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.
4.66 from 38 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.
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!)
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!)
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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 🙁
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!
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.
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?
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
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 😉
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.
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, 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.
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 🙂
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 😀
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!
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!
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)
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???
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?
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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. 🙂
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!
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!
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
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 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 🙂
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?
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.
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..
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, 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.
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!
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.
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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.
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 🙂
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!
Hi tessa
I have a questation why my buttercream is so loose?
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.
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!
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 🙁
Hi, love the video but could i just use a hand held electric whisk, even for when u ned the padle attachment? Thanks
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!
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.
I’m all out off vanilla extract would and normally I would use maple syrup as a substitute. Would this work here?
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?
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
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 😉
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,
I was just wanting to know how long the buttercream can be left at room temperature?
Thanks Hayley 🙂
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, 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.
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.
Can you make Swiss maringue with caster sugar to make a little more smooth????
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 🙂
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.
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!
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
Hi x its got to the curdled point and been mixing for 10mins n doesnt seem to change? Any tips? Thanks
Hi Tessa,
I followed your Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and it turned out great. Thank you.
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?
excelente muy muy bueno exitos
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 🙂
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!!
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.
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.
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. 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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
Hi I am wondering what if I will not use the paddle attachment as my mixer doesn’t have that. what will happen?
Thanks
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
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 🙂
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!
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?
hi thankyou for your amazing tutorial ? how long does this sit on room temperature?
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.
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..
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?
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!
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!
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. Will this not melt on a hot weather?
It will melt if left in hot weather for too long.
Hi Tessa, your Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe is amazing!!! Keep it up and looking forward for more wonderful recipes. Thank you.
Hi Tessa,
I use Google chrome, but it’s now showing up on the home page now. Maybe it was just something temporary.
I LOVE Swiss Meringue – awesome tutorial Tessa!
Thanks Joan!
Thank you for this video! I have been wanting to make Swiss meringue buttercream, but was afraid I might mess it up.
One more question – Where did you get that awesome side scraper paddle attachment??
It’s from KitchenAid! http://amzn.to/1U23ZFj
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.
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!
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?