Description
If you haven't made Swiss Meringue Buttercream before, I am about to change your life. My Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe gives a smooth, not-too-sweet buttercream which is a dream to work with. There's no need to be intimidated - I'll hold your hand every step of the way. My Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe is perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and more, and is always my first choice for piping frosting!
Ingredients
This recipe makes enough to generously fill and frost a two layer 8" cake, or enough to fill and frost a three layer 8" cake with just enough buttercream. I have listed scaled up and scaled down ingredient quantities in the recipe notes. The method is identical regardless of the quantity you are making.
- 190g egg whites
- 300g granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt (use less if you like things less salty)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 675g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine, cut into 1cm cubes
Instructions
- Place the egg whites and sugar the bowl of a stand mixer or a heat proof bowl. My stand mixer has a metal bowl, so I do this all in the bowl, but if yours doesn't or you don't have a pot that will fit it, you can use a heatproof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bowl. Heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture registers 160˚f / 70˚c on a thermometer and the sugar has dissolved. Carefully transfer the bowl to the mixer, and fit with the whisk attachment. Add the salt and vanilla.
- Whip the egg whites on high until they are snowy white and fluffy. This takes 3-4 minutes on my mixer. Add the butter one chunk at a time. The mixture may look curdled - but just keep mixing!
- If your butter is really not incorporating you can remove a little of the mixture, warm slightly in the microwave, and add back in to the mixer - this will bring the overall temperature up and help the buttercream mix together.
- Once all the butter is incorporated, mix on high for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Once the buttercream has finished mixing, switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 3-4 minutes to remove any air pockets. Alternatively you can do this by hand by mixing in the bowl using a spatula to smooth the buttercream onto itself to get rid of any large pockets of air.
- Use as desired. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Smaller Quantity (for 12 cupcakes or a sheet cake)
125g egg whites
200g sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
450g unsalted butter
Larger Quantity (larger layer cake / adding piping / worried you won't have enough)
250g egg whites
400g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
900g unsalted butter
Is Swiss Meringue Buttercream food safe?
Yes - when you cook the meringue over the double boiler to 160°f / 70°c, this pasteurizes the egg whites and 'cooks' them so that this buttercream doesn't have any raw eggs in it. You do what you're comfortable with though!
Can I add food colouring to Swiss Meringue Buttercream?
You sure can. Gel food colouring works well as long as you whip it in super well. I prefer to use an oil based food colouring if I can (my fave brand is colour mill) as it emulsifies in super well with the butter and gives really vibrant colours.