, the thin, runny stage or the curdled stage. Thanks so much for the recipe and the video showing all of it. Can’t wait to ice my mom’s birthday cake. She’ll be 89 tomorrow, July 4th, and still living by herself and playing golf even after breaking her pelvis in 3 places this time last year!
Blessings…
how long they last outside on cakes
especially in hot weather
Hi and thanks for all your work perfecting and posting your recipes! I’m really excited to try this buttercream with your chocolate cupcakes for the first time this week. However, my stand mixer has a metal bowl. Do you recommend using the metal bowl over the double boiler or should I use a different glass bowl and transfer? Either way, does this affect the timing of the other instructions, like how long to whisk the egg whites? I saw a couple others ask similar questions, but no answers posted from you yet. Hope you can help! Thanks!
Hi Tessa,
What went wrong!
I tried this recipe this weekend and what a disaster. I followed the direction exactly. Some of my sugar granular never dissolved. I used a digital thermometer and measured to 160F, and some of the sugar crystalized on the side of the mixing bowl. After whipping the egg white and sugar for about 30 minutes, it turned out looking like whipped butter. I just can’t imagine anyone frosting a cake with whipped butter. It showed very little evidence of egg white in the mixture. I was very excited to try this recipe, but what a disappointment.
I have always been in love with the icing at my favourite local bakery… but never knew what kind of black magic they used to create their cravable icing.
For my own cakes I usually use a whipping cream base frosting, but I was baking today with my kids and started searching the web for a not to sweet icing… I thought I’d give this a try, low and behold THIS is the icing the bakery uses!!!
I couldn’t be happier.
Roughly what’s size cake will this recipe cover?
Holy cow! This turned out awesome. Better than other recipes / blogs I’ve followed before.
I think my search is over!
I love that you included flavoring options. I used 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder for every cup of buttercream and it’s perfect.
This looks amazing. But i do have a question… im trying to find a recipe for a buttercream that isnt made with powered sugar, but that also doesnt have to be kept cool. My italian buttercream melts every time… help!
I just tried this recipe and it was amazing. Search for the best swiss meringue buttercream is over. Next time I’m going to try it with the flavours. Thank you so much for this recipe
The comments on this made me laugh, seriously stick to the recipe, and follow EVERY instruction, from making sure there is no grease to weighing every ingredient and you will have the perfect buttercream! I have used this recipe over 100 times and it never failed me… I double and triple the portions (kitchen aid stand mixer) and before I add the butter I measure out 3 equal bowls of the cooked and whipped egg whites, then whisk them up individually with the butter and add different flavours, it saves so much time!
Hi tessa. I’m just wondering how to leave the smbc white after it comes to room temp after being in the fridge. My batch went yellow and it was really soft
I just stumble upon your buttercream guide, and i must confess that watching your video has immensely improved my skills on buttercream. Indeed, I am grateful for sharing these videos that have helped a beginner like me.
However, my question is thus: What alternative can you recommend for someone that doesn’t have electric mixer?.
Hi! I tried this recipe and is super delicious! But since I live in Puerto Rico, the heat keeps melting it too fast! It wont allow me to pipe not even cupcakes, it acts like whipped cream. Do you have any suggestions??
Hi Tessa, thanks so much for sharing! I’m hoping to make a three tier or two tier wedding cake..plan to use Swiss meringue buttercream. Would it be essential to use the same bowl that I’m heating up egg whites and sugar to whip it up? My electric mixer uses a plastic bowl so thinking of transferring heated egg whites mixture to it to whisk.
Meringue came out perfect – not used a double boiler before – however ended up throwing it all away. Once the butter was added it curdled, or so I thought, so I beat it like a woman possessed. No change at all.
It was the consistency of runny jelly so I cooled it, but nothing! Waste of time and good ingredients. Obviously I did something wrong but I can’t figure out what?
Happy New Year Tessa. Made my first Swiss meringue with my first kitchen aid mixer I got for Christmas. Turned out so thick had trouble piping. What happened? Put it n you marble cake posted recently, making cupcakes. New Wilton silicone liners made them too small and turned out dry. Sad. Frosting tasted good but not fluffy? Any suggestions?
tessa with swiss merigue buttercream can you make buttercream roses or flowers thank you for your comment.
I love your SMBC but am having trouble with my colours changing, pink turns peach, blue turns green etc.
I know it’s because of the yellow butter but how do I avoid?
I’ve made Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting 30 or more times, always successfully, until today. Meringue was perfect, glossy very voluminous. I switched to paddle , beat on Med low until bowl was cool, then added room temperature butter(still firm), 1 tablespoon at the time. Before I finished adding 2nd stick, frosting began to curdle. It quickly went downhill from there. I tried refrigeration for about an hour, mixing for 10 minute increments, adding 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Nothing brought it back. I hate to throw it out. Can I use it to make pound cake? It is now refrigerated.
Miss tessa thank you for sharing this recipe can you please teach me meaurement for creamcheese flavoring
thanks in advance
It appears that this blog is dead. No replies to posts and questions??? Maybe one of the readers can answer my Question. I want to add cookie butter. First, I am afraid to make this traditional style SMBC. I am newish to baking, but I make mine flip flopped but it always turns out perfect. MUCH easier. I microwave sugar and carton pasteurized egg whites slowly til sugar dissolved. Then I put in freezer til cool room
temperature. It will not freeze. Too high of a sugar level. When The sugar and egg syrup is cool, I beat BUTTER til light and fluffy. The butter is the item better able to take the additional ingredients and create a stabile emulsion. After, I add half the syrup and beat til incorporated, then add remaining plus vanilla. It is firm at this point!
Being newish, I don’t know what adding cookie butter will do to it. My son loves loves cookie butter. Does anyone else make SMBC like me? Have you added semi fluid type ingredients to final SMBC? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!
Hi Tessa! Love all of your recipes. I was wondering if I could half this recipe because I need it for two 6 Inch layer cakes. I guess it’s totally doable as you also gave the weight of the egg whites. Thanks a lot! I’m also considering in buying the secrets of baking couese.
Halving this recipe is a little tricky unless you use a hand held mixer, otherwise there’s just not enough to beat! You can always freeze the leftover buttercream 🙂
I made this recipe using the dark brown sugar in place of the white sugar. I had 3 sticks of butter softened. I used 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of Frangelico liquor. 1.) took 10 minutes to dissolve the dark brown sugar and didn’t reach 140 deg. I thought that would be ok, not reaching 140. The bowl was very hot so i continued to move the bowl to the mixer and beat the eggs whites and the sugar to a meringue texture. It worked, looked perfect. The bowl cooled really fast, i found that odd as I have made a similar recipe before and had to ice the bowl to get it to cool. The temp in my house was the same as before. Problem was that the butter was chunky like and never got creamy.
I had soup with chunks, put in fridge for a minute and thought, this isn’t going to get rid of the chunky soft butter I put in so I added about a cup and a half or 2 cups of confection sugar to fix it. The taste was great and the texture was too.
I don’t think it was the mixer attachment, I used the whisk, the paddle and the paddle/scrapper. Maybe it was the dark brown sugar?
Could you make this recipe using trex to get a whiter meringue?
Tessa.. Thanks for these recipes..I haven’t found a buttercream recipe that holds up to Louisiana’s hot temps to date.. This Swiss buttercream worked well…
I want this in sugar free version what sugar can si use?
Thank you for this recipe
This is my go to buttercream for all my cakes!
Hi, will a decorated cake hold well in room temperature? I’m talking piped flowers and tutu frills 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Tessa,
This recipe sounds absolutely wonderful! I just have a few questions: first, is the candy thermometer required? And second, will this frosting crust over if it’s refrigerated overnight already on the cake?
Thank you very much!
-Ariadne
Whilst this recipe is the quintessential Swiss buttercream, it does not need the salt! I added it just to see and it was so salty that I may as well have used regular salted butter. What’s worse is that the longer i sits the stronger the salt taste becomes.
Honestly, don’t add the salt. It’s light and smooth and silky without it
I’m sorry. This recipe just doesn’t work. The steam of the double boiler cooks the egg on the side of the bowl. It’s a total waste of time. Please pull the recipe.
I’ve been using this for a couple years now and had that issue one time because I didn’t stir right away otherwise it works just fine and I also omit the salt. You have to constantly stir as soon as you put the egg whites on the double boiler. I use pasteurized egg now to reduce the cooking time since all you need is to melt the sugar.
I have made this recipe countless times. My cakes are better for it. Thank you!!!!
Quick question. If I wanted to do the caramel SMBC, would adding 3/4 c make the frosting too sweet? Is it possible to lower the sugar in the meringue and add the sweetness using the caramel?
I tried this and the meringue didn’t come to the same texture as yours after about 30 minutes in the stand mixer? It was quite white and i though oh it’s nearly getting there but didn’t so when I though it was quite thick i added the butter, but it became quite yellow and chunky! I’ve obviously done something wrong here but not sure what, I used four egg whites instead of 5 because it came to 150, could that possibly be it? Thank you!
This is a fabulous recipe and you can’t go wrong with it.
Works every time I make it.
Hi Tessa!
I have an older stand mixer with regular beaters which means I don’t have the special attachments. Will that work?
Thanks,
Susan
Thank you very much. Please can I use a combination of margarine and shortening for the fat; butter is not readily available in my country
I absolutely love swiss meringue butercream! I made your chocolate one and a brown sugar version and they were absolutely delightful!
I just have a question, would half a batch be enough to frost a 3 layered 7 inch cake?
They are so good, thank you very much!
Even though you say, this is the video you’ve “made-on-demand”, but I see how you do it very professionally, the Swiss Buttercup is great. luckily I signed up for the e-mail notification, otherwise, I would be sorry to discover this video later!
Hi tessa,
How much espresso powder could i use as additional flavor? Above you only said : Dissolve espresso powder in 2 tablespoons hot water.
Should i shift the espresso powder?
Thanks
hi tessa,
I read if we can add espresso powder into the buttercream
How much espresso powder should i use?
Thanks
Dear Tessa, sorry to bother you I just wanted to ask you, for your Swiss meringue buttercream recipe flavour adaptations when you say cup is meant as the same cup measurement you use for the sugar?
For example 2/3 cup jam = 135g? 3/4 cup of nutella = 150g? So sorry, there are so many cup conversions according to the country and ingredient itself etc that I thought I’d double check with you. Hope you don’t mind.
Thank you so very much for your time and please know that your recipe is the best one I have used (I have tried many) and I absolutely trust it and love it. If you have developed any more flavours I can’t wait to hear, I feel like the possibilities are endless and want to try them all!!
Thank you, thank you for your amazing hard work and passion!
Many greetings from afar,
Best wishes Veronica
Hi Veronia, I understand your confusion! A cup measurement is the same as how I measured the sugar; however, as things weigh differently, a cup of sugar will weigh differently than a cup of jam! 3/4 cup of Nutella is about 217g (1 cup of Nutella is around 290g total). 2/3 cup jam is around 215g. Hope this helps! If you’re ever unsure about the add-ins, you can also slowly add them into the buttercream to your taste 🙂
Thank you very much for your kind reply and for providing this really wonderful recipe for free, I just hate to think that I may ruin it by adding the wrong amount of flavours! I will never understand cups, everything weighs the same in grams, I just would have loved that as the recipe itself has conversions in grams it would have been the same for the add ins…Thank you kindly anyway for giving me the conversion for nutella and jam! I wish I could have them for everything hehe! X
Simple and elegant
Thanks
Hello dear Tessa, may I ask if I can use any chocolate to melt and then add to the buttercream? And how much would it be in grams?
Many thanks, much appreciated
Check out my Flavor customizations listed on this post, yes, you can add chocolate 🙂 Here’s a link to my free conversion guide: https://handletheheat.com/measuring-cheatsheet
Sorry forgot to ask if I wanted to make chocolate orange buttercream, is it better to melt a chocolate orange bar or do the amount you indicate of melted chocolate and then the amount you suggest for the orange addition? Thank youuu so much!!
I haven’t tried melting a chocolate orange bar, but you’re welcome to experiment with it. I would imagine it’d taste delicious 🙂 You can also combine two flavor ideas as stated in the flavor customizations as well 🙂
Ah thank you so much Tessa! What a great suggestion to combine two flavour ideas! Sorry didn’t read that.
May I ask, when you suggest juice (for both orange and lemon) is the juice from a carton? Or freshly squeezed juice?
Thank youuuuuu!!
I suggest 2T fresh zest and 3T fresh juice (from the fruit) for best flavor 🙂
I have tried making Swiss Meringue Buttercream in the past but without success. The directions were never simple to follow and I would wind up with a soupy mess! The instructions for this recipe are excellent! Very specific and detailed which you need for this type of frosting. I was so happy when I finished it. Very light texture and delicious. I also added the extra cocoa powder and espresso to make it mocha flavored. It’s great.
So glad to hear that, Cindy! Glad the instructions were easy to read and that you enjoyed the end result 🙂 Mocha buttercream is so delicious!
Hi Tessa,
I have a basic old stand mixer that just has beaters. Can I make this without using all the special attachments you used?
Thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan! We’ve actually never used one of those, so we can’t say for sure! If you give it a try, please let us know how it goes.