Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
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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 (scroll down to see the fun design I made for my niece and nephews puppy-themed birthday party).
Swiss Meringue buttercream 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 special occasion worthy. 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 like 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!
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 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 mixture between fingers), and mixture will feel hot to the touch.
2. 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 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.
**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.
Make-Ahead Tip: If not using Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting the same day it is made, it can be refrigerated. If it has been chilled, bring back to room temperature then re-whip until smooth in texture before using.
⬇Print-Friendly Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 large egg whites (210 grams or 7 oz)
- 2 cups 400 grams granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks or 340 grams)*
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt we use non-iodized fine sea salt
Instructions
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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 pot 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.
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Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt and mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min).
Recipe Notes
*Butter should be softened at room temp about 1 hour (more or less depending on your room temperature). It should be slightly cool to the touch and not overly soft or warm. If too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes at a time.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
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.
P.P.S. I do have another recipe coming soon for a cake using this very same frosting – can’t wait to share it with you all!
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I would love to make this recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake. Is it safe to add gel coloring to it or would that affect its stability?
Hi Courtney, you could add that a little at a time at the very end.
I’d like to know if I double it can I do it in one batch. So put 14 egg whites and 4 cups of sugar and 6 sticks of butter in the mixer – will it be too much for the mixer?
Hi Ana, unless it is an industrial-sized mixer, it will overwhelm the mixer nad will take a really long time to beat and cool to room temperature.
I have made this and i loved it. So much better than american buttercream.I have another plan to make a creamcheese frosting. I would like to know if this recipe would be safe if i combined a 200 gms of cream cheese or maybe more to get a version of cream cheese swiss meringue buttercream? I would like to know if this can hold to frost a cake or cupcakes.
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha I made this Swiss Meringue buttercream last week and it is so delicious! I was planning to use it to decorate my sisters wedding cake but when I went to the cake decorating shop they seemed to think it wouldn’t hold up well? I am doing 2 tiers.
It is a concern because obviously the icing does t crust and remains soft so would it hold ok on the bottom layer once I put the top layer on. My other option is to use you American buttercream. The one they sold me at the shop is awful to work with and tastes too sweet! I am just getting so indecisive about which way to go!
Hi Karen, I see buttercream more commonly used for making wedding cakes and I wonder if that is the reason – because it holds up better and can support stacked cakes. I’m not an expert in wedding cakes – you might try googling that. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Thank you Natasha- I will go with the American buttercream this time. So now I have a beautiful batch of SMBC in my freezer ready for the next birthday cake! I used some the other day to cover a chocolate cake- I just mixed in some melted dark chocolate- my it was THE nicest chocolate frosting ever!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This is a spectacular buttercream recipe. I love love the taste and consistency! My thermometer failed so I whisked for 5 minutes and prayed and it was just fine. I also lacked a whisk attachment for my Kitchenaid stand mixer so I used my hand mixer. Again, no problem! It spreads and pipes perfectly. Thank you so much Natasha
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
Last night I made a batch(which looked fine)and left it at room temp. This morning it looked a bit separated and not as fluffy, so I re-whipped it before using it. By the time I finished piping my cupcakes(around 20 mins), the frosting became firm, kinda like butter. Is it due to temperature? My room temp is around 66-68F. Every time I make this, the frosting feels dense and buttery, not really fluffy. I follow your recipe exactly and I beat on low/med speed for 15mins after adding butter. What am I doing wrong? Thank you!
Hi, I haven’t had that experience, but it could be due to a colder room temperature, although it shouldn’t cool down that quickly. Are you making any other substitutions or changes?
No I did not. I cooked the egg whites to 160F and beat till stiff. And I kept the frosted cupcakes in plastic container in room temp for 12 hours. By evening the frosting looked shiny and greasy, almost translucent. Tasted like greasy butter. Maybe I’ll give it a try again
Hi.. I plan to use the recipe. I will be frosting an 8inch round cake with 5 inches height…is this recipe enough for this sie of cake? pls let me know.
Hi Xen, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes. One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Do you have a recipe for Italian buttercream frosting? I love your recipes and would like your take on it.
Hi Gina, I don’t at this time but thank you for the great suggestion!
Hi Natasha,
I made your SMBC and it tastes heavenly. I used it under fondant and my issue was that it softened so fast even before I finished covering the cake with the fondant. I had the iced cake refrigerated overnight before the fondant. The cake was ruined. ..what did I do wrong? (It was 60F rainy NY weather while I was putting the fondant on)
Hi Jean, I honestly haven’t tried putting SMBC under fondant. Was the SMBC firm and spreadable when you were applying it to your cake?
It was nice and spreable and good consistency. And it was nice and solid when I took the cake out of the refrigerator. It’s just that it softened so fast in room temperature.
Would you half the recipe for making 30 french maccarons?
Hi Grace, I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you planning on using this as a filling for your macarons?
PERFECT! Absolutely beautiful, silky smooth and delicious! I used carton whites for convenience & followed the recipe to tee, though did find it took a little longer for my egg whites & sugar to come to the correct temperature (I used a candy thermometer). Will definitely make again, I prefer it’s flavour and the fact that it is not sickly sweet like traditional buttercream.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
PERFECT! Absolutely beautiful, silky smooth and delicious! I followed the recipe to tea, though did find it took a little longer for my egg whites & sugar to come to the correct temperature (I used a candy thermometer). Will definitely make again, I prefer it’s flavour and the fact that it is not sickly sweet like traditional buttercream.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I’ve made this recipe about 3 times.
I’m getting ready to only do a half of the recipe and hoping it works out. I need to do a tiny cake and don’t want to waste ingredients.
In the future, I may store leftover icing in the fridge.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
i also would like to know, if i will have an excess frosting, can i freeze it? if yes, how long should you freeze this kind of frosting ? safe lifespan to be considered that it is still viable to use for frosting cakes/cupcakes?
thank you
Hi Xen, It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just let it come to room temp and re-whip with the paddle attachment to make it fluffy again. I have only tried refrigerating this type of buttercream but from my research, it should be ok to freeze. I haven’t tried freezing an entire cake but I think it can be done since this frosting is freezer safe. I hope that helps!
Oh my goodness, this is amazing! My kids like it better than regular buttercream frosting. I love how light it is. This was my first attempt at SM buttercream and it came out perfectly. I did cut the recipe in half because I thought it’s make a lot, but I only had enough to frost 12 cupcakes. Next time I’ll keep the recipe as is. It did take me almost 15 minutes to get my egg whites and sugar up to 160 degrees. I used a thermometer because I’m pregnant and paranoid about making sure the temp is right so it’s safe to ingest while pregnant. Thank you again, this was amazing and easy to follow!
You’re welcome, Ellen! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
First time making this Swiss meringue buttercream and I’ll never go back to a traditional buttercream! This was absolutely delicious and my family approves!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Dena! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This is the best frosting recipe I’ve ever tried! How about making it chocolate? Would I add melted chocolate at the same stage as I do the vanilla?
Hi Sara, for chocolate SMBC, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online is it may be possible! It is suggested to add 2/3 cup or up to 9 oz of melted, cooled chocolate, or you can add 3/4 cup of nutella. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
hi natasha,most smbc want 1:2:2.5 ratio for eggs sugar butter.yours has less butter.does it hold well and pipe?i wan tot make a dol cake and make swirls of colored smbc…will ti hold and pipe wel?also since it has less butter than sugar does it taste sweet so those who dont like butter taste,liek this?i am conserned on piping and holding well..thanks
Hi Antony, We think we found the perfect balance. I recommend looking through the recipe comments. Here is what one of our readers wrote “Finally, a swiss buttercream that is absolutely PERFECT! Not so sweet, not too buttery tasting, but exactly what I was looking for” I hope that helps.
Can you add colour to this icing? And if so at what stage?
Hi Christy, I would add color at the very end, adding a little at a time until the desired color is reached.
Thank you!
Thanks.can i add some powder sugar in it so i can color it.better?like half cup or should cut back on caster sugar in egg mixture?thanks
Ps…didnt want to sound bad.by.asking if it holds in pipping…hahaha..but i do wonder if it slides from cake or it is stable…haha.thanks and i am.gonna try it
Hi Antonis, I haven’t tried powdered sugar so I’m not sure how it would affect the frosting – I actually don’t recall in my research coming across a recipe that calls for powdered sugar in this type of buttercream.
Hi Natasha, This icing is so delicious!!! I’ve only used it for cupcakes but would it be okay to coat a cake? Or would a normal buttercream hold on the sides better? Also can I ice the cake and put it in the fridge overnight? I’m sorry I gave up trying to find the answer in the comments, there’s sooo many! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Hi Hannah! I don’t see why not! This recipe makes enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake.
This is the best SM buttercream. Things I hate about american buttercream: too sweet, the buttery taste and the crusting. This bc holds up well, pipes well and tastes good!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Trish! Thank you for that amazing review.
My smbc ended up with granules.. instructions were followed, eggwhiye sugar mix was whisked till 160temp, touched the mix to chk if sugar had dissolved which it did..but when I started whisking granules formed. What I do wrong?
Hi Ami, I haven’t seen that happen before – did you possibly use a different kind of course or larger granule sugar or could the granules have been at the bottom?
I feel like I have been beating the frosting for a long time at last phase and it’s still not stiff.
Hi Theresa, I’d recommend refrigerating for 10-15 minutes and then continue mixing.
Do you know if boxed egg whites will turn out with the same results?
Hi Jennifer, it is difficult to say. I have had some readers report poor results using carton whites. It could be due to additives in the whites but it could also have been due to a change in the process or deviating from recipe instructions.
I use Walmart’s Great Value Cage Free Egg whites for this without any issues! Go for it!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Anna!
Hello can anyone tell me if this recipe is good with Russian Nozzles.
Thanks
Hi Angela, I don’t see why not. It pipes very well.
I’ve tried this recipe and my Swiss butter cream was lovely thank you for the wonderful recipe and instructions.
Now I’m thinking I’d like to make chocolate Swiss butter cream. Do you have a recipe for this please?
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Sophie, for chocolate SMBC, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online is it may be possible! It is suggested to add 2/3 cup or up to 9 oz of melted, cooled chocolate, or you can add 3/4 cup of nutella. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
How much does this recipe make??
Hi Esha, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into
Hi natasha! Will this be ok to cover a wedding cake ( no fondant on top). If so how much to cover a 10 inch and 8 inch cake.?
Hi Karen, I would suggest testing that combination in advance (wedding cakes would make me nervous for experimenting). It should work fine to frost over a buttercream crumb coat and this frosting. This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes. One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Thanks Natasha, sorry I am still a bit confused
I want this to be the frosting on the cake as it is?
I am thinking a crusting buttercream as the crumb coat and then this recipe on top as the final frosting. It is a rustic style so doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth! I intend to run a flat spatula around it to create ‘ridges’ for want of a better word! Will it hold ok? I live in Queensland Australia and it can be quite warm…
I made the buttercream yesterday- it worked like a dream though it took forever to get the egg whites and sugar up to to 160! I think I need a different pan and bowl combo!
It is so smooth and creamy and tastes delicious (I added clear vanilla essence at the end)
Hello Natasha. I’m hoping that you can help me. I just made this today. It seemed kinda runny, so I put it in the fridge. After some time in the fridge, the frosting seemed okay enough to pipe on my cupcakes, but turns back into a runny mess after I have frosted a few cupcakes and I have to put my piping bag back in the fridge. Any ideas on how to fix this for next time?
Hi Kay, I’m more than happy to troubleshoot! Is it very humid in your house? I haven’t heard of humidity being an issue, but I suppose it’s possible. I would suggest trying with the AC running to decrease humidity somewhat. Usually, if you are getting “soup”, it is due to either not allowing the egg whites to cool completely to room temperature before adding butter. If the meringue is warm at all, it will take longer to beat the frosting for it to reach the correct consistency. I would suggest beating it a few minutes longer next time before refrigerating and if refrigerating, do that for no longer than 20-30 minutes and then beat again
Hello Natasha.
Thanks for following up. I live in Miami, Fl, so I suppose it’s humid everywhere lol. I keep my AC at 72 degrees.
I think my problem was that my meringue never stiffened the way it should, based on pictures I found online while troubleshooting.
I have a surplus of egg whites (making too much ice cream!!) so I decided to give it a go again today. This time, I added a pinch of cream of tartar and also cooled the cooked egg mixture to around 95 degrees before whipping. I think it took about 35 mins but I THINK I got a properly stiff meringue this time. I proceeded with the recipe and it’s now in the fridge. Since I wasn’t sure if I would get it right, I didn’t bake anything to frost with it LOL. I guess I’ll see tomorrow how it turned out.
I hope that helps it, Kay!
Okay, so the frosting looked firm enough after a night in the fridge. But, because I am my own worst enemy, I decided to mix in some caramel to make it caramel flavored. I know, I know…too ambitious when I’m just starting out.
Anyway, it tasted AMAZING on my pumpkin spice cupcakes, but it still wouldn’t hold its shape at room temperature. My coworkers didn’t mind eating them in a hurry, though. I was able to pipe more cupcakes than I was able to on the previous attempt, so I’m getting closer.
I will keep trying!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Kay! Sometimes its best to experiemnt and keep trying until you get it right.
I made this exactly as the recipe says and it turned out perfectly. Buttery, smooth and just delicious. I haven’t tried piping with it yet but will soon. My new go to recipe. Thanks!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Rebecca!
I’ve now been whipping the egg white and sugar mixture for over an hour and it still hasn’t gotten past the soft peak stage. I’ve refrigerated it twice, and that actually seems to be making it *worse*!
Do I just give up, start adding butter, and hope for the best. Or do I continue into hour 2 of whipping?
Hi Amy, I’m more than happy to troubleshoot! Is it very humid in your house? I haven’t heard of humidity being an issue, but I suppose it’s possible. I would suggest trying with the AC running to decrease humidity somewhat. Usually, if you are getting “soup”, it is due to either not allowing the egg whites to cool completely to room temperature before adding butter. If the meringue is warm at all, it will take longer to beat the frosting for it to reach the correct consistency. I would suggest beating it a few minutes longer next time before refrigerating and if refrigerating, do that for no longer than 20-30 minutes and then beat again.
Ok! Gave up and just added butter at the 90 minute mark. It seems to have come together, despite not reaching stiff peaks.
Holy moly, but this is the best icing I’ve ever tasted. Even with all the hassle, I’ll never make another type of icing again.
Is there a way to use crisco in this recipie instead of butter?
Hi Crystal, I have not tried it with that to advise.
Hi Natasha! I have used this recipe along with many others of yours. They all came out great! I am now making maple cupcakes and was wondering. Is there any way to makes the swiss merengue frosting with maple flavor.
Hi Debbie, I just haven’t tested that and I also haven’t seen that done. I would suggest googling for maple extract swiss meringue and see if someone has already tested that. Without trying it, I can’t advise on that.
Hi I tried this recipe yesterday. Followed it to a T. The meringue looked perfect but as soon as I added the butter it’s gone soupy and seems to have split. I live in the UK we’re not known for warm weather. But I put it in the fridge overnight and nothing has changed much. The liquid just sank to the bottom. Help!
Hi Cassie, it should not have separated (as you described the liquid sinking to the bottom). Make sure you have the meringue look shiny and form stiff peaks and be completely at room temperature (not a hint of warmth) before adding the butter. Also, the butter should just be softened and not over softened or partially melted. If the butter is too warm, it will have difficulty forming. If the mixture separated, I suspecdt either the butter was too loose or the meringue was too warm when butter was added.
Like many other reviews, I too couldn’t get the frosting to thicken up even after multiple rounds of refrigerating for 15 minutes and whipping. I did that three times and nearly gave up until I decided to try freezing the frosting for 15 minutes and whipping for 2. This was the only thing that salvaged it for me! Even then, I was trying to make an ombré cake which proved super difficult because the frosting kept reverting to a soupy mess. Overall, the flavor was amazing which made the frosting worth the hassle.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing those steps with us!
You need to add at least one more bar of butter. It will turn up soupy and think you did something wrong.
Trying to put it on the refrigerator and it doesnt work. Add another bar of butter to the recipe.
Hi, it can look soupy before it comes together and that is normal. If it stays soupy after a few extra minutes of mixing, it is likely due to adding butter before the meringue fully reached room temperature, or due to adding oversoftened or partially melted butter. I would suggest refrigerating 10-15 minutes at a time and continuing to mix and it should come together.
I’m a very inexperienced baker and wanted to make a birthday cake for somebody special. This icing came together beautifully for me on the first try using an old hand mixer and plastic measuring bowls.
I did use a large glass bowl as my double boiler for melting the sugar and whipping it into a meringue. Once the meringue was whipped I transferred that into a larger plastic bowl to add the butter one tablespoon sized chunk at a time. Perhaps switching the bowls like this helped the meringue cool faster. I also used butter that was a bit colder than maybe I had originally planned on using and this seemed to help as well. It was firm, cold to the touch but I could still press my finger into it.
The icing was DELICIOUS! Not greasy at all. Everybody loved it.
This recipe made enough for me to crumb coat my 5 inch (4 layer) cake, ice the outside with a nice thick, smooth layer of buttercream, and also pipe some rosettes onto the top.
Hopefully this review helps to encourage someone to give this recipe a try!
I’m so happy to hear about your success. Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This frosting was simply fabulous! I usually scrape buttercream off and just eat the cake but this one I was eating by the spoonful. So silky, smooth and had an almost caramelised flavour to it and the hint of salt wasn’t sensational. Thanks for sharing; my daughters cake turned out so beautiful and delish.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that with me!
I made this frosting and it is by far the most delicious frosting I have ever eaten let alone made. I love it!!!! This is the only frosting I will ever make outside of my mother’s cream cheese frosting. Thanks for sharing this!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Karen!
How long this meringue can store in the fridge? just incase i have a leftover. I’m looking forward to see your next video making a Fondant for cup cake. My son loves your cupcakes.
Hi Kath, it will be fine to cover and refrigerate for several days, just be sure to bring it to room temperature then re-beat it to smooth and fluff the frosting
Amazing recipe for beginners! LOVED IT!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Where do you get to choose how much you make?
Hi Kristin, we don’t have that option for this recipe. This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Hi Natasha, I’ve tried this twice and both times had issues dissolving the sugar in the egg whites, it never stopped feeling grainy even after reaching 160 degrees. I used a clean stainless bowl of my stand mixer and a hand mixer whisk attachment to mix over the simmering pot of water. I tried for 15 minutes probably. What would you suggest?
Hi Jenya, I’d be happy to troubleshoot. I also recommend reading through some of the comments, there are quite a few tips in there you may find helpful. Did you use a different kind of sugar maybe or used more than? Was anything else altered in the recipe?
Thanks for replying! I used plain granulated sugar. The other comments seem to have difficultly with the butter step which worked great for me! I just had slightly grainy smbc at the end. I want to try again tomorrow.
Do you add the sugar bit by bit or all at once? Do you whisk slowly or quickly (I read in the comments someone did it slowly by hand). How much of the egg sugar mixture is above the simmering water (meaning, the circumference of my mixer bowl is bigger than the pot, so some of the contents are directly over the water in the pot, but maybe some are further up the sides of the mixing bowl so they are not directly over the simmering water).
Hi Jenya, ideally, the bowl should be over the steam and not touching water. You might try a different pot. I do add all of the sugar at once. It helps if you feel the mixture between your fingers – it’s ready when it feels hot to the touch, reaches the right temperature and should not feel grainy between your fingers. You do want the sugar to dissolve. I hope that helps!
Just wanted to say this time was a success! Came together great! I whisked by hand whereas before I used an electric hand whisk, and I used a different thermometer to make sure I got to 160, even though I actually felt the sugar dissolve sooner. I still got some sugar crusting/sticking to the top of my bowl but it was minor and I scraped it away before moving to the stand mixer.
“Recipe has gone hit at first attempt”
I made 1.5 batch of this recipe to frost 35-38 medium size cupcakes .
I’m from Pakistan and despite the weather here is hot and humid I made 1.5 batch of this recipe and it turned out soooooper luscious , smoooth and stable buttercream.
Some pointers that can help anyone to achieve best results at first attempt ;
Patience is the key to get the recipe result
Always measure the ingredients
Butter should b of room temperature. ( not too soft nor cold )
After dissolving egg white and sugar , beat the mixture till soft peak and then put bowl into the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
If you find your mixture is runny , please do not loose hope and keep whisking the mixture and you’ll end up having smooth buttercream .
I used hand mixer and it took little long for my SMBC to get along lol , I was getting impatient but I surely didn’t want to mess my handwork to I kept on whisking the mixture until I couldn’t get the desire consistency .
Thanks a million Natasha
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Can I save this runny frosting? Did everything as stated but transferred to glass bowl on stand mixer after heating.
Hi Cheryl, I would refrigerate for 10-15 minutes at a time and then continue beating 3 minutes which should help it reach the desired temperature to become fluffy. The most likely culprit is adding butter while it’s still warm or adding over-softened butter but it can be saved by cooling and continuing ot beat. Also, if you have an ice pack, you can cover it with a single paper towel and wrap the bottom of your mixing bowl and it will speed up your process.
Oh my goodness you did it!!!! Thank you so much. It is a very yummy buttercream and I hate wasting ingredients. Thank you again. I love your site no one has ever answered any questions as you do. Thank you!
You’re so nice! Thank you! I’m happy to help!
I just love this recipe – turns out perfect every single time. The only thing I’ve noticed is that it takes much longer than 15-20 minutes for the meringue to get to room temperature.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! If it is in a warmer spot it will take longer.
Hi Natasha
Can u tell me how much SMBC will be made from this recipe?
Also I love ur recipes a lot.And u too.
Hi Vishmi, this recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Hi. I have used this recipe and it was wonderful. I’m curious if you have tried adding some caramel to make a caramel Swiss buttercream? If not, do you have any thoughts? I’m wondering if cutting back the sugar 1/2 cup would be too much, but then I would be adding 1/2 caramel sauce at the end? I know messing with sugar/butter ratios is not a good thing in baking. Thanks for your input.
Hi Holly, I haven’t tried and actually had to google it. I love that idea!! There are several recipes out there that add it to the end. You can add up to 1/2 cup based on what I’ve read and comparing proportions that are in our recipe. If you test it out, pretty please let me know how it goes! I’m so curious!!
Thanks. I’ll let you know. There is one “deconstructed” Swiss buttercream recipe that whips the butter first and then adds the whites/sugar/corn syrup…with the caramel at the end. Interesting idea…says it’s a very stable end product. I’m afraid to try some other recipe when I know yours is so yummy! Smiles!
Thank you so much for sharing that! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this one, sounds like you found a favorite!
Fantastic recipe, and really easy! I made a batch today and used to frost a birthday cake. The buttercream is really smooth and spreads beautifully.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Eva!
Hi Natasha, I’m keen to give this recipe a go seeing all the amazing reviews it’s gotten! I want to make a nutella swiss meringue buttercream to fill and frost a 4 layer 8 inch cake. Do you think this would make enough and how much nutella do you think I can add without compromising the texture?
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Lianne, for chocolate SMBC, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online is it may be possible! It is suggested to add 2/3 cup or up to 9 oz of melted, cooled chocolate, or you can add 3/4 cup of nutella. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
I’ve tried a number of SMBC recipes and you are right, this one is the best texture, flavour and success rate (always works for me). The reason I’ve tried other recipes is to make a flavoured buttercream and I’m afraid to experiment and loose all that butter and egg white. How much liquid could I add to this recipe and not compromise it’s wonderful consistency? I’m thinking lemon juice, lime juice, cooled melted chocolate, raspberry or blueberry puree, etc. Thanks for your wonderful website and recipes!
Hi Sharon, I don’t have specific amounts for those written down so the best I could tell you is add them to taste and a little at a time.
I used this recipe and added freeze dried raspberries that I had crushed to a powder. It was excellent!
great idea!
This is my new go to icing recipe. It’s a huge hit on every cake I’ve made. So light and creamy and not overly sweet. I’ve ran into a couple of issues, but I’ve always followed your advice and refrigerated it and it pulls through. I’ve also adapted it to make peanut butter flavored icing by adding in 1/2 a cup at the end and it tasted just like peanut butter pie filling. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome Baylie! I’m glad you enjoyed that.
This is an excellent recipe and works perfectly! To cool the mixing bowl faster, I put two gel ice packs on the outside to chill the bowl, as I transfer to a thick glass bowl. It works very well. 🙂
I love that tip! Simply brilliant! I’m so glad you loved the swiss meringue buttercream frosting. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Natasha, I’ll share some pics of the llama cake later. I made a double (plus a bit) quantity of the buttercream. I was a bit worried it wasn’t going to thicken at first, but once I (very carefully) upped the mixer speed, it came together fine. It only just fit in my large Kitchenaid mixing bowl though! Such a lovely, silky icing.
That’s so great, Ali! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
Hi- can I double the recipe?
Hi Rebecca, If you wanted to double it, I would suggest making a double batch since it would take a really long time to cool to room temp and would overwhelm most mixers.
Hello! About how much frosting does this yield? Could I fill and frost a 6 inch, 3 layer cake? Thank you!
Hi Vaishalee, it will work great for that type of cake. Here is a 2-layer, 9″ cake that we frosted so you can gauge how it covered that and with a 6″ cake, that should work just fine.
Hi Rebecca, you can double the recipe, but only if you have a huge mixer bowl. I used the equivalent of 16 egg whites (a 500g carton of egg whites because I didn’t have time to separate 14 eggs!). I have a big Kitchenaid mixer bowl, which I transferred the mix to after it came off the stove. It took longer to cool down and a LOT more beating to get a thick consistency and it was hard to keep it in the bowl at higher mixing speed. So if you have time, doing two batches is probably better, but in the end it came out really well for me (after some panicky moments!).
Hi,
I tried this recipe today and the flavour was good but there was a problem. It was way too dense and it still had a buttery flavour. Could it be because of too much butter? Whenever I make Swiss meringue buttercream it always turns out buttery and very dense. Please help.
Thanks
Hi Anne, We think we found the perfect balance. I recommend looking through the recipe comments. Here is what one of our readers wrote “Finally, a swiss buttercream that is absolutely PERFECT! Not so sweet, not too buttery tasting, but exactly what I was looking for” Also, that may be due to either not allowing the egg whites to cool completely to room temperature before adding butter. If the meringue is warm at all, it will take longer to beat the frosting for it to reach the correct consistency. I would suggest beating it a few minutes longer next time before refrigerating and if refrigerating, do that for no longer than 20-30 minutes and then beat again hope that helps!
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I was wondering if it would be caused by not whipping enough after adding all the butter. Also is it necessary to refrigerate the meringue? And does the meringue need to be cold or at room temperature?
Thanks a ton
Hi Anne, it could be due to underwhipping after adding butter. Also, the cream should be piped or spread onto a cake while at room temperature and then it can be refrigerated. I let the dessert and frosting come back to room temperature to serve.
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. But I was wondering if I halved this recipe, would I use 3 egg whites or 4 egg whites since the amount of egg whites in this recipe is 7.
Thanks
Hi Anne, here is what one of our readers wrote “I halved it and used 4egg whites, large eggs. It was perfect!” I hope that helps.
This turned out beautifully i did have to whip it a bit longer but i think it was because it was a very warm day. The flavor is perfect….not overly sweet and its pipes perfectly
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Jenn. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi,
I would like to know how many eggs I would have to use if I halved this recipe.
Thanks
Hi Anne, One of our readers wrote, ” I’ve made this recipe twice and it turned out so good. I even halved it for 12 cupcakes and it was the exact amount to pipe them beautifully (exact measurements).” Hope this helps.
I halved it and used 4egg whites, large eggs. It was perfect!
Thank you for sharing that!
Can you clarify the amount of egg white needed please. It’s a bit confusing.
Thanks
Hi Anna, I apologize that did look confusing in the print friendly card, it is 7 large egg whites. I updated the recipe card so it reads more clearly. Thank you for asking!
I made this and it turned out perfect, Snow White and stable enough for piping. I use a 1M tip and my cupcakes were beautiful. The key is to follow the recipe exactly! At the end, beating it UNTIL it becomes light and fluffy. BE PATIENT! I added 1 teaspoon almond extract to mine! Thanks Natasha!
Thank you for sharing those awesome tips with us, Melanie!
If I want to make chocolate, when should I add Cocoa? Or should I add melted chocolate, if so when?
Hi Melanie, I’m so happy to hear this recipe is a hit! I haven’t tested this with chocolate 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.
Hi natasha.could u plz tellme what happens if i add more butter?many recipes have triple butter to eggs and i dont like it too buttery but still i want it to hold shape.so this recipe makes stable ambc?is it good for frosting?also to add white chocolate how much should i use and if now its hot in my country,if i need to add more butter to be stable and not melting…or humidity and het has nothing to do?thank you very much
Hi Dimitra, I haven’t had the experience of this being too buttery. It’s stable enough to pipe onto a cake. Here is an example of a cake I made using this frosting. I haven’t tried adding white chocolate. You might experiment with a small batch at the end to make sure it doesn’t alter the consistency too much.
I really want to try this recipe but last time I tried to make it I feel it came out oily. What can I do about that! I’ve heard you can just keep mixing it and it usually fixes most complications with this icing.
Hi Amber, We think we found the perfect balance. I recommend looking through the recipe comments. Here is what one of our readers wrote “Finally, a swiss buttercream that is absolutely PERFECT! Not so sweet, not too buttery tasting, but exactly what I was looking for” Also, that may be due to either not allowing the egg whites to cool completely to room temperature before adding butter. If the meringue is warm at all, it will take longer to beat the frosting for it to reach the correct consistency. I would suggest beating it a few minutes longer next time before refrigerating and if refrigerating, do that for no longer than 20-30 minutes and then beat again hope that helps!
Ok thanks you! I’ll give it another try.
Hi! This recipe looks great! My stand mixer only has glass bowls. Would this still work?
I glass bowl should still work.
Hi there!
I tried this recipe last weekend and it turned out SO WELL! It’s delicious, so smooth, and pipes beautifully. I used salted butter, and it was divine!
My only hiccup was when I was heating up the egg whites and sugar over the simmering pot. I was nervous that my egg whites weren’t heated all the way to 160F, and it definitely took much longer than 3 minutes. I used a candy/meat thermometer, and it only ever got up to 155F… this was after heating and whisking for more than 15 minutes, it was no longer gritty, and it was very hot to the touch. Everything still turned out great, but I made sure to heat it for much longer to ensure it would be safe to consume. Is there something I was doing wrong, for it not to warm all the way to 160F?
Thank you for your advice!!
You’re welcome, Anne! I’m glad you enjoyed that. Do you have a gas or electric cooktop? I”m wondering if the heat source was not consistent?
Hi Natasha! We have an electric top stove. I wonder too if something was wrong with my candy thermometer. What type would you recommend?
I found that it took no time for the sugar to dissolve, but it was just the heating to 160F that I couldn’t achieve😞
We use this one here and love it!
How much does it make?
Hi Raina, I wish I had measured it that way, but I can only guess now – maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake.
I’m wondering if I could substitute meringue powder for the egg whites? (1 Tbsp powder + 1 Tbsp water should equal 1 egg white). Is there anything I would need to change? Or is this not recommended at all?
Hi Deb, I don’t think that would work in this recipe. That kind of substitution would need more modifications and without testing it, I won’t be able to provide specific advice
Everything was fine until I added a tbsp of butter. I’d made sure it was still cold, but it still turned soupy. I’ve tried refrigerating it for about 15 minutes and then whipping it for 4 min two times already but it just seems even more liquid. I added cream of tartar but after the egg whites were already whipped. Any ideas on how to fix?
Hi Laura, I wonder if it’s the cream of tartar that is throwing off the texture? I don’t use that in my recipe so I’m not sure. Were there any other substitutions? Did the egg whites look silky and reach stiff glossy peaks as shown in step 2?
I’m pretty sure my eggwhites reached that stage. I added cream of tartar after trying to whip it again after refrigerating because it’s supposed to be a stabilizer. However, I heard that it’s only effective when added before you whip the whites, sadly.
My first attempt at this was a total hit; even with a handheld mixer so I rate this a 5. However, my next attempt- with a kitchenaid stand mixer was traumatic, good it ended well although I had to refrigerate the frosting every 3minutes while piping the cake.
I’m still unsure what I did wrong- is it possible that the piping tip was too small? Can I use this to pipe smaller designs on my cake?
Also, is it ok to use pasteurized egg whites? I know the heat pasteurizes the eggs but just for my ease and comfort 😀
Last question, is there anything like over whipping the egg and sugar mixture?
Thank you Natasha!!!
Hi Anna, under-whipping is typically the issue with SMBC and making sure it gets completely to room temperature (bowl no longer feels warm at all) before adding room temperature butter. Also, if your butter is over-softened or partially melted, it will negatively affect the buttercream. I have had several readers report good results using pasteurized but the important thing is to find pasteurized whites with no additives or preservatives, just pure whites.
Thank you for your swift reply! I’ll give it another go and let you know the result.
I must say, I love your recipes!
You’re welcome, Anna! I’m glad that was helpful.
Hi, what kind of tip did you use to pipe it on the white cupcakes with sprinkles? The design looks like whipped cream out of a can!
Hi Laura, that is a Wilton 2D tip.
Just made this recipe with some adjustments: I had pasteurized egg white so I used that and I added 1/2 tsp cream of tartar as a stabilizer. Following recipe amounts of sugar and liquid whites, I set my mixer bowl over a bain marie and gently stirred mixture with a whisk until sugar granules dissolved, remove bowl and add the cream of tartar. Follow the rest of recipe instructions.
Result was a stable buttercream able to pipe borders and flowers. Great recipe which is a keeper!! Thanks for sharing:)
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Margaret!
Hi natasha! I love you recipes.. just wondering if I’d like to add a specific flavour for your swiss meringue buttercream, should i omit the vanilla? Or if i had to add them both, like what is the max grams i csn add for the flavouring? Thank you very much.
Hi there Kris, normally flavorings are added at the very end. If you try something new, I would suggest trying to add it to a small batch in a ramekin to be sure it doesn’t hurt the consistency and to see if you enjoy the overall flavor. There are so many ideas! Almond extract, liqueurs, fruit puree or preserves, the list goes on. You might google to get ideas for add-ins, depending on the type of cake you’re making. If you are adding another then I would sub the vanilla.
This recipe is absolutely divine! It’s easy super smooth and buttery. It’s the best frosting I have made and definitely my go to. So much easier clean up than original buttercream.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Linda!
Hey Natasha! I’ve made this recipe before and it turned out great! But I’m planning on making it again. This might be a really stupid question but If I were to use my blow torch on it after piping, would it brown like a regular meringue or would that cause it to just melt?
Hi Avery, I honestly haven’t tested that so I cannot advise. If you test it I recommend trying a small batch first. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
Hi, just wondering if you can half the recipe?
Thanks, ACP
Hi Angie, One of our readers wrote, ” I’ve made this recipe twice and it turned out so good. I even halved it for 12 cupcakes and it was the exact amount to pipe them beautifully (exact measurements).” Hope this helps.
I made this and it turned out perfect, Snow White and stable enough for piping. I use a 1M tip and my cupcakes were beautiful. The key is to follow the recipe exactly! At the end, beating it UNTIL it becomes light and fluffy. BE PATIENT! I added 1 teaspoon almond extract to mine! Thanks Natasha!
I halved this recipe and it was perfect!
That’s so awesome!
Can you colournthi like normal butter cream
Hi Rochelle, you sure can! I think you could, but add a little color at a time until you reach your desired color while maintaining the consistency. I would recommend using a gel food coloring over a liquid one. I would add the at the very end.
Question regarding color in the photo…. is this witb vanilla or without because when I add the vanilla it turns a off white color not that pretty bright white. Also what kind of butter do you use the butter I used I can taste for some reason and I wasn’t sure if there is one that is not as buttery flavored or maybe it wasn’t fresh not sure 🤔
Hi Monique, I recommend using clear vanilla to avoid that. Also, some butters are more yellow in color so maybe try switching to a different butter. I’ve tried organic unsalted by Simple truth brand and the longer sticks from Costco by Kirkland signature unsalted butter and both were very white in color.
Thank you so much for the tips! I had no idea those were even options!!!!! I’m
Super excited to try for next time! Came out perfect this time again but your right the butter I used was really darker yellow and not my usual choice in butter.
You’re welcome!
I read on another blog that if you add the tiniest bit of violet coloring it cancels out the yellowness in the frosting.
Love, love, love this recipe so much! Is it possible to flavour it with fruit purees or anything?
Hi Jo, that should work! Normally flavorings are added at the very end. If you try something new, I would suggest trying to add it to a small batch in a ramekin to be sure it doesn’t hurt the consistency and to see if you enjoy the overall flavor. There are so many ideas! Almond extract, liqueurs, fruit puree or preserves, the list goes on. You might google to get ideas for add-ins, depending on the type of cake you’re making.
Hi! I’ve been whipping my egg and sugar for almost an hour now and my bowl is still warm. I have ice packs around the side and it still doesn’t feel like it’s cooling down any. How do you get this to cool down in 15-20 minutes? My kitchen is around 67°F I feel like it should be cool by now and I’m gonna end up over whipping it or something.
Hi Teresa, Try refrigerating for 10 minutes and beating again after that. It may be that the mixture is still too warm (happens if you add butter too early or add butter that is overly soft/partially melted). I hope that helps!
I’ve been whipping the egg whites for an hour and it doesn’t harden. I’ve followed the steps as is. Can I just add the butter there? Help please
Hi Ana, try refrigerating for 10 minutes and beating again after that. It may be that the mixture is still too warm (happens if you add butter too early or add butter that is overly soft/partially melted). I hope that helps!
i made a swiss meringue buttercream this weekend.. .. i actually used ur recipe that called for 7egg whites, 2 cups of sugar and only 3 sticks of butter…but i knew of other recipes that have less whites and sugar, but more butter….it was not taking shape so i added another stick…i kept whipping…but it was still soupy…. added another stick and it finally took shape… it was very silky, but was very buttery….ended up adding 10x sugar to balance out the butter….i don’t believe i did anything incorrectly… is it supposed to b very buttery like that???? or is that y u add other flavors?.. i did add plenty vanilla…id like to make this more often rather than using american buttercream.. but i dont want to waste ingredients…. have not made the italian meringue buttercream yet… but that is next on my list…thanx…
Hi Rebecca, it will look soupy before it gets better. If it doesn’t form after a few more minutes of beating, try refrigerating for 10 minutes and beating again after that. It may be that the mixture is still too warm (happens if you add butter too early or add butter that is overly soft/partially melted). I hope that helps!
thanx…. i do know that it can stay soupy for a bit and just to keep whipping… and it should come to the proper consistency… the bowl did feel cool to the touch but i suppose it is possible it was still too warm… i ended up putting 10x sugar in it to balance it out, and then froze it for now..but i will make it again this weekend and hopefully it will come out properly…
I don’t know what I’m missing.
I finished all of the steps and it looks really nice to pipe, but it just tastes like a stick of butter. I mean, I can taste the faint sweetness, but the texture/taste is thick like butter. I can’t even taste test it any more without gagging.
My husband says it’s not terrible, but tastes like the sweet butter they give you at Texas Roadhouse for your appetizer bread….I would NOT want to eat a whole cupcake worth of that!
Can I do anything to remedy this?? I already tried adding powdered sugar with no luck.
I need it to pipe onto my son’s birthday cupcake for tomorrow morning 😔
Hi Tiffany, could it be in the way the sugar was measured? Make sure to use dry ingredient measuring cups and I would not use less sugar than the recipe calls for – also be sure to use the same kind of sugar (granulated). I hope that helps!
If you are not happy with the flavor but it pipes well, you could add flavoring, like vanilla or almond or something that will go with the flavor of cake.
i had the same issue… (c my comment above urs…)… idk… i know i have made this before and it was not nearly this buttery tasting… it was extremely silky…but i do believe i added some mint flavoring for grasshopper pie cupcakes…
This frosting was delicious. Natasha, I was wondering if you have ever tried this on an ice cream cake? I’m curious if you have used something besides a whipped cream icing on an ice cream cake before. Thanks!
Love your recipes!!!
Hi Jessica, I’m so happy you enjoyed that! I have not tried it on ice cream cake but that should work! If you experiment please let me know how you like that
Making this icing for the first time, it really doesn’t seem to want to turn into a nice cream, it is fluid? What can I do to thicken it, should I add icing sugar?
Hi Viv, I would suggest giving it a few more minutes of mixing and if the mixture does not feel room temperature, I would refrigerate 10 minutes at a time and continue beating until it forms.
Is there any reason I couldn’t make my egg white and sugar syrup and let that cook in fridge overnight then whooo it and add butter after it is cold, instead of whipping it while hot? PS love your videos ❤️
Hi Louise, I honestly haven’t seen it done that way and haven’t tried myself so I can’t say for sure if the mixture would get weird or separate.
Hello,
Before attempting your recipe I was wondering what granulated sugar is? I’m Australian and wasn’t sure if it’s just ordinary sugar or the finer caster sugar?
Hi Sandra, it is ordinary white sugar.
How many cups does this recipe make?
Hi Erica, This frosting recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups?
Hi Natasha if i make frosting for cupcakes & decorate same day place in fridge overnight will the frosting still be perfect in the morning? I need them for a celebration early the next day! Thankyou
Hi Kerry, if making the frosting ahead, it would be best to pipe onto the cupcakes/ cake and then refrigerate overnight, otherwise you would have to let the frosting come to room temp the next day and remix to get it to the whipped consistency. If you frost and then refrigerate, your cupcakes are done and the frosting will just as good once the cupcakes reach room temperature.
Adding cocoa powder to frosting. I did two batches. First batch I added 5 TBSP of cocoa powder after beating egg whites and sugar to the creamy peaks. Adding the cocoa at this point made the frosting very watery. I continued with adding the butter at room temp to see if it would thicken and nothing happened even after chilling that batch in the fridge for half hour then beating it. I gave up on this batch and continued with the next. I followed the directions and got a beautiful creamy white frosting. I added 5 TBSP of cocoa powder and carefully spooned it in. In doing so it became watery too. After 4 hours or more of chilling and beating & getting nowhere, I added chilled butter a few tablespoons at a time. I ended adding another half cup than what the recipe calls for. That did it. The butter was in the fridge all day so I ended up with tiny bits of butter here and there. So I would recommend using not so cold butter. I had delicious fluffy chocolate Swiss meringue frosting that everyone enjoyed and didn’t even notice those tiny bits of butter. Cool butter is the secret 😊
Thank you so much for sharing this feedback with us Julie! Our readers will find that helpful.
Hi,
I’m wondering if this recipe could be made into chocolate buttercream? I really enjoy your recipe and have made it successfully, so I would like to use it to make chocolate Swiss buttercream as well. Do you use cocoa powder or melt chocolate?
Thanks!
Hi Lola, I’m so happy to hear this recipe is a hit! I haven’t tested this with chocolate 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.
Amazing recipe thank you so much it was perfect just what I was looking for after many trial & errors with buttercream.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
What a wonderful recipe! Thank you for posting this. I was a commercial cake decorator/ Baker for many years and then continued making special occasion cakes from my home. I’m retired now and hadn’t made a cake in several years. However, I have a wedding cake that I’m doing for family members as their wedding gift. It’s a.m outdoor wedding in August, so I was pretty nervous about using regular butter cream. I Googled which icings would hold up best on a summer evening and Swiss buttercream seemed to be most experienced cake decorators first choice. So I decided to experiment prior to the wedding date. I just made my first batch this afternoon, and I was so pleased!
But I did have a moment of panic, after adding the butter with the paddle attachment, when it didn’t take firm right away– so I removed the paddle, put the whip attachment back on, then added 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar and it took shape immediately.
I hope that’s helpful to some who had difficulty with consistency.
Thanks again for the recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi , I want to try this recipes , will like to check with u , possible for me to reduce the sugar by half ?
Hi Raycher, I think it would taste very buttery if you cut the sugar down by half.
Hi! Thank for the awesome recipe! Judging by the reviews it seems to be amazing and can’t wait to try it! Wanted to ask – how much cream cheese could I add to this for Swiss Meringue cream cheese frosting? Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tried that or seen it done so I’m not sure. My favorite go-to cream cheese frosting is our cupcake frosting.
Really appreciate the imperial measurements! Thank you, now I can try it properly!
I’m so glad that was helpful Carolyn!
hi will this ice a three layer 8 inch cake? thanks!
Hi Ella, it should be enough to cover a 3 layer 8″ cake. I frosted this chocolate cake with it so you can gauge.
I noticed that this recipe uses less butter compared to other swiss merigue buttercream recipes. I’m excited to try this!
I hope you love this recipe Mary!
The only buttercream I’ll ever make! American buttercream is far too sweet and so gritty. This is luscious and silky. Excellent recipe, and very thoroughly explained. Thank you!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Rachel!
I failed at this completely😖 first time trying smbc and it will not whip up at all and it tastes like butter and only butter😖🤦🏼♀️ idk where I went wrong! This was practice so any advice would be awesome!
Hi Lexie, it will look soupy before it gets better. If it doesn’t form after a few more minutes of beating, try refrigerating for 10 minutes and beating again after that. It may be that the mixture is still too warm (happens if you add butter too early or add butter that is overly soft/partially melted). I hope that helps!
How does this recipe have five stars with so many comments of people having issues with it? I also used an electric hand mixer and after mixing for an hour I came to the comments. I tried putting it in the fridge, whipping again. Nothing. Only got soft peaks. Then I read more comments where the author says she has actually not tried this with a hand mixer and it may take longer yet in the recipe she states it would be an additional 5-10 minutes. Had I read the reviews I would’ve probably gone with another recipe. Now I’ve wasted seven eggs, the sugar and butter and will likely have to start over. Incredibly frustrating.
Hi Claudia, I’m sorry to hear that and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. The likely culprit is the electric hand mixer which is why the recipe instructs to use a stand mixer. It isn’t as effective as a stand mixer in whipping and cooling down the mixture and will take longer to form the right consistency. Also, some hand mixers really do take extra long because they can vary significantly in how much power they have. Other factors can come into play such as the temperature of the meringue when butter is added, and adding butter that is overly soft will also be problematic. I hope that helps. From my research, the method for SMBC frosting is pretty similar. Hopefully these tips are encouraging to try your hand again at SMBC. It’s such a wonderful frosting to master.
I had this same problem. I’ve made Swiss meringue dozens of times — gradually added butter that was slightly cooler than room temp to meringue that was completely cooled, whipped for nearly 15 mins after the butter was in and still only ended up with a sort of sweet butter slop. I’m leaving it in the fridge overnight & hoping I can salvage it with a little icing sugar or pudding mix or something tomorrow. I feel like an idiot for wasting so much butter, sugar, and eggs.
Hi Cora, I wonder if the butter was too cold, making it difficult to incorporate.
I just walked out of my kitchen after making a double batch. My first time ever making swiss meringue, I usually do a ermine buttercream, because I don’t like mine to sweet. Well this came out perfect! It was taking a very long time to cool to room temperature and I was a bit concerned about my KitchenAid so I put a wet towel under my bowl with a few ice cubes in it, and it cooled down quickly. I am going to try a chocolate one next time. I will add the chocolate in with the egg whites and sugar. Not sure if it will work, but I will try. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!!
I love the towel with ice cubes idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Teresa!
Hi, if I need about 2-3 cups of buttercream, how much of each ingredient do I need? Please help
Hi Vilma, I would probably cut the recipe in half for that much frosting, but keep in mind the time on the stove and in the mixer will probably be shorter. Without testing it as a half recipe, I won’t be able to give you exact timings.
Thank you for replying. Making it right now and it’s soupy.. I will try the suggestions of putting in refrigerator. Wish me luck!
Hi Natasha! Do you think this would be enough for a 6 inch, 4 layer cake?
Thanks!
Hi Jenna, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Supper delicious cream . Its now my go recipe to decorate my most cakes
Hi Aisha! I’m so happy to hear that! Sounds like you found a favorite!
Was just looking for how much this makes thanks need it for cupcakes!!!!
Hi Monique, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that help put it into perspective.
Hi Natasha,
I cannot recommend this enough for anyone especially beginners, such an easy recipe to follow and I feel like it could never go wrong, I have now made this many times and received lots of ccompliments! if your searching the internet for a recipe, look no further!
I would love to make this recipe with chocolate as I have an event coming up; any recommendations on how much to use and what type of chocolate? I’m from Australia so our conversions are different as well 🙂
I’m so happy to hear this recipe is a hit! I haven’t tested this with chocolate 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.
Hi Natasha I live in Vieques PR I make alot of cakes, do you think a swissmerengue will hold up as well as buttercream in the heat? I have used both on “naked” wedding cakes Whats your opinion
PS I love your recipes!
Thank you so much
Hi Carla, if it will be left out for a long time, I would experiment with refrigerating it as long as you can and then letting it come to room temperature over time during the wedding. It will take a couple hours for it to fully soften (more or less depending on the temperature of the location).
OH MY GOODNESS! This is the best icing I have ever had/made, and I went to school for baking and pastry! I will never use another recipe. AH-MAZ-ING!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Meg. I’m all smiles!
hi, i want to make this but im trying to be organised for my daughters 1st birthday! can i make it then freeze to use in 3 weeks time? thanks!
Hi Lyndsay, It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just let it come to room temp and re-whip with the paddle attachment to make it fluffy again. I have only tried refrigerating this type of buttercream but from my research, it should be ok to freeze. I haven’t tried freezing an entire cake but I think it can be done since this frosting is freezer safe. I hope that helps!
I have made this and its great. But how long can i keep it for?
Hi Chris, It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just let it come to room temp and re-whip with the paddle attachment to make it fluffy again
Delicious recipe! The frosting for my cupcakes was absolutely perfect.
This will be my one frosting recipe now
That’s the best! Sounds like you found a new favorite!
Oh my God! Amazing buttercream.. Just finished a Baking Arts course at George Brown College in Toronto where I learnt Italian Meringue Buttercream. So I saw your recipe and found it more intriguing than the others. My instincts were so spot on! Thank you soooooo much!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Absolute the best buttercream ever! I made it 2x! Easy instruction to follow. I think the trick is to know what “butter at room temperature” is like.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mai!
When would be the best time in the recipe to add cocoa powder?
Hi Susan, 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 have been using this recipe for over a year now and always go back to this recipe every time! Can’t beat it, thank you!
That’s so awesome Sarah! I’m so happy you found a favorite on our site!
Thankc u for sharing this recipe… I’m a 12 year old baker and my family are my judges. Normal american buttercream is way to buttery for them. So i decided to try this recipe. And it worked great. I love baking and this recipe is by far 1 of my favorites. Thank u!!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
Hi, I tried this recipe for the first time tonight, it was great. I had never frosted a cake only used fondant, i am a beginner and this is awesome. I will be frosting more cakes from now on. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Kim!
Hey Natasha, I’ve tried making double the recipe because it was for a bigger cake but my buttercream split, then I just did a single recipe and it worked perfectly. Any suggestions on making a double or just stick to making single couple times? Thanks
Hi Yana, I would suggest making a double batch since it would take a really long time to cool to room temp and would overwhelm most mixers.
Hello!!!
I need to frost an 8” ombre style. Will one batch be enough or should I make 2?
thanks
Hi Lorena, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.”
Hi Natasha! My name is Anastasia. I was trying to reproduce with a hand mixer, but after an our of beating I gave up, could not get sharp heads. Could you please advise is that expected with hand mixer? Any tips to what to do with under-beaten eggs with sugar will be highly appreciated. Thank you
Hi Anastasia, to be honest, I have not tried it with a hand mixer because it takes a really long time to whip and that would leave you with a very tired arm! I also haven’t come across any recipes that I can recall where a hand mixer was used – maybe solely because it is not easy to stand over it that long. I wish I could be more help but I just haven’t braved this with a hand mixer. Also, a hand mixer is not as efficient at whipping and cooling a mixture so you may have to whip even longer.
I’m so excited to try this because I’ve been wanting to try SMBC for a long time now. All the reviews make it sound awesome so I’m in the process. It seems like it’s taking much longer for the meringue to cool to room temp than just the 15-20 minutes. Do I keep mixing until it reaches or do i stop the mixer at the correct consistency and let it cool while still?
Hi Kaitlynn, we recommend refrigerating it for 10-15 minutes then whipping it again. I hope that helps.
Amazing, Never made swiss butter cream before so I was a little nervous but loved the idea of something less sweet than regular BC. This was a lot easier than expected, my butter was a little warm so I threw the whole thing it the fridge for 10 mins and whipped great. So smooth and held great shape.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Erica!
This has been my go-to for awhile and always gets compliments! I’ve shared the link around too, everyone deserves a slice of happiness❤ thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so happy you found a favorite on our blog, Andrinna!
Hi how long can I keep this outside without melting?
Hi Ku, if it will be left out for a long time, I would experiment with refrigerating it as long as you can and then letting it come to room temperature over time during the wedding. It will take a couple hours for it to fully soften (more or less depending on the temperature of the location).
Is it possible to turn this into lemon Swiss meringue? My husband wants a lemon cake for his birthday and I’d love to get away from American buttercream but I’m worried the lemon juice may break the icing…
Hi Morgan, I haven’t tried but I have seen lemon swiss meringue buttercream recipes online that add about 3 Tbsp of lemon juice with the egg whites and sugar before heating it over the water bath. Another method I have seen is to add the zest from 1 lemon folded in at the very end.
I made this frosting for the first time the other day, and it worked beautifully with my cake! It wasn’t as hard as I thought and was very light, which was perfect. It also wasn’t too sweet, which I really enjoyed. Thanks for the recipe, will be using again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Thank you, Natasha for this recipe! This is my first time doing a Swiss meringue buttercream. I did add a 1/4 cup of Hershey’s unsweetened chocolate powder and boy does it remind me of chocolate ice cream! it was that good😊. It took me a while only because I use a handheld mixer. Don’t have a stand mixer yet. I just kept beating/mixing until it finally came together. I’m looking forward to using this recipe again.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review Shirl!
At what point did you put the chocolate powder in?
I’ve made this a few times now and it always comes out great. This past time it was a bit warm in the house and I don’t think I let the bowl completely cool before adding the butter. It went a little soupy so I followed the tips and refrigerated for 15 minutes then whipped it and it was perfection.
I like my frosting a bit sweeter than this comes out, but I think that’s just my sweet tooth. Everyone else who tries it loves it. I might try more sugar in my next batch.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Jenell! Thank you for sharing that great review with me!
Followed this exactly and was going well until adding the butter. It became very thin and could not be used as frosting. The more I mixed it the worse it became.
Hi Cynthia, don’t give up! In most cases, that is fixable. That can happen if the butter is added before the meringue is fully at room temperature or if the butter is over-softened. I suggest refrigerating for 10-15 min then continuing to beat for a few minutes. It does look like it won’t come together but it will. I hope that helps!
This happened to me too, but in the recipe it says to keep beating if it’s runny. I did this and it thickened up 🙂
Just about to make for the first time, and wondering does a double batch fit in a standard kitchen aid bowl? 12cup capacity
Hi Kate, I haven’t tested this doubled in a Kitchen aid but this recipe does make about 5 or 6 cups (estimated measurement).
Tried this recipe out to go with your chocolate cake recipe as I was looking for a chocolate recipes with a white icing, and since this is gonna be for a 4 year old, when I saw the words “not overly sweet” I was sold, any reason to lessen the sugar high the kids will already be in for the party. Anyhow, I do not have a stand mixer nor does my hand mixer have a paddle attachment so I thought I’d give it a try beforehand. I’m glad I did, and sad to say I will be looking for another icing recipe. This took me too long to do, practically all of my 1 year old’s nap time. It’s too much whisking for a hand blender. I ended up using 2 whisks hoping to get a faster result, it still took over 20 mins, stopping a couple of times to let my machines cool down and my arms rest. In the end I got the amazing gloss and a tiny bit of peak. All looked (and tasted) great, until I added the butter using the electric beaters (no paddle attachment). At first the meringue was eating up the butter really nicely. Then it just started to look to crumby. I put it back in the fridge, 1 y.o woke up so fed him lunch, then took it out of the fridge and It actually got more liquidy. I beated it some more, Looked slightly better, but still not presentation worthy. I’ll probably keep it, could maybe use it at least to ice in between the two cake layers. I’ll try beating it some more tomorrow. But maybe this crumby look is the effect of the beaters instead of the paddle? Just the same, I very much enjoyed licking down the spatulas during clean up. Tasted like very yummy and light vanilla ice cream.
So, great recipe! But lost a star because it’s not fool-proof, lots of slight “mistakes” can happen that greatly affect the final product. And another star because it’s not simple enough for every and all kinds of bakers (in terms of expertise at least) – i.e. those who don’t have stand mixers and paddle attachments.
Thank you for your honest feedback, Arantxa! If it is runny and not pipe-able and too runny, the easiest fix is to beat the swiss meringue buttercream frosting a few minutes longer. It could be that the mixture did not cool completely to room temperature before adding butter, but it can be fixed with longer beating. I hope this helps.
Hi! I have used this twice now. Its soooo good! The first time was for cupcakes. I had PLENTY for 2 dozen cupcakes and some left over. However, for a bigger cake, I was a little short. Has anyone doubled this exact recipe and is it just as good? I’m only asking because when I Google ‘large batch of smbc’, the recipes dont quite add up in measurments to this one. For example, the few I looked at had almost twice the amount of egg whites, but almost the same amount of sugar as this recipe. So if I double the sugar to 4cups, would that be too sweet? I know this is kind of a complicated question, haha. but I basically need a larger batch. Thank you
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! If you wanted to double it, I would suggest making a double batch since it would take a really long time to cool to room temp and would overwhelm most mixers.
Hi! Yes, I did refrigerate for quite some time and try to beat it some more, I did this maybe 3 times. I actually found that after refrigeration, there was some liquid in the bottom that had separated from the rest of the ingredients. Anyhow, I still slathered it all over the cake and it still tasted amazing. It was just a trial cake so for a “no special event” cake, we were all very happy to still eat it despite how it looked. I froze the leftover and will see if that does anything. Otherwise, I’ll just blame it on not having the paddle attachment. I’ll update when I do. Cheers!
Hi Natasha. I haven’t tried this yet but I really want to. Got a question. I don’t mind using certain extracts like vanilla or almond but when it comes to berries, I like to use freeze dried berry “dust”. I’ve made a cream cheese frosting and a marshmallow frosting using that method and I’ve never had an issue. My question is, would I be able to do the same with this frosting? If yes, 1. at what point would you suggest adding the dust and 2. how as in, beat it in using the paddle attachment or folding it in? Hope to hear from you soon. I’m dying to try this but I don’t want to waste ingredients/money….
Hi Tammie, I honestly haven’t tried that with this frosting so I can’t say for sure. You might google to see if it’s safe to add it at the end (when you usually would add flavorings to SMBC). I hesitate to recommend it without testing it first myself.
Hi Tammie, I’ve made this recipe many times and have added milled freeze dried strawberries at the end, once the SMBC has come together. You can beat in for the last 30 seconds or so, or fold them in by hand for a more swirled effect, where the mix of freeze dried fruit is uneven, nice for a “hit” of intense fruit and colour. I mill the freeze dried strawberries myself. It’s the yummiest flavour, I still add the vanilla as per recipe too. Hope this helps. Cheers
How many cupcakes will this frost?
Hi Taylor! It will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.” I hope that helps!
Read the ingredients on the egg cartons. The ones I use are 100% egg whites and work just fine.
Thank you for sharing that Karen.
All I have ever made was a normal American Buttercream because I was afraid to go outside that box. I finally went outside that box today and made your SMBC and I have to tell you – it is the most amazing, smooth, cloud-like, tasting frosting I have ever made. I followed your recipe exactly (weighing egg whites, sugar) with one exception. I did use carton egg whites. They were 100% egg whites, no additives. It came out like a dream. I have it in my fridge now because I didn’t need it tonight, was just wanting to see if I could do it. I am looking forward to seeing how it pipes because I do a lot of cupcake/cake decorating (very amateur I might add) but can’t wait to try and pipe something tomorrow. It is soooo much more delicious than my standard American buttercream.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing that with me, Sally!!
I have always made “American Buttercream”, ie “sweetened shortening”! I was always envious of these silky smooth, just sweet enough frostings. Well, I found my new go to.
At first, it was liquid-y and I thought I would just continue with my old stand by. I put it in the fridge and then rewhipped it. If I didn’t need it to decorate a cake, I would have eaten the whole bowl!!
I did have to make a second batch. I bought egg whites in a carton end it came out good but just a little stiffer.
Thanks for such a great recipe!
Making another cake tomorrow for a graduation! Just need to figure out how to make some into chocolate frosting.
That’s so great Lisa! For chocolate SMBC, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online is it may be possible! It is suggested to add 2/3 cup or up to 9 oz of melted, cooled chocolate, or you can add 3/4 cup of nutella. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
Hi Natasha, is it possible to substitute egg white with meringue powder? If yes, any idea how much of meringue powder to put in? Thank you!
Hi Paige, I don’t think that would work in this recipe. That kind of substitution would need more modifications and without testing it, I won’t be able to provide specific advice.
EXCELLENT recipe I have always used American buttercream, but since moving to a more humid climate it weeps. I have not had and problems with this.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha! I love this recipe and I make it all the time for my cupcakes but I need your help! Tomorrow I am taking on a 9″ rosette layer cake in addition to 24 cupcakes. Do you think 2 recipes will be enough for all of that?
Hi Shelly! This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake OR it will ice 24 plus cupcakes so doubling it would be a good idea! One of our readers wrote, “I put a generous amount on 24 cupcakes and still had some left.”
Ok great! Thank you!
I am about to use your recipe for a rose-flavoured christening cake, but have just noticed in one of your responses that you suggest not using pre-cartoned egg-whites. What’s the reason for that please, because I hate having yolks lying around with a potential for waste. If I use the carton whites very fresh, would your opinion be any different? [ And do you suggest medium or large eggs?] Thank you!
Hi Dawn, I have had readers report undesirable results using the carton whites and this is most likely due to additives in the cartons.
Thanks for clarifying this Natasha. I thought it was 100% egg – how naive of me.
Hi Dawn, no worries at all – there might be some out there that don’t have additives, but I can’t say for certain.
will it be firm enough for unicorn cake to make swirls in cake sides?will it last 30min drive without melting?thanks
Hi Demi! Yes it should! Several of our readers have wrote great results using this on a side of a cake.
Help! My butter cream is like soup, I have followed previous comments of putting in the fridge then whipping it again but it is still like soup! How long shall I whip it for once it’s been in the fridge? Is there anyway of saving this!?
Hi Lucy, if you are still getting “soup”, it is due to either not allowing the egg whites to cool completely to room temperature before adding butter. If the meringue is warm at all, it will take longer to beat the frosting for it to reach the correct consistency. I would suggest beating it a few minutes longer next time before refrigerating and if refrigerating, do that for no longer than 20-30 minutes and then beat again.
It tasted great but I did something wrong. It was too soft and grainy. Did I under whip it, or was it too warm when I put the butter in? Or maybe both.
Hi Agnes, are you doing anything different in the process or maybe using a different tool (hand mixing versus using an electric stand mixer) – using the correct attachments? Not trying any substitutes such as egg whites in the carton? Was the mixing bowl completely at room temperature before adding butter? Most issues with texture are repairable with a little bit longer mixing. I hope that helps!
Hi, how long will this buttercream last stored in the fridge?
Hi Alba! It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, just let it come to room temp and re-whip with the paddle attachment to make it fluffy again.
Hi Natasha, can I use a hand whisk for this? I don’t have any kind of electric one. I don’t mind whipping longer as long as it isn’t wasted.
Thanks!
HI Sarnya, I haven’t attempted that but I think it would be impossibly difficult to whip that hard and that long with a hand whisk. My arm hurts just thinking about it.
Thank you for the recipe, I love how this buttercream came out, I am not fun of buttercream cause I don’t like the taste of the butter, but with this one I felt in love. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Hi Victoria, That’s so awesome! Thank you so much for your wonderful review and great feedback!
Once the cake is decorated with this SBC can it be transported in a box for more than three hours? Will it melt or will the cake be ok?
Hi Debbie, from what I have read, there are mixed thoughts about leaving it out vs refrigerating. The majority of sources I have found said it can be left overnight at room temperature. If you can refrigerate, that is probably the safest route and then let it come to room temperature before serving. I bet it would be easier to transport if it is chilled since the frosting firms up and is more stable for transport.
My family went crazy over this icing!!!
Thank you very much!!!
That’s so awesome! Thank you so much for your wonderful review and great feedback, Donna!
Hi
Love your recipe. It’s a big hit at home.
How do you get your buttercream so white?
Mine doesn’t get as white
Hi Derusha, some butters are more yellow in color so maybe try switching to a different butter. I’ve tried organic unsalted by Simple truth brand and the longer sticks from Costco by Kirkland signature unsalted butter and both were very white in color.
I would highly recommend Challenge brand unsalted butter also! My buttercream turns out so white!
This swiss meringue buttercream is amazing! Especially when paired with Natasha’s vanilla cupcake recipe. I filled mine with prickly pear lemon curd. My icing took forever to cool so I threw it in the fridge for an hour and then whipped again. It was perfect!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Rachel! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with me!
I read using a meringue to apply sprinkles to the outside of a cake is best. My reg buttercream frosting seems to set up too quick to add sprinkles to. If I made this, then froze the cake so I could flip it (I only want the sprinkles on the top) 1 will i be able to flip it without ruining the icing on the top?? 2 will it still allow sprinkles to stick??
Hi Barb, I’m honestly not sure what you mean by flipping the cake – do you mean the bare cake layers or a frosted cake? You would want to bring this frosting to room temperature for the sprinkles to adhere. They would not adhere to this in its frozen form.
Made it, flavor and texture were great but once I added the butter it definitely was no longer white, especially not like in the pic. I would say it was ivory going on beige 🙂
Hi Jenn! That could be the case, some butters are more yellow in color so maybe try switching to a different butter. I’ve tried organic unsalted by Simple truth brand and the longer sticks from Costco by Kirkland signature unsalted butter and both were very white in color.
Can’t wait to try – I need to make enough to cover the outside of a 5 layers cake – should I double…triple?
Hi Merrilee, This recipe makes maybe 5 or 6 cups? It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake so doubleing it would be a good idea!
Hey. I made a four layer cake and the cream was just enough to lightly fill and cover the cake…..it turned out perfect for me….. however if you want a thick layer and to decorate, it won’t be enough.
Thank you for sharing that with us Fatima!
Thanks, both! I ended up doubling just in case and had plenty left over. I used it for my son’s Lego head cake and it came out great – even with a good amount of yellow gel coloring! It has a a nice light taste that will pair well with the more sweet interior layer frosting.
Really tasty light and everyone like it😋. It will be my go cream recipe ..thank you alot.
I’m so happy to hear that Aisha! Sounds like you found a new favorite!
I’m currently making this frosting and everything was ok until I tried to whip it to stiff peaks. The egg white and sugar mixture got quite stiff, but never peaked. I added a stick and a half of the butter ( I made sure the egg mixture was cool) and put it in the freezer. I plan on trying to whip it soon.
Letting it sit in the freezer should help! I hope that works Mira!
It turned out wonderful, and was such a pleasure to make 😀…..the whipped egg and sugar cream looked so delicious I almost didn’t want to add the butter 😅
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
LOVE these ratios of Egg Whites to Granulated Sugar to Butter! My new favorite! Thank you so much!
This piped like a dream and smoothed on so easily to my layered cake!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Jennifer!
Yay! The heaven’s opened up when this recipe worked on the first try! Your instructions were spot on (except for the minutes it took to come to temp – for me much longer), and it felt like that bowl would never cool, but finally it did. At first the mixture was thin, but following your instructions in some of the comments I kept the mixer running and it came together beautifully. I pulled out half for another use and put some lemon curd in the other half and it still held it’s consistency. I plan to pipe it into some lemon macarons! Thank you tons!!!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy that worked for you! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for this recipe. I wonder which would be the correct moment to add in any flavors (citrus oil in my case) or colors? And would you advise liquid food color or a powder version?
Thanks!
Hi Frauke, you sure can! I think you could, but add a little color at a time until you reach your desired color while maintaining the consistency. I would recommend using a gel food coloring over a liquid one. I would add the at the very end.
I absolutely adore this recipe. Never again will I make regular buttercream. How can I make a chocolate version of chocolate this?
Hi Nancy, For chocolate SMBC, I have not experimented that way but from what I’m finding online is it may be possible! It is suggested to add 2/3 cup or up to 9 oz of melted, cooled chocolate, or you can add 3/4 cup of nutella. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
Hi. Would this work if I used already pasteurized eggs from the carton?? If i still put it o er a double boiler just to melt the sugar, would that be ok? Thank you
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tested with carton whites but I have heard readers report both (that it works and others day that it doesn’t), so it may depend on the brand and whether or not there are any additives? One reader wrote: “I did try with the egg whites from a carton and it didn’t work. I started again, this time using egg whites from regular eggs and it worked beautifully.” If you test it out, please let me know how it goes.
Hi. I read the recipe and excited to try it today evening. But I don’t have paddle attachment in my electric hand mixer. May I continue with the whipping attachments? Waiting for your reply. Thanks
Hi Manidipa, I always make this with the paddle attachment and the stand mixer but here is a tutorial on using an electric hand mixer that should help.
It tastes amazing but is very liquidy. I thought it was cool? Maybe not enough? How do I thicken it up? 🙁
Hi Lisa, usually if you just continue beating it for another 2 to 3 minutes, it will thicken. You may run into a problem if your butter was overly soft/partially melted, or if butter was added while the meringue was still warm. If that was the case, I would refrigerate 15 minutes and then continue mixing.
Thanks a ton… 😁
This is an excellent Swiss buttercream recipe. I followed your recipe exactly and it worked wonderfully. It was lighter than most, which I very much appreciate. A lot of Swiss buttercreams often taste like sweetened butter, but this did not.
The only thing I would recommend is to perhaps not make the last beating time of 3 minutes a definitive thing. I found my buttercream was perfectly creamy without the additional three minutes. However, I did beat it for 2 more minutes, which I feel put too much into air into it so that it no longer had that very smooth appearance and instead looked like over-whipped cream. I know many have had the opposite problem, but that is easily solved by checking the temperature of your ingredients. I continuously scanned the temperature of my meringue mix and did not start mixing it with the butter until it reached 73 F. I also whipped my butter and it was at 62 F. Ensuring the temperature is actually room temperature will probably help a lot of people with this icing.
Thank you again for the recipe. It is really a very lovely buttercream.
HI Jeanne, I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing your temperature readings for us, that is helpful!
Hi
I made this 3 times in a row, it comes out perfect. Stiff and firm but while I’m working with it (like crumb coating) it starts getting runny. For the final coat it’s not even firm enough to achieve sharp edges. What am I doing wrong?? Is there something I’m missing? Is it supposed to be kept cold while waiting for the crumb coat to get stuff?
Hi IRene, If it is runny and not pipe-able, the easiest fix is to beat the swiss meringue buttercream frosting a few minutes longer. It could be that the mixture did not cool completely to room temperature before adding butter, but it can be fixed with longer beating. I hope this helps.
Help!! I’ve just made a batch and must have not scraped the bowl well enough while melting the sugar into egg whites because I ended up with a gritty buttercream. I also used pasteurized liquid egg whites. Could that cause a problems? Is there any way to save this buttercream so I don’t have to throw it out??
Hi Danielle, the liquid egg whites may have been the culprit. Are you doing anything else different in the process or maybe using a different tool (hand mixing versus using an electric stand mixer) – using the correct attachments? Not trying an substitutes such as egg whites in the carton? Was the mixing bowl completely at room temperature before adding butter? Most issues with texture are repairable with a little bit longer mixing. I hope that helps!
I did use egg whites from the carton because they are pasteurized I was hoping for some peace of mind. That is the only difference.
Is there any way to save this batch? Maybe heating up the buttercream, refrigerating, then mixing it all again??
Hi Danielle, do the egg whites have any additional additives? You might try refrigerating 10 minutes and then beat again – most often, it is due to the mixture being too warm to form. I would not reheat it, but cooling might work.
Hi Natasha. I use pasteurized carton egg whites all the time with no problem. All whites brand. I have heard that if there are any undisolved sugar crystals left, it can reseed the batch. Also heard that if the temp gets too high, it is especially vulnerable to that.
I actually use the microwave slowly until 160 degrees. Very fast, then put in freezer until cool. But then again, I beat the BUTTER until fluffy, then add cooled egg/sugar mixture in 2batches. No Meringue! It is firm at this point. Easy, fast, fluffy and delicious!
I did have a question. Do you ever add cookie butter or peanut butter to your SMBC? Thank you!
Hi Cynthia, I haven’t tried the microwave method – that would make mer nervous about uneven heating. I haven’t tried adding those to SMBC. I’m not familiar with “cookie butter”
Amazing, this one is for keeps.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Rumbi!
I just made this three hours ago and it was runny. I thought it was ruined I kept reading comments and one said to put in refrigerator. I did just that for two hours then I whipped it on medium for about 10 minutes more and it turned out perfect. I also changed the flavoring to 1 tsp vanilla and a half teaspoon of almond flavoring. Its perfect!
Hi Cheryl, I’m so happy that worked out for you! Thank you for sharing that with me!