Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Swiss meringue buttercream is better in flavor and texture than American Buttercream. Once you try it, you will want to use it on all of your cakes, cupcakes, cookies, everything! It is silky, pipes beautifully, and is stable. Watch the easy video tutorial and you will be a pro in no time!
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Swiss Meringue Buttercream Video
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) is my favorite of the meringue frostings because it is not overly sweet or difficult to make, and this method pasteurizes the egg whites in the process – Hooray!! It is simple enough to use for everyday baking but the flavor is a special occasion worthy frosting (scroll down to see the fun design I made for my niece and nephew’s puppy-themed birthday party). This frosting makes me think of wedding cakes every time I make it!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream keeps really well overnight at room temperature without drying out or forming a crust as American buttercream will. You can completely assemble your cake ahead of time without taking up space in the refrigerator and it will look and taste just as good the next day. It’s also freezer-friendly (see instructions below).
Cook’s Tip for Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Butter should be softened at room temperature for about 1 hour (more or less depending on your room temperature). You want it to be still slightly cool to the touch and not overly soft or warm. If it gets too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes at a time.
How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1. In a medium pot, add about 1-inch of water and bring to a simmer.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry the stainless steel mixing bowl from your stand mixer** (you don’t want any fat touching meringue). Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups sugar and whisk together. Place mixing bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, creating a seal over the pot (bowl should be over the steam, not touching water). Whisk constantly until sugar/egg white mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 minutes). Sugar should be fully dissolved (you should not feel any sugar granules when rubbing the mixture between fingers), and the mixture will feel hot to the touch.
3. Wipe water from bottom of mixing bowl and transfer bowl to your stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form (about 15-20 minutes) and the bottom of the bowl feels completely at room temperature and not warm (important: if meringue is warm, it will melt the butter).
3. Once bowl is at room temperature, switch to the paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it can be absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until the buttercream has reached a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquid at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.
4. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt then mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min).
P.S. The tiny amount of salt at the end gives this frosting incredible depth of flavor.
Common Questions
For egg whites to become glossy and reach stiff peaks, it’s critical to make sure your mixing bowl and attachments are free of any grease, egg yolks, or water. You need to start with thoroughly clean and dry tools.
This is usually due to the mixture being too warm or adding the butter before the meringue has fully cooled down. Thankfully, it is easy to fix. Refrigerate the bowl for 15-20 minutes then continue mixing until the frosting thickens.
It is ok to use a high-speed electric hand mixer, but it may take 5-10 minutes longer of total mixing time. Also, a glass bowl will work but meringue may take longer to whip/cool down because glass retains heat longer.
Avoid using coarse sugar. Granulated sugar works best here. Also, make sure to heat your mixture over the water bath until it registers 160˚F on a thermometer.
Absolutely! See how we frosted our 9-inch, 2-layer Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Make-Ahead
- Room Temperature – Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a stable frosting, meaning it will keep well covered at room temperature for 1 to 2 days in a low humidity environment.
- Refrigerator – cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring back to room temperature to re-whip before piping.
- Freezing – SMBC can be frozen for up to 3 months. Transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, squeeze out any excess air, and store flat for quicker thawing. Thaw at room temperature then re-whip for a few minutes to lighten it up.
More Frosting Recipes
We haven’t found a storebought frosting even comes close to homemade. If you love homemade frosting as much as we do, you’re sure to find some new favorite frosting recipes in this list:
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Cupcake Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 oz egg whites, from 7 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, (3 sticks)*
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add at least 1-inch of water and bring to simmer.
- Thoroughly wash and dry the stainless steel mixing bowl from your stand mixer (you don't want grease touching meringue). Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups sugar and whisk together. Place mixing bowl over a large saucepan of barely simmering water, creating a seal over the pot (bowl should be over the steam, not touching water). Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 min). Sugar should be fully dissolved (you should not feel any sugar granules when rubbing mixture between finger tips). Mixture will feel hot to the touch.
- Wipe water from bottom of mixing bowl and transfer bowl to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form (about 15-20 min) and bottom of the bowl feels completely at room temp and not warm (important: warm meringue will melt the butter).
- Once bowl is at room temp, switch to paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it is absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until it reaches a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquidy at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.
- Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt and mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min).
Notes
And here are the puppy cupcakes I made using this Swiss Buttercream for my niece and nephews birthday party! The kids LOVED them!! Here is the vanilla cupcakes base that I used for these. I used mini M&M’s on the eyes, a Hershey’s chocolate drop for the nose, then used a rolling pin and my hands to form the ears out of tootsie rolls and the tongue out of a similar shaped pink candy (similar to an airhead candy).
If you make this frosting, let me know what you think of it in a comment below.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
what’s the difference between Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream?
The process taken to make it is different.
Hi Natasha. Crazy question to ask of you…. I tried your recipe for SMBC last week and we loved it! It was my first time trying this type of BC, but it seemed easy enough, as long as you’re patient. 🙂
But then this past weekend, I had 2 failed attempts! The only thing that makes sense after searching online for some answers was that the temperature went over 160. The egg whites did whip up stiff, but I think too stiff? I did already try the cooling off, and heating up a portion and rewhipping. Tried this more than once that day and even the next. It sometimes looked like it would work out, but then it would lose it’s stiffness and become like a thick cake batter consistency. Don’t know what else to try, but I have it in the freezer now.
So I would like to know if you have any suggestions on how one can put this ‘batter’ to good use? Something to try with all the butter, sugar and egg whites? Just trying not to be wasteful. 🙂
Hi Mary! I’m sorry you had such an issue with it. I really don’t have any idea of what to do with it besides possibly thawing it and trying to whip it again.
Hi Natasha! I’ve been wanting to make SMBC for a while and would like to try this recipe. But can you tell me if I can add a tablespoon or two of raspberry coulis to the mix to give it the flavour and color? Or does that mess with the chemistry of the pattern as written? Thanks!
Hi Eva! To be honest, I haven’t tested that to advise. You may have to experiment with a little amount at a time to see how it holds up.
I hope you love the recipe!
So glad I found & made this recipe! I’ve only tried Swiss Meringue once before from another site & was not totally pleased with the results…your recipe, however, won me over! I admit I was a little nervous throughout the process but, your additional tips helped me bring it all together beautifully. You’re right, trust the process. I did chill my stand mixer bowl with ice packs around the base briefly while whipping the heck out of the heated mixture then added the softened butter. It did get a little “soupy” as you described but, kept whipping until I got the desired results. I doubled the recipe to use on my sons wedding cake this past weekend & everyone raved about it! Also, the Lemon Curd recipe to use up the remaining egg yolks was stellar! Thank you so much!!
Hi Laura! That’s great to hear. I’m so glad it was a hit. Thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe. I appreciate the feedback.
Not a fan of this recipe. Have made it twice and both times had to save it. First time the butter made it lumpy and it didn’t thicken like the recipe said it would. Had to put it back on the stove. Second time it was lumpy and soupy. Did the stove trick and now it’s just soupy. Have been making one batch of icing for an hour because it won’t thicken back up now. Won’t be using this recipe again.
Hi Jacqueline. I’m sorry to hear that. It’s likely something in the process or the temperature of your ingredients. The butter being too cold or too warm will cause this. If the meringue was not cooled enough before adding the butter, it will melt the butter. I would love to help troubleshoot but it sounds like you’ve made up your mind to not try the recipe again. I do hope you find another one you love and have better results with.
Hi Natasha,
Is it possible to double the recipe with a 5qt mixing bowl?
Hi Adriana! I haven’t tested it myself but I think so. I have a 6qt.
Love your recipes! Can’t wait for your cookbook!
This recipe refers to a medium pot of simmering water & a large pot of simmering water. Basically, would it just be whichever I can get a good seal in the bowl?
Hi Lynn! Yes, you can use whatever size pot gives a good seal without your bowl touching the water. I hope you love the recipe!
Hai Natasha, may i reduce sugar to 300gm for this recipe? I tested yesterday, it is too sweet for me.
Hi Rainnie! I have not tested it with less sugar to know how it would affect the end result. Let us know if you experiment.
Hi. If you only have salted butter, do you eliminate adding the 1/4 teaspoon of salt? Thanks!
Hi Missy! Yes that would work. I like to use unsalted so that I can control the salt level to my preference.
Turned out excellent! I was missing 1 T of butter, but added 2 T of cream cheese because I was frosting a carrot cake.
I think my frosting needed to cool longer because it was too soft, but after refrigerating like suggested it was fine! Its rather warm here in NC and my middle frosting layer wanted to slide a bit but otherwise it was just fine!
Great taste!
Hi Jeanie! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
You can add 1 Tbsp Instaclear Gel (available on Amazon). This is a stabilizer and will make your buttercream more stable but still pliable enough to decorate your cake.
Hi Natasha…can you make this with carton egg whites? TY Maria
Hi Maria! I have not tested carton egg whites but based on my research, yes, it’s possible but it may take a while longer to beat them and they may not get as fluffy. Let us know how it turns out.
Yes you most definitely can, and I have done it multiple times.
I was a professional cake decorator for ~10 years and this recipe is my go to for the wedding cake orders I still make on the side. The butter doesn’t turn the icing yellow, like American buttercream, and it’s so easy to get a flawless and smooth finish. It also hardens fast in the freezer so it won’t take very long to move past the crumb coat phase. Wish I could post a picture but my word will have to be enough – that j you for this amazing recipe, Natasha!
Wow, that makes me more inspired. Thank you for sharing and feel free to share some photos of your creation on our facebook page or group!
Is it possible to add cocoa powder to turn this into a chocolate frosting? What would you recommend?
Hi Lucy, I haven’t tested that to advise if that’s okay. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes. I do have a recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting if you’d like to try it instead.
I’ve been using her SMBC recipe for the past 2 yrs. I’ve flavored it chocolate before using cooled melted chocolate. I start off melting about a 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips and go from there due to how chocolatey I want it to taste. I’ve flavored it using Biscoff, freeze dried berry dust and even coconut by using coconut cream. Hope this was helpful…
Hi Natasha. I’m am making a tiered cake, the bottom tier will be roughly 9″ with 4 layers and the second tier will be an 8″ with four layers. I know that you have a slider to help with increasing measurements and that one amount can frost a 9″ cake but could you please give me an idea of how many times I would have to multiply the amount to fill and ice those two cakes mentioned above, I would really appreciate it. TIA!
HI Hanna, I’ve never made a cake at that scale. You might need to do some google searching to see how much frosting is needed for that much cake. I”m assuming you would have to at least double it and maybe triple it. Also keep in mind you would have to make separate frosting batches since it would overwhelm a standard mixer to multiply this frosting.
I tried your recipe today and I loved it. It so smooth and has the right amount of sweetness. Thank you for sharing.
You’re most welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Would you be able to substitute the egg whites with meringue powder ?
Hi Karen, This recipe is specifically designed for real egg whites. I don’t know how to incorporate or substitute with meringue powder or if it will even work. You may try researching to see if there is another recipe that uses meringue powder.
HI
just wondering if you can make this, decorate the cake – then referiate it overnight for an event the next day ? or does it weep and seperate when going from fridge to room temp
Hi Jamie! Yes, that will work well. It won’t separate when you leave it at room temperature to soften.
I’ve used this recipe so many time and it holds up beautifully! Just take the cake out 45mins to an hour before serving
I am fairly new to cake decorating and still learning all the tricks. I have never used Swiss meringue but am eager to try! I have read American buttercream is better to paint on (which I have done before). Is there any reason I can’t paint on Swiss meringue buttercream? Maybe if I frost and then freeze the cake before painting? Thank you for your insight!
Hi Kristi! I have not tested it to advise but based on what I’ve read, yes, you can paint on it. Swiss meringue buttercream is a non-crusting buttercream unlike American buttercream which is a crusting buttercream so you may not have the same results but please let us know how it turns out. 🙂
This frosting is SOOOOOOO good! I just added an extra half cup of sugar to accommodate my sweet tooth! 🙂 Thank you!
It’s my pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Omg thank you for your buttercream frosting, been trying other recipes, it’s always a fail,
My first try with yours and it’s a wonderful smooth buttercream frosting. Again thank you 😊
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Ginette!
Made this and followed the directions. Consistency was initially great and I stored it in the fridge overnight. The next day, I let it come to room temperature so I could pipe it. I did not rewhip it Bc it didn’t look like it separated. I left the cupcakes out for about 5 hrs to see how they would look for our party and the frosting looked “wet and melted”. It didn’t lose its shape but looked weird enough that I would never serve them for a party. Any suggestions?
Hi Beth! This frosting is stable at room temperature overnight so I don’t refrigerate it. I’ve had that happen once before and I had to let it re-whip for a very long time before it came back together. My guess is that it happens because of the temperature changes and it could have been either too cold or too warm when it’s re-whipped. There is some helpful information online if you search “how to fix separated/curdled swiss meringue buttercream.” I hope that helps.
Hi, could you give me a recipe of this frosting for a smaller amount? Maybe just half? Thank you!
Hi Sheri! You can use the tool in the recipe card to decrease the number of servings. Just hover your cursor over the number of servings in red font and you can slide the bar to increase/decrease.
Wow this is super sweet. I used sugar as written. No subs. I probably would have cut it by half cup but so many comments said it’s not too sweet. Hopefully it magically works with the choc cake.
Hi Mita! Yes, this pairs beautifully with chocolate cake.
I find it odd that it was too sweet. It uses significantly less sugar than traditional buttercream and I have sometimes heard feedback that it is not sweet enough.
Wow, wow, wow! First time making Swiss meringue buttercream and I am converted. I followed the recipe as is, used a KitchenAid stand up mixer, and it was a success. Best buttercream ever! I have been using a lot of your recipes and I have not found one that didn’t turned out great. Thank you!
Hi Vicky! I’m so glad you loved it! It truly is an amazing alternative to American buttercream. Thank you for sharing.
Might want to update the cost to make. Eggs alone are now $6…. Thanks Biden!
Hi Natasha! My meringue looked great but after adding the tablespoons of softened butter my mix deflated and the butter got clumpy and almost had the texture of cottage cheese. I didn’t think it was too warm, any idea where I went wrong? Thanks so much!
Hi Ailsa! Your butter should be soft to the touch and leave an indent if you press on it. That is normal for it to look like that, just keep mixing and trust the process, and it will come together beautifully. If after several minutes of mixing, it still is curdled then there may be another problem.
Hello Natasha,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been using it for a few years now. I wanted to add some notes after having much experience with it and other swiss meringue buttercream recipes. Yours is my go to! (with a bit of a tweak for sweetness and also a chocolate version.
I use 1.5 cups of egg whites, 4.5 sticks of butter, and 2 cups of sugar to adjust for my families’ sweetness preference. I follow all other specifications in your recipe, and it comes out delicious! I make a chocolate version using all the same measurements but adding 6 oz of semi-sweet or darker melted and cooled (to 100-90 degrees before adding) chocolate chips. Comes out perfectly every time. Thank you for sharing your wisdom! I so enjoy your recipes and love sharing them with others.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Shell! I’m so happy to hear this is your go-to recipe!
Shell are you saying that you use carton egg whites? I was wondering if it will work with them…Maria
Hello!!! Could you please tell me if I could add white chocolate? In the case I can, how should I proceed??? Thank you!!
Hi Maria, I haven’t tested that to advise if that’s okay. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
It pipes very nicely but I thought it was way too sweet. Although it’s less sweet than American buttercream, it’s still too sweet for my liking. I also found that the paddle didn’t help make it stiff, but once I changed to the whipping attachment, it got the correct texture.
Made this buttercream frosting recipe today and it turned out perfect.
Glad to hear that, thank you for sharing!
Hello, I am planning on making this frosting BUT…I needed to know if I can use powder meringue instead of egg whites? Also, just need 1/2 the amount so can the remaining be frozen?
Hi Trish! This recipe is specifically designed for real egg whites. I don’t know how to incorporate or substitute with meringue powder or if it will even work. You may try researching to see if there is another recipe that uses meringue powder.
I was just looking at this recipe and saw this error – 210 large egg whites, I don’t need that much Swiss cream
Hi Wendy, I’m not sure why it’s displaying that way – it should say 210 grams when you convert it to metric. I sent that to my tech team and hopefully they can fix it.
Any suggestions on what I can do with the yolks from the eggs? I hate to waste food
Hi Gina! You could make my lemon curd recipe HERE or the
pastry creme recipe HERE is a great choice too.
Hello Natasha have you tried to make faux swiss meringue buttercreams using powdered sugar and pasteurized egg whites
Hi! I have not to advise, but I have heard of it!
Hello Natasha, just quick question, can I add food coloring? And how much? Thank you
Hi Edith, adding food coloring should work. Add a little color at a time until you reach your desired color while maintaining consistency. I would recommend using gel food coloring over a liquid one. I would add that at the very end.
Hi Natasha,
Question: I need to make cupcakes. Could I make them on Thursday (Planning delivery on Friday -have a 2 hours drive)for a Saturday event. If i make SMB frosting can I put the sprinkles on them as soon as I decorate them? What do you suggest?
Hi Danielle. Depending on the sprinkles, that would depend on the sprinkles. Some sprinkles tend to bleed their color when exposed to moisture and when they are left on the cupcakes for too long, the colors bleed into the frosting. You’ll have to experiment with it.
Made this today to frost cupcakes for my nephew’s birthday party. It’s delicious, not too sweet but also not too buttery. It was easy to make even though my bowl somehow got stuck in the pot with the boiling water and I ended up probably overheating the egg white/sugar mixture lol. Even so it still turned out really good! I usually make Italian meringue but this will probably be my go-to now. Thank you Natasha 🙂
That’s wonderful, Margaret. Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you found a new go-to! 🙂
well explained. Great ! Thank you very much .resolved my all questions. Thanks again.
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it was helpful! 🙂
You are the best most fun chef with whom to cook and bake alongside. Thank you for all the sharing you do. I’ve not had one recipe from your site that has been less than magnificent and loved by my family!!!
Thank you, Gran! I’m so glad to hear that.
I was wondering if a chocolate version could be made with this recipe.
Hi Kurt. I have not tested that to advise but I know it’s possible. You could research some other recipes to see how the addition of chocolate is best added to swiss meringue.
Not sure if you got your answer yet but I did make this into a chocolate SMBC. I just melted about 1/3 cup of chocolate chips using the double boiler method, let it cool but not harden then slowly added it with the mixer running. Depending on how much you make or how strong you want the chocolate to show up adding a bit at a time is your best bet. You don’t want to use too much either or it will effect the SMBC consistency. Good luck and I hope this was helpful…
Thank you for sharing this helpful information, Tammie! 🙂
You’re welcome. Love to come back to a recipe to let others know how it turned out or to answer a question that may not have been answered. I like when others do the same. 😉
Hi natasha
I love your recipes but unfortunately the swiss meringue buttercream did not go down well with me and my husband. We just didn’t like the texture of it x
Hi Colette! No worries, it is silky, buttery and smooth and some people just do not prefer that. Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
Absolutely amazing! This is the second time I’ve made this recipe and I really can’t get over how delicious it is. Both times I’ve added freeze dried raspberries (that I pulverized in a spice grinder and then sifted) and it is just the best. I used it to frost a chocolate cake with raspberry filling. Yum!!!
That is a great idea! Thank you for sharing with us. I’m so glad you loved this frosting. I love it on chocolate cake!
Today’s my 2nd time making your recipe. I’m tossing out all of the other ones I’ve tried. I’m shocked at how many egg whites, sugar to butter it calls for. All 3 are MUCH less than any recipe I’ve used. You’ve saved me a lot of money just on the butter alone, lol. Bonus? It has a great mouth feel and it whips up like a whipped cream frosting. I do have a question. Could I 1.5x the recipe without messing it up? I know it makes a lot already but I almost ran out after doing my crumb coat. I barely had enough to frost so no decorating…. Thanks!
Hi Tammie, great feedback. Thanks a lot for sharing that with us. I imagine that will work!
Thanks for replying. I do plan to give it a try soon. I wish more people knew about your recipe for SMBC because it is SO different. Funny enough. Last week I read an old entry on Cake Central that had to do with someone’s way of making SMBC. All of the ingredients and method were the same except theirs called for 1 less egg white. People really enjoyed it. First thing I thought of was you/yours, lol. If others really took the time to compare yours vs others that are out there. Then make a small batch of ea they would definitely see/taste the difference. Yes, I’m sending others your way too. That’s how much I love this recipe 😋
Thank you, we appreciate it!
How do you get a White swiss buttercream ? I want to make a baby shower cake but I’ve made yellow icing
Hi Kelly, my best advice for a true white is to avoid yellow-colored butter, but I’ve heard adding the tiniest amount of violet at the end can help get rid of the yellow tint.
This is my go to frosting recipe. American buttercream is too sickingly sweet, but this is perfect. I make strawberry cupcakes and make this frosting. I turn it pink and strawberry tasting by adding pulverized freeze dried strawberries. It is delicious!
That’s a great idea! I’m glad this is your go-to recipe.
Hi, your recipe sounds great! But I need to make it with vegan butter – will it still work?
Hi Lillian. I have not tested it with Vegan butter but it works in traditional American buttercream. You may be able to research this on google to see if there are any different steps that need to be taken.
I’ve tried a few recipes for Swiss Meringue, but this one just nails all the amounts and the timing. It works great everytime, and is my new go to frosting recipe!
That’s great! So glad you tried this recipe. 🙂
Oh my goodness! What a wonderful frosting to work with! Mine had a hard time thickening, after butter. So I used a tip I saw in the comments re putting the frosting in the refrigerator for 20 minutes then whipping it again. Mine thickened on the 1st re-whip! It’s delicious and not terrible sweet, just the way my husband likes it! Thank you Natasha for once again a wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome, Shelly. Glad it was a success and it also helps getting some tips by reading the comments section.
Hi Natasha how can I get my meringue buttercream to not have a pale yellow colour to it.
I’m in australia and our butter is very yellow.
Hi Filomena, my best advice for a true white is to avoid yellow-colored butter, but I’ve heard adding the tiniest amount of violet at the end can help get rid of the yellow tint.
Natasha,
If I wanted to make this frosting into chocolate flavored frosting, do I add melted chocolate or chocolate powder?
Hi Ines, I haven’t tested this with chocolate to advise but here is what one of our readers wrote “I ended up adding 3oz of melted semisweet chocolate and 3 oz of bitter 100%cocoa chocolate after adding the vanilla. I didn’t want the sweetness to go up because of the chocolate. And I also sifted about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder at the end and hand mix that in. Tastes amazing! I’ll re-whip on Friday for the cupcakes I’m making” I hope that helps.
I love the detail that you give in this recipe, particularly the mixing times at each step of the recipe. Many recipes say to mix well, or to mix until incorporated, and as a beginner I don’t always know what that is, so thank you so much for giving those times. I appreciate it so much!
You’re welcome, glad that helps!
Thank you for the recipe. This was my first time attempting SMB, and it was delicious! My husband is a big fan, too. Super creamy, light, fluffy, easy to pipe and stable. I had a little trouble getting it to cool down and ended up putting bags of frozen vegetables around my mixer bowl. Haha… but it worked! Lol. It’ll be hard to go back to American Buttercream after trying this scrumptiousness!
I’m so happy to hear this was a hit, Cathy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I tried this recipe today and it is silky smooth and not to sweet as stated. I was looking for something that wasn’t going to melt as quickly as butter icing in the hot weather.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Yvette! Thank you for your great review!
Hi Yvette. This frosting is stable enough to use on a cake outdoors, but like most frostings made with butter, it will melt in direct sunlight or in extreme heat. You may want to search for a frosting that uses shortening. It is able to resist hot weather better.
I live in a humid weather and I made this recipe, the butter was too little for meringue so it was too soupy, I ended up adding 250g more of butter but now its too buttery. I’ll be adding more meringue but what do you recommend? Thanks!
Hi. If you used the recommended quantities from my recipe and it was “soupy” this is usually due to the mixture being too warm or adding the butter before the meringue has thoroughly cooled down. Thankfully, it is easy to fix. Refrigerate the bowl for 15-20 minutes then continue mixing until the frosting thickens. Since you added the additional butter, I am not sure how to fix it but you could try beating it longer, this usually helps it taste less like butter as it comes soft and fluffy. You can also try adding a flavor or extract to the frosting to help reduce the strong butter taste. I hope that helps.
This recipe is amazing! It piped very well, and tasted excellent. People say that SMBC tastes like butter, but that was not my experience.
Hi Eloisa, I’m glad that you liked this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Thankyou for this recipe I absolutely love it. My question is can I freeze a cake with the Swiss meringue buttercream already frosted on it?
Hi Marlene, swiss meringue buttercream freezes well so I think that would be fine.
The first part of the frosting was great…adding the butter just made it deflate and separate! Didn’t not like at all. What was wrong
Hi! I’ve mad a full batch before and it was amazing! Today I just need a small batch. I want to halve it so I changed the serving size to 12. It calls for 3.5 egg whites. What would you do? 3 or round it up to 4? Thanks!
Hey Kerrie! For the last egg, to get half of it, you can crack the egg into a small bowl, mix it a bit and then use have of that even mixture. I hope that helps!
WOW! WOW! WOW! I started off thinking I was messing the recipe up. I think the egg whites should be at room temp. It took six minutes to reach 160 degrees. Since it is summertime, it also took longer to whip up to the right consistency. I had to put the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, then whip, then 20 more minutes and whipped again with the paddle attachment. Oh my goodness though, this is the BEST frosting EVER! Was it worth all the trouble? YES! YES! and YES! I’ve been making buttercream for my whole life (over 50 years baking experience) and I will NEVER make regular buttercream again! I made this for my aunt’s 100 birthday today. I can’t wait for the celebration. Thank you, Natasha!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Teresa!
Hello Natasha,
I love all your recipes and enjoy making them. Can you help me, I’m trying to make a double batch of your meringue buttercream frosting but I’m not sure the quantities for a double batch. Thank you
Hi, if you go to the serving size in the recipe card and click on that, you will get a bar that you can adjust the servings and double it to see how it changes the list of ingredients. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha!
Can I lessen the sugar to 1.5 cups and still have a stable frosting? I have made this several times and LOVE it, but my nephew asked me to make a cake with less sweet frosting. If I can’t add less sugar, do you think a half teaspoon of vinegar would harm the frosting? Thank you!
Hi Rachel, I’m so happy to hear it worked for you! The foresting is already lightly sweet so I would not recommend using less sugar because it can affect the consistency and it will start tasting buttery.
HI there,
I was wondering if you can use liquid egg whites (like from the carton) or if it is imperative that I use regular egg whites.
Thank so much
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried to advise but it would be good to know. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
I used liquid egg whites today and was surprised at how well it whipped up. I haven’t had or made swiss meringue buttercream often but it is thick, creamy and smooth!
Nice to know that it turned out well, Charlene! Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
I made this a second time and it went soupy on me. No amount of chilling revived it. Can’t figure out what I did wrong. Did I over whip the eggs in the first place or use too high heat to cook them?
Hi Carmen. It is very important to use a thermometer to make sure you are getting the mixture to the right temperature and not overheating or underheating. The butter may have been too warm or the egg white/sugar mixture may have been too warm when adding the butter. I would look over the recipe and watch my process again to see where your process was different.
Hi! Tried making it once and it turned out great! I liked that it wasn’t super sweet. My husband really liked it too. I was wondering, Can you double this recipe?
Hi Carmen, thank you for your good feedback and review. I have not tried that and I think it would overwhelm a normal mixer to double it. If you try that as an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
hi love this receipe but for some reason it came out grainy for me I left the egg white and sugar mixture over pan for 20ish minutes and it dissolved as I felt no graininess between my fingers. what did i do wrong?
Hi Callie. Avoid using coarse sugar. Granulated sugar works best here. Also, make sure to heat your mixture over the water bath until it registers 160˚F on a thermometer. I can’t think of why else it would have been grainy except for if the sugar was not fully disolved.
If you cooked the egg white mixture for 20 minutes it was cooked eggs you felt. It only takes a few minutes to dissolve sugar. You cooked it too long.
How does it take to using food coloring? I was hoping to do rainbow cupcakes.
Hi Lisa! You can add food coloring just fine. Gel or powder food color works best.
I made this frosting and at first it came out really soupy. I stuck it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Whipped it up and it became thicker and perfect. Delicious frosting. I will use this recipe for future cakes. I used this buttercream on my sister’s wedding cake. She loved it. THANKS
Hello Heather, that is nice! I’m glad the recipe is a hit for you and for your sister’s wedding. That’s just awesome!
Hi
I love all of the recipes that I have tried but the Swiss meringue buttercream was an epic fail
It was perfect until the butter part and even though the mixture was cool to the touch the entire mixture became unpipeable
I left it in the refrigerator overnight and am going to try again now
Hi Pranisha, watch the video tutorial which may help and also check the common questions section in the post which goes over common troubleshooting issues.
Hi Natasha, l’m making a 2 tiered semi naked choc mud wedding cake. Would the Swiss Merangue frosting be suitable to fill and use on the outside of the cake? Also is it white?. I will have to freeze the whole decorated cake for approx 1 week would this be suitable for this?
Thank you, love all of your recipes and your lovely family.
Rosina 💋💋
Hi Rosina! Thank you. Yes- I believe this would work well for what you are trying to do, it freezes well. The frosting will have a tint of yellow more or less depending on the butter you use, some butter is more yellow than others. Whipping it up good helps decrease the yellow tint and looks more ivory when done. If it is not white enough, a tiny drop of blue or purple food color mellows out the yellow tint.
Hi Natasha. Wondering, does this frosting hold up to being colored? I’ve only seen it piped white. I wanted to do rainbow cupcakes for me daughter.
Also, can I pipe it and store it in the fridge over night?
Thanks
Hi Lisa! Yes, you can color it. Gel and powder food colors work best. You can pipe it and it can be refrigerated overnight. Just take it out a couple of hours before serving so it has time to come to room temperature. This frosting is so much better when it’s soft and not hard/cold like butter.
Oh My Goodness this is good. I made a small batch and used salted butter because that I how I like my frosting. So good!
Good to know that you loved it, Kathleen!
Hi Natasha
I have used your Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe for years and it’s never failed me. But I always used the gram measures in your recipe and now I’m lost. How disappointing 😏
Regards
Carol
Hi Carol, you can go to the recipe and click Metric to convert it to gramws.
I went to the recipe and tried to convert to grams and it did not work. Nothing changes.
Hi Vera, I tried it by clicking Metric and it converted the ingredients. However, it does not automatically convert the recipe instructions. Unfortunately, we don’t have that feature in our recipes to do that yet.
If I recall correctly, the measurement for the egg whites was 210g and the sugar was 400g. I don’t weigh out butter so that’s not one I memorized.
Hi Natasha, just wanted to let you know that I love this recipe. I have made it several times and I have even doubled and tripled the recipe and it works so well. I have just one question, do you have have ant tips on the buttercream coming out whiter? Mine always comes out like a cream colour. Have no problem if I colour it in a colour, it’s just when I try to keep it natural. Any ideas? Thank you so much.
Hi Kathy, a small drop of purple food color will fix this problem for you. It will color-correct the yellow tint.
Alternatively, you could add a bit of white food colouring. I have a Wilton brand one that works well.
Looking forward to trying this! Do you think I could use ghee instead of butter?
I have not tested this to advise what the outcome would be.
Hi Natasha, I love your recipes! Trying the vanilla cupcakes with the buttercream frosting. The cupcakes came out great – the frosting is loose so I added some cold butter pats, beat it more and now it’s in the fridge. I hope it stiffens so the cupcakes can be frosted tomorrow ( ?)
Hi Romay! I hope it works out for you.
Hi Natasha. Thankss for all the nice receipts. I would like to know how I can flavor this merengue. Chocolate or dry rasberry, lemon ? Is it possible?
Hi, I have not tested this yet with my Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but I know it is possible to flavor. I’m sure with a quick search on google you’ll be able to find the best way to do this.
Hi Natasha, if I use the 4.8L kitchenaid mixer, what’s the speed number for medium and medium high?
Hi Yulia! There should be a speed reference on the side of your mixer with the speed level. Medium speed would be the middle setting, and medium-high would be between medium and high.
Hi Natasha,
I love all your recipes. They are pretty straight forward and easy ingredients. What piping tip did you use for the cupcakes in the video?
Can’t wait to try it with your vanilla cupcakes.
That is wonderful to hear, thank you, Tammy! I believe this is my 1M wilton, open star tip.
Hello Natasha,
Can we make this vegan or egg-free? If yes, then what would be the recipe?
Thanks,
Poo
Hi Pooja! I have not tested that with a vegan substitute to advise. This recipe relies on the egg whites, but if you find a solution I would love to know how you like that.
Can I cut this recipe in half? How many egg whites would I need in that case?
Hi Elizabeth! Here is what one of our readers wrote “I halved it and used 4egg whites, large eggs. It was perfect!” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha , love all your recipes, just wondering when you half the eggs to 4 how much sugar would you need please.
Hi, I would cut the recipe in half straight across. If you click the servings in the recipe card, you can drag the servings up or down and see the list of ingredients get updated.
Hello Natasha!
I have made Swiss Meringue Buttercream before and I’ve loved the texture but the flavor just tastes like butter. That was a different recipe and I was wondering if you buttercream tasted like butter or if it tastes like a regular buttercream. Can’t wait to try this recipe <3
Hi Rosie! I hope you try this recipe soon! We believe we found the perfect balance to buttercream! This one has close to 2000 reviews and it’s been a hit!
You are adorable. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Angela!
I eat this by the spoonful! Seriously the best buttercream ever!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Always the perfect texture for buttercream! So light and creamy.
I agree! It’s so silky and smooth.
I love the technique you are using. This recipe worked so well! Thank you!
Thank you Natalya!
This sounds sooo delicious, especially very low taste of sugar, I am going to try this recipe for sure
I hope you love it, Dolores!
I made this frosting slit went I made cakes at my son’s restaurant and I got a lot of compliments on how delicious it was and pipes beautiful!!
That’s so nice to know, Pam. Thank you for sharing!
Hi I found this recipe a lot tastier than the other recipe I tried. I am just wondering if you would be able to advise whether this would cover a 10” 3 layer cake (will have a different filling). Thanks
Hi! I’m glad you are enjoying this recipe. It makes about 5 or 6 cups. It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake, OR it will ice 24 cupcakes.
Can’t wait to use this recipe but I wanted to know how much this recipe makes I’m make a large 3 tiered cake and need to figure out how many batches I need
Hi Alex, this recipe makes maybe about 5 or 6 cups. It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake, OR it will ice 24 cupcakes.
I’d love to attempt this recipe this weekend but I want to know how you think it will hold up in a high humidity/hot climate?
It will be around 88-90F this weekend and 75% humidity and I’m worried it will turn into a sloppy mess.
Would love your feedback before I unintentionally ruin my daughter’s birthday cake!
Thanks in advance.
Hi Rachel. Swiss meringue buttercream is stable at room temperature. I would keep this in the refrigerator as close to serving as you can and keep it out of direct sunlight. It is not as stable as frosting with shortening in it.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply!
I’ll have to try and make some room in the fridge!
Hi there,
Would this work with Aqua faba in replacement for the egg whites? Looking to make a vegan friendly version.
Thank you,
Lindsey
Hi Lindsey. I am not familiar with that and have not tested it. I am not sure that it would work with this specific recipe, you’d have to experiment.
This will be my 3rd year in a row using this recipe for my son’s birthday cake. We LOVE it.
I’d like to color it this year. Do you have suggestions for adding color to the icing? I need grass green and black! (Race car cake!) Thank you!
Hi Brooke, adding food coloring should work. Add a little color at a time until you reach your desired color while maintaining consistency. I would recommend using gel food coloring over a liquid one. I would add that at the very end.
I tried this recipe today and thought it was going to be an epic fail- when I mixed the butter in, I had a soupy mixture AND lumps of butter so I couldn’t figure out which method of rescue to use! In the end I heated the mixture over a water bath to melt the butter first so it was uniformly soupy then continued to whip and added 2-3 tablespoons icing sugar and when I wasn’t looking finally achieved the whipped buttercream texture- phew! Hope this helps anyone else who might have this problem!
Thank you for sharing that with us. I’m glad that turned out well, that is helpful for others who might experience the same too.
Hi Monica
That typically happens when making any swiss meringue or italian meringue buttercream, I freaked out too when it happened to sme the first time. But be patient and just keep whipping, in time it eventually comes together on it’s own without having to do anything extra or different than what the recipe says.
Good luck.
Hi Natasha, I have a bakery and this recipe works awesome for me , thanks !!
I have a question how long I can keep a cake decorated with this buttercream in the fridge?
And the cake has to be covered?
Hi Veronica! I’m happy to hear this buttercream works well for you. I would assume it’s best within the first couple of days and I would always recommend storing it covered to keep it as fresh as possible. The swiss meringue buttercream itself holds up well for up to 5 days or so in the refrigerator or up to 3months in the freezer if it’s stored in an airtight container.
Made a perfect meringue, then as soon as I started adding the butter it went runny and then curdled. Continues mixing and mixing and it never improved. Waste of all my ingredients and time 🙁
HI Aimee, that is most likely due to adding the butter before the mixture was at room temperature. If it is too warm, that can happen. I suggest putting the mixture in the fridge for 10-15 minutes and then continuing mixing. or you can wrap a cold cloth around the bottom of the bowl to cool it down faster that way.
I have made this twice now each time it came out great. I would like to have it more white. What brand of butter would you suggest so that is not so yellow, but keeps the flavor?
Hi Noreen, my best advice for a true white is to avoid yellow-colored butter. I’ve heard adding the tiniest amount of violet at the end can help get rid of the yellow tint.
Made this yesterday to frost a chocolate cake. Came out perfect. Followed the easy directions and everything worked as written. Light fluffy, not too sweet tasting, holds its form beautifully. Next time, we’re considering adding some almond flavoring
That’s just awesome, Candi! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing feedback with me!
Hello Natasha, thanks for the great recipe! I’ve made this a few times and always have the same problem. My frosting is soft and fluffy when it’s made, but it curdles/splits/stiffens after one hour at room temperature and become unusable. My room temperature is around 68-70F, egg whites had stiff peaks and butter was soft. Any idea what causes the emulsion to break? Thank you!
Hi HC, I haven’t had that happen. Did you try re-mixing it until it comes together?
Hello Natasha, yes I did remix it and it comes together for a bit, but splits again after 🙁
This was an epic fail. As I was whisking over the simmering water, the sugar started to harden on the side of the bowl and, even though the time was supposed to be 3 minutes, I cooked and whisked for thirty minutes before it was a good finger feel. Then, when whipping on the stand mixer, the whisking pulled some of the sugar from the side of the bowl and now it is like sand. Would it be easier to make the 7-minute beginning and then add the vanilla and butter?
Hi Jackie, it should only take 3 minutes. Make sure your bowl is over the steam and not touching the simmering water – it sounds like maybe your bowl got too hot?
Could you do a video showing how to make the Swiss meringue buttercream please?
That is a great suggestion. Thank you!
Is using meringue powder instead of egg whites a good idea? I make A LOT of this buttercream and I always feel guilty tossing out the yolks.
I have not used meringue powder. It is a different process and should not be a substitute for this recipe.
I’ve been using your recipe for years and have always used meringue powder and it’s turned out great every time. 2tsp of meringue powder + 2tbsp water= one egg white. I have found that the brand of meringue powder matters. Genie’s dream, which I like for my royal icing bc of its soft bite, doesn’t get to stiff peaks. Wilton, which I think is too hard for royal icing, works great for SMBC!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Brandy.
Love this recipe! Have been using it on all my cakes since I tried it the first time. I always struggle with it being soupy though, even when I whip the eggs until they’re cool. I even put in colder butter than normal last time I made it and had the same issue. I put it in the fridge for 30 minutes and whip it back into shape, and it’s fine, but it’s a big time waster. Any tips?
Hi Alexia, usually the reason for it turning soupy is adding butter while the meringue is still too warm and the remedy is usually to refrigerate the mixing bowl for 10 minutes at a time and continue mixing until it forms. It may be the humidity that is also affecting it.