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If you’re looking for a delicious, not overly-sweet, slightly leveled-up buttercream, look no further than the Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
Swiss buttercream is like the classier and more refined older sister to American buttercream.
It’s less sweet than American buttercream, so it’s a terrific option for frosting cakes, cupcakes, fill French macarons, and more!
While it can seem a little intimidating to make, I’m here to show you it is TOTALLY doable.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is definitely easier than you might think, and it’s actually very forgiving.
My favorite part is that it is a perfect blank canvas for ANY flavor additions. I’ve listed a bunch below to get you started.
I’ve created a video inside the recipe card below so you can actually see what each stage is supposed to look like, with tips and tricks along the way in case you are worried you messed up somewhere along the way!
How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
What is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream (aka SMBC) 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 so delicious and the texture is so silky smooth that it’s well worth the extra steps, especially for special occasions!
What’s the Difference Between Swiss and American Buttercream?
- American Buttercream is basically a combination of beaten butter, powdered sugar, and flavoring(s).
- It is by far the simplest and easiest buttercream, but can often have a very sweet one-note flavor profile.
- Check out my recipe for American Buttercream here, for a quicker, slightly sweeter but equally delicious buttercream.
Are There Other Types of Buttercream?
- Italian Meringue: Similar to Swiss, but a little more complex. Italian Meringue Buttercream is made by cooking a sugar syrup and carefully drizzling this into an egg white mixture.
- French Buttercream: Similar again, but French Buttercream contains egg yolks instead of egg whites. It can be the most difficult to make, as it requires cooking a hot syrup, then drizzling this into egg yolks, which can scramble easily. It’s ultra-rich and smooth but may result in the consumption of raw eggs.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Tools
- Candy Thermometer: For ensuring your egg white/sugar mixture has reached the correct temperature. An instant-read thermometer will also work.
- Whisk: For whisking the egg white/sugar mixture constantly throughout heating.
- Stand Mixer: The best tool for SMBC! While this can be done with a handheld electric mixer, I don’t recommend it as it will take much longer.
- Piping Bags: For piping your perfect Swiss meringue buttercream onto your cake or cupcakes.
- Piping Tip: This Ateco #825 star tip is my favorite piping tip.
Flavor Customization Ideas
Feel free to get creative here! Add more or less depending on your preferences, and even combine two flavor ideas for something more unique. Be sure to taste as you go, and add a little more flavoring as needed. If you’re adding a liquid, be sure to add it slowly, in tablespoon-sized increments. If you get a little heavy-handed, see the note above about curdling.
- 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.
Recipes Perfect for This Buttercream:
- Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes
- Ultra Moist Yellow Cupcakes
- Best Yellow Cake Recipe
- Best Birthday Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
More Frosting Recipes to Try:
How to Make Perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream with a step-by-step video, with tips and tricks along the way. Can be made ahead of time. Includes a list of flavor customization ideas!
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Ingredients
- 5 large (150 grams) egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with a 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 the temperature reaches 160°F, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot and foamy. Carefully wipe the bottom of the bowl dry.
- Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin to whip, until the meringue is thick, glossy, and stiff peaks are achieved. The bottom of the bowl must no longer feel warm to the touch. This should take 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 together and be smooth. If the buttercream is too thin and runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes before continuing mixing with the 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 an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature and beat on low with the paddle attachment, until creamy, before using.
To use under fondant:
- Frost the cake as smoothly as possible. Place in the refrigerator until the buttercream has hardened before covering in fondant. Cover with fondant straight from the refrigerator.
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.
Please don't panic if the frosting looks curdled as you mix in the cubed butter and/or flavorings. Just keep mixing and it will eventually come back together and look creamy and smooth again.
This recipe was originally created in 2015 and was recently updated with more recipe tips and FAQs.
Tips for the Perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Cooking the egg whites/sugar: Don’t be tempted to crank the heat up too high. Allow the water in your double boiler to just simmer, to slowly raise the temperature of the egg whites and sugar without cooking your egg whites.
- Whisk constantly: If you stop whisking, the egg whites can cook on the sides and bottom of the bowl. Keep the mixture moving, to prevent chunks of scrambled eggs from ending up in your buttercream.
- Whipping speed: Once you move your bowl to the mixer, start whipping slowly and increase the speed as the mixture thickens. I stop increasing the speed once it’s on medium-high. This allows the air to slowly be incorporated into the meringue, to create a stable base, and also allows the bowl time to cool before proceeding with adding the butter.
- You want stiff peaks: Ensure your meringue has reached stiff peaks before adding the butter. Medium peaks won’t result in a thick, luscious buttercream. Stiff peaks are sharp points in meringue that don’t bend or droop.
- Ensure your bowl is completely cool before adding the butter: If your meringue or the bowl are at all warm, the butter will melt and you’ll end up with a soupy buttercream. Don’t add the butter until the bowl is completely cool and back to room temperature.
- Curdling isn’t a big deal: It’s normal and totally okay if your buttercream looks separated, curdled, or chunky while the butter incorporates. It might happen again when you add your flavorings, especially if they’re liquidy. Don’t worry! Keep mixing with the paddle attachment and it will come back together eventually, becoming a super creamy, smooth buttercream.
- If your SMBC contains air bubbles: Mix on your mixer’s lowest speed for a few minutes, or even mix by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes, to smooth out the buttercream and pop those pesky air bubbles.
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!