Swiss Meringue Buttercream

5 from 1 vote

The best Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe to frost your cakes like a pro. It's silky, glossy, and stable, and perfect for piping.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: swiss

Servings:

Calories: 412kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Digital scale
Stand mixer

Ingredients

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

200 g Granulated sugar
120 g 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 a double boiler by placing a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Mix the egg whites and sugar in the bowl over the double boiler and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 160F / 71C.
Make the meringue; Add the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and start whipping it. Continue whipping for 6 minutes until shiny, stiff peaks are achieved or until the bowl of the mixer is no longer hot.
Once the mixture reaches room temperature, switch to the paddle attachementand 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 Swiss meringue buttercream should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture. 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.
If you do not have a thermometer, another way to check the sugar egg white mixture is whether the sugar is fully dissolved (it should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
Do not add the butter before the meringue reaches room temperature. If it is too hot, it will melt the butter, resulting in a buttercream soup.

Nutrition