Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Swiss meringue buttercream is a type of meringue frosting pipped on cakes and other desserts. As the name implies, it is an egg white base frosting. There are various types of meringue frosting which include Swiss meringue, Italian meringue and French meringue. The difference between each type depends on the method of preparation. Unlike traditional buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream is very light, velvety, smooth and fluffy. It can however be more fiddly than traditional buttercream. I prefer to use Swiss meringue buttercream on cupcakes and other cake designs which involve pipping. I tend not to use it underneath fondant as traditional buttercream gives me a better crust.
INGREDIENTS:
(1) 9 Large Egg Whites (See Note 1)
(2) 500 Grams Granulated White Sugar (2-1/2 Cups)
(3) 678 Grams Unsalted Butter (3 Cups) (See Note 2)
(4) A Pinch of Salt
(5) 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract (See Note 3)
(6) Food Color if needed
NOTES:
(1) You will need about 300 grams of egg whites for this recipe which you should get from 9 large eggs. If your eggs are small, you might need 10 eggs.
(2) Your butter should be soft and cut into 1 inch cubes. You might not use up all the butter in this recipe depending on a lot of factors. As will be explained in the process below, you will tell when your meringue is ready by sight and feel.
(3) You can flavor your meringue with other flavors of your choice.
(4) You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe as the egg whites are to be heated until 140 degrees F. Heating melts the sugar and kills any bacteria that might be in the egg whites. It is possible to make this meringue without the use of a thermometer. This would however require some practice.
PROCEDURE:
(1) Place the egg whites and sugar in your mixing bowl and place the bowl over a hot water bath (bain marie). The water should be hot but not be boiling. Using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer (or a large whisk) whisk the sugar and egg whites mixture continuously until the mixture reached a temp of 140 F. Use your thermometer to test the temperature at intervals. Mixing the mixture continuously prevents the egg whites from cooking.
(2) When the desired temp is reached, remove the bowl from the hot water bath and secure it to your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture at high speed until the meringue is glossy and thick and the mixing bowl feels lukewarm when touched. It takes about 15 minutes for the mixing bowl to cool down. DO NOT start putting in the butter while the meringue is still hot or warm. To hasting the process, you can place the meringue in the fridge for about 15 minutes after 10 minutes of whisking.
(3) Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and start adding the soft butter one cube at a time. Do not rush this process or the meringue will curdle. Wait until a cube of butter has been absorbed by the mixture before adding in the next. Yes, Swiss meringue takes time so be patient.
NOTE: If for any reason your meringue breaks, curdle or becomes watery during the mixing process, do not panic. Just keep mixing it until it returns to the correct consistency.
(4) Keep adding the butter until the meringue begins to look soft, pillowy and silky smooth. The best way I can describe this is that it would look like clouds. When you notice this change in texture, stop adding the butter.
(5) Add the salt and vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. The frosting is ready to be used.
END NOTES:
(1) This frosting can last about a week in the fridge. Because it contains a lot of butter, it solidifies when kept in the fridge. To use it, take it out of the fridge and allow it to warm up and then beat to incorporate air. If the mixture becomes running while beating, place about 1/4 of the mixture in a bowl and warm in the microwave for about 20 minutes or until it looks like melted ice cream. Return the melted frosting to the stand mixer and continue whisking at high speed until the frosting becomes fluffy again.
(2) For a traditional buttercream frosting, click here.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
Nice, looks yummy. Will definitely try this. Thanks Terry.
It is yummy! 🙂
Thank you and God bless.just in time for me.
You are welcome Kay.
Bonjour Mr Terry. Thanks a lot for your wonderful tutorials, it has been so helpful. I tried your Swiss meringue recipe and it turned out beautiful and so yummy. Thanks again. I have a question, I’m planning on using it under marshmallow fondant, is this possible? and if yes, can I have covered today for a cake that will be delivered tomorrow night? in other words, can I frost and fondant cover my cake a day before delivery the next day? I’m really hoping to get a response. Thanks!
Hi Mercy. While SMBC can be used underneath fondant, I will suggest you use regular crusting BC as that will give your fondant a better finish. Yes, you can cover a cake with fondant the day before delivery.
thanks for the response. please do you have any idea on how I can make the regular BC less sweeter? And can I fill a cake with SMBC and frost it with the regular BC? Pardon my many questions, I’ll be expecting another response. Thanks.
Hi. (1) I don’t know. (2) Yes.
Hi Terry, I have been a silent reader and I love your blog. Please can this recipe be divided into two, I want to cover a cake but I don’t think I’ll need this much buttercream, also can it be used to layer in between cake. Thanks
Hi Chysom. Nice having you here. Yes and Yes.
Thank you very much Terry, I’ll do it tomorrow
All the best.
thanks a lot for your time Terry.
My pleasure Mercy.
hi terry i have one question I have to make a 10″round cake three layers and i want to make smbc is ur recipe above enough or do I need to double it thanks again
It depends on the design. It should be enough for filling and crumb coating. If however you wanna pipe on the cake, you might need more frosting.
Thanks for reply it gonna be just all icing with some swirls as the boarder so what do thing is it enough sorry to ask again
Unfortunately I cannot answer your question with specifics as I have never tried it. Sometimes, we jut have to learn from our own experiences.
Thanks you very much sir, for the recipe, pls can I use margarine in place of butter sir
You are welcome Busola. No to margarine.
Hi Terry thanks for sharing,love your blog.I got to ask if one does not have a candy thermometer,how can one get a huge of the length temperature of the meringue?
It takes practice to establish the exact temperature without a candy thermometer. What you want it for all the sugar to have melted. The temperature is somewhat above what most people would consider warm but not quite hot.