Italian Meringue Buttercream

5 from 3 votes

Made with creamy butter, whipped egg whites, and homemade sugar syrup, this delicious Italian meringue buttercream adds an elegant and silky touch to your favorite desserts!

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 423kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Stand mixer

Ingredients

Italian Meringue Buttercream

100 g Granulated sugar
30 g Water
60 g Egg white
2 tablespoons Granulated sugar
few drops of lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar optional to whip up the egg white
226 g Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
½ tablespoon Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Salt

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

First, bring your butter to room temperature. Buttercream can only be prepared with softened butter, neither cold nor too hot (melted butter) will work.
Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Alternatively, use your electric hand mixer.
Make the meringue; Add the egg white to the bowl of the stand mixer and start whipping it. After 30 seconds, add either a few drops of lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar. Then, while the mixer is on, slowly add the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Continue whipping the egg white for 4-5 minutes until shiny, stiff peaks are achieved. This is the most foolproof way to make meringue, but the cream of tartar / lemon juice is just optional.
In the meantime, prepare the sugar syrup by boiling the water and sugar together in a saucepan on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until the syrup temperature reaches 240F / 116C.
Once the syrup reaches 240F / 116C, immediately remove it from the stove and slowly pour it into the egg white while the mixer is on low speed.
Increase the speed of the mixer and continue whipping the egg white-sugar syrup mixture for about 5 minutes or until the bowl of the mixer is no longer hot.
Once the mixture reaches room temperature, start adding the softened butter tablespoon by tablespoon on medium speed, then turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for an additional 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
Lastly, add the vanilla extract and salt and continue whipping for another minute until it is smooth and silky.
At this point, the Italian meringue buttercream should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture, but if, for some reason, it is too thin, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Note that the buttercream texture is best when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature), and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.

Notes

The recipe above is enough to frost 12 cupcakes generously.

To frost cakes, you will need approximately 2x for a 6-inch cake, 2.5x for a 7-inch cake, and 3x for an 8-inch cake (depending on how much frosting vs. sponge ratio you prefer on your cakes and whether you are using any other filling in between the layers).

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
Use good quality high fat (82%) butter for making buttercream.
There is no vegan substitute for this recipe as eggs are key to its success; however, you can substitute the butter with vegan butter or dairy free butter.
It is key to use high quality vanilla for the best flavor, feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.

Technique notes:

Make sure you read my Expert tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking.
The temperature and texture of the butter are key when making buttercream. Wait until it is soft, however, avoid last-minute microwaving.
When making the sugar syrup, it is critical to reach the exact temperature stated in the recipe, use a thermometer.
Do not add the butter before the egg white sugar syrup mixture reaches room temperature. If it is too hot, it will melt the butter, resulting in a buttercream soup.

Nutrition