Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream - Yes You Can!

Hi hi! I am just popping in to share my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe with you! I have made this so, so many times over the years, using it for everything from a quick cake at home to six or seven individual cakes for friend's wedding tables. Swiss Meringue buttercream is easier to make than you think, and the buttercream itself is beautifully smooth and amazing to work with, making it perfect for stacking layer cakes, finishing cupcakes or sheet cakes, and especially for piping.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream sets up beautifully, giving you a nice stable cake, and because it doesn't have any powdered sugar, it is perfect for piping and for getting beautiful smooth edges on a cake. Not to mention the taste - it is smooth and not too sweet, and is the perfect base for adding other flavours to.

This Swiss Meringue uses the same Meringue base recipe that I use for topping pies - except we take it one step further and add in butter to form the most dreamy frosting.

I have made Swiss Meringue Buttercream hundreds of times over the years - let me show you how! I promise it doesn't need to be intimidating.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is always my first choice for decorating a layer cake. I have used it in my guide on how to frost a layer cake - check the post for a step by step guide!

What is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a buttercream frosting that has been made by whipping butter into a Swiss Meringue, which is made by cooking the egg whites and sugar together in a double boiler before whipping. Once the meringue is thick and fluffy, butter gets whipped into it to form the most smooth and dreamy frosting.

How does Swiss Meringue Buttercream differ to American Buttercream Frosting?

Swiss Meringue Buttercream and American Buttercream are quite different - one is meringue based, while American Buttercream Frosting is made with powdered sugar. It really comes down to preference - Swiss meringue buttercream is more buttery, less sweet, doesn't crust over, and is super smooth, while American buttercream crusts over when you let it dry, is much sweeter, and isn't as smooth due to the powdered sugar in the recipe (However my vanilla buttercream frosting recipe does have a workaround for this!). Both are delicious, but Swiss Meringue buttercream will always be my top pick because of how smooth it is to work with.

If you're more of an American Buttercream Frosting person, my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is a super delicious recipe!

Troubleshooting - This Buttercream will curdle on you, but just keep mixing.

One thing that is different about my Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe is that you will notice that I use cold butter. Because you start by cooking your egg whites and sugar to make a Swiss meringue, you have a slightly warm mixture by the time it comes to adding in your butter. Adding small chunks of cold butter will help to bring down the overall temperature of your buttercream - if your butter is too warm, it becomes soupy and really hard to work with. Buttercream that is smooth but still slightly on the cooler side is going to be easiest to work with.

However because of this, Swiss Meringue buttercream goes through a crazy stage during the mixing process where you're going to wonder if you have it all wrong. It will be curdled and look super lumpy - this is fine. Just keep mixing. Set a timer and walk away from the mixer if you need to. If it really isn't coming together you can remove a tiny bit of the buttercream and warm it in the microwave and then add it back in to bring up the overall temperature, but I promise you a weird curdled looking buttercream is totally normal and you have to just keep whipping!

How much Buttercream does this recipe make?

My Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe as written makes enough buttercream to generously fill and frost a two layer 8" cake, or fill and frost a three layer 8" cake with just enough buttercream. If you are worried about not having enough buttercream, or if you are making a larger layer cake or adding any piping details, you can make the larger volume by using the larger quantities in the recipe notes. There is nothing worse than being caught short with not enough buttercream so I would lean toward making a little more than needed - it freezes well too.

For frosting cupcakes or a sheet cake which typically use less buttercream, use the scaled down quantities. I know this seems like a lot of unnecessary detail but I really want to avoid you being left with either not enough or far too much buttercream when you are making this. If in doubt, make the larger quantity. The process for making the buttercream regardless of the size of the batch is exactly the same so just adjust ingredient quantities depending on how much you need.

Freezing and defrosting Swiss Meringue Buttercream

The great thing is if you make too much buttercream, you can very easily freeze it for another time. Place it in a ziploc bag and squeeze any extra air out of it, and then label it and freeze it for up to three months. When it comes time to use it, defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours until softened (break it up into pieces if you want it to go quicker), then re-whip it until light and fluffy. If you find it is curdling or seizing, you can remove a little of the buttercream and warm it slightly in the microwave and then add it back into the mixing bowl. This brings up the overall temperature of the buttercream and will help it mix up to be light and fluffy.

How do I make Swiss Meringue Buttercream white?!

I struggle with this living in New Zealand, as we have super yellow butter here (IYKYK). A little trick I like to use to help offset the yellow of the butter slightly is to add a tiny bit of violet food colouring. This works in a similar way to a purple blonde shampoo, in that the purple colour offsets the yellow and makes it appear whiter. If you're not bothered that's fine too!