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 210 grams or 7 oz egg whites
- 2 cups 400 grams granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks or 340 grams unsalted butter, softened*
- 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.
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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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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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
Hi Natasha!
I tried the buttercream recipe, the taste was delicious but it did not get thick as in the picture. I made a mistake when adding the butter, I forgot to switch to paddle attachment. Only when it was all in I did remember about it and did the switch and kept beating for 10 more minutes, but it was more like a creamy consistency. I then transfer to the refrigerator and it got a little better. Do you think it was because of my attachment mistake or maybe the room temperature/humidity may affect? I live in Panama and our weather is very hot and humid.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Yisel, both the attachment and the humidity or room temperature can affect the outcome. If it is very hot and humid, the mixture will take significantly longer to cool down and form into the right consistency. I would suggest refrigerator for 10 minutes and then continuing to beat with the paddle attachment which may help to get it to the right temperature faster.
After reading tons of comments, I couldn’t wait to try this recipe on my sons cupcakes. Went to my daughters house and they were my taste testers, along with my two boys. Utter fail. Nasty greasy taste from too much butter. I was told to stick with my recipe. So disappointed!
Hi Karen, I haven’t had that experience and this is one of our most popular recipes so I wonder if maybe there were substitutions or modifications made to the recipe?
I followed the recipe. Was way too greasy tasting for us. Maybe if I try half of the butter you are saying to use, it might taste better. I normally make regular buttercream but use vanilla almond milk and make it where it is not buttery feeling
Hi Natasha, my frosting ‘ran’ completely… my egg whites were perfectly beaten and thick, after I added butter (it was not warm) it became lumpy and I have been beating it for almost an hour now. The volume decreased three times in size…. Do I keep beating or is it over beaten?
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.
Hi. Can I use this recipe is smbc for cake with fondant on top?
Hi Olga, A few of our readers have reported great results using this under fondant so I think that will work great. Here is what one of our readers said: This is my go-to Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and I make fondant cakes all the time. In fact, after chilling and setting up the buttercream, it’s more stable than American buttercream under fondant. It sets up beautifully.” I hope this helps.
I’m looking into trying this recipe. I tried a different SMBC recipe but found it to taste too buttery even after adding quite a bit of flavoring. Do you find that this recipe has an overwhelming taste of butter?
Hi Marissa! 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!
This is a great recipe with easy to follow instructions. I frosted a cake for my cousins birthday and it was delicious and everyone loved it. I melted some chocolate and then let it cool and drizzled it in to make a chocolate Swiss meringue. Thanks so much for the recipe and tutorial!
That sounds lovely! I can picture it! Thank you for sharing that with me Marti!
Oh my, this sounds amazing! Will totally try once I recieve my Russian Piping Tips! Do you think it will work if I substitute lemon juice for vanilla?
Hi Luda, Lemon juice should work. One of our readers mentioned adding the following as experimentations, ” So far I’ve added melted chocolate (about 5-6 tablespoons), rose extract (about 1-1(1/2) tsp), lavender extract (about 2-3 tablespoons), espresso (2 shots), lemon juice (3 tablespoons), vanilla extract (1 tablespoon), and orange juice (3 tablespoons) to this recipe. It holds up really well with added ingredients and I’ve been able to add all of these a little at a time until I’m happy with the flavor.” I hope that helps
Good to know, thanks!
You’re so welcome!
Hi,
I made the frosting and cooled it in the fridge overnight. When I beat it again today, it’s turning soupy as others have also commented. We live in a cool dry environment so not that. How long do u suggest whipping it for and are you supposed to use the whip or paddle attachment? Thanks!
Hi Char! 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.
The buttercream needs to be warmed after being refrigerated. While beating either use super hot towel or a blowdryer to heat the bowl..it should fix your problem pretty quick!
Help , I food pro. My sugar and heated the whites and sugar to 169 per my therma pen and still I taste some gritty what else can I do.?
Hi Kathy, 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 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! 🙂
This recipe was amazing! I like that it uses less butter than other recipes. I did have an issue with the frosting being too soupy but read the comments and took the advice to refrigerate the icing for 15 mins and then give it another good whip with the mixer and worked like a charm.
I’m so happy that worked out for you! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Thx for the recipe, though i used 6 egg whites , the frosting was great
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that with me!
The last time I made SMBC it became soup because I didn’t wait long enough for it to cool, so this time, I had a moment of panic when it got a bit loose as I began adding the butter. I put it in the fridge for a little while, then added the rest of the butter and whipped it on high speed, and I swear whipping it on high speed was like a magic trick! It got soooo thick and luscious! I was so happy :’)
It looks kinda like whipped cream that was whipped a little too much, but that’s okay because the texture when you bite into it is absolutely gorgeous and smooth.
Maybe it started getting soupy because I used pasteurized egg whites? Either way, it worked out well anyway, and something that’s great about this frosting (I used it for a batch of lemon poppy seed cupcakes) is that it’s so rich, you really only need to eat one cupcake to be satisfied 🙂
I’m so happy that worked out for you Nina! Thank you for sharing your tips and feedback with us!
Hello! I was wondering how well this recipe freezes? I like to freeze my cakes after they’ve been frosted but have never frozen swiss buttercream.
Hi Celeste, One of our readers wrote that it freezes well! 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!
Loved this recipe. I made two batches. Quick question, how can I make this tangy? Still vanilla but tangy?
Hi Josue! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! You may try adding lemon zest! One of our readers tried berries for a tang, here’s what they wrote “when I finished making the Swiss meringue buttercream, I gently folded in some freeze dried strawberry powder. It gave a beautiful pink fleck to it and it also had a slight strawberry tang.” Sounds like an awesome idea, I hope that helps!
Found it lol. Thank you for this response.
You’re so welcome!
Thank you Natasha! I’m making a lemon cake with a blueberry cream cheese filling and wanted my vanilla buttercream to have some tangy/sour notes without losing too much of the vanilla richness. What do you thick of adding lemon juice along with the lemon zest?
Lemon juice should work Josue. One of our readers mentioned adding the following as experimentations, ” So far I’ve added melted chocolate (about 5-6 tablespoons), rose extract (about 1-1(1/2) tsp), lavender extract (about 2-3 tablespoons), espresso (2 shots), lemon juice (3 tablespoons), vanilla extract (1 tablespoon), and orange juice (3 tablespoons) to this recipe. It holds up really well with added ingredients and I’ve been able to add all of these a little at a time until I’m happy with the flavor.”
This is so helpful! Thank you, you’re the best! 😍
Thanks Natasha! Really like your recipes. This is my first time making Swiss Meringue buttercream. The texture of mine is a bit rough. How could I make it smooth? Beat longer?
Also, can I cut down the sugar ? Will it affect the texture? Thanks
Hi Pat, the typical fix for a rough texture in SMBC frosting is to continue mixing until the texture turns fluffy. It usually looks that way before it gets good 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve tried others, but they weren’t as sweet as I like. I was thinking of how this recipe takes a lot of egg whites, so what do you usually do with the yolks? I can never find a good use for them.
Hi Sana, I don’t really have many egg yolk only recipes. My custard cake uses alot of egg yolks. If anyone else has any great suggestions, please share and thanks in advance!! 🙂
Make custard. I like vanilla bean custard ice cream.
Thank you for that suggestion Jeff!
Hi mine is like milk what could I do to fix it
Hi Danielle, 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.
I buy the egg whites. Any extra egg whites I add to scrambled eggs, if I’m not going to use them all up.
I use the yolks to make a vanilla pastry cream (kind of like a cooked pudding, but so much better) and use that between the layers of my cake, or as a filling for cupcakes. Pastry cream typically uses only yolks, so it matches up nicely with a Swiss buttercream!
A great way to use up leftover egg yolks is to make homemade lemon curd! It’s scrumptious!! ☺️
Thank you for sharing that with me, Caitlin!
Hi Rachel.
I haven’t seen any comments regarding dyeing the frosting. I’m wondering if you have any tips or tricks for me as I embark on decorating a birthday cake. I’m afraid that with vanilla extract in the original recipe, the dye may cause the frosting to breakdown and it will, therefore, not pipe well.
I love reading the comments and answers. It helps immensely!
Hi Tricia, 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’ve tried it and it’s worked great. I’ve even “re-dyed” pink frosting to green for St. Pat’s! I agree with Natasha …the secret is to use gel coloring.
Hi, not sure if you decorated your birthday cake already but if not, the trick to coloring this frosting is using candy coloring, which you can buy at Michaels or online. Any other coloring I have used makes the frosting look blotchy and the color does not come out as rich.
I really love this recipe because proportionally, it has a bit more sugar and a little less butter than other Swiss buttercream recipes. I admit that I crave the intense sweetness of American buttercream, but not the nasty gritty texture. On the other hand, I enjoy the silky smooth texture of Swiss buttercream but some recipes leave me feeling like I’m eating sticks of butter. This recipe is just perfect!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with us!
This recipe is the BEST! First time making it it went a little wrong, but by reading the reviews and suggested ways to resurrect it, it came right back to life! I used to use American buttercream and this is just soooo much smoother and lighter! Thank you for an AMAZING recipe that is easy to follow
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
How much frosting does this recipe make? I’m making a cake with 4 layers and 24 cupcakes. I’m thinking I’ll need to double the recipe but I have no idea how much this will make.
Hi Randee, This recipe 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 made this a few weeks ago and it was just perfect!!! I’m wondering if you have ever made a chocolate version? I’m planning on making soft sugar cookies and want to pipe chocolate Swiss buttercream on top. I want to use your recipe because I know it works…but, am wondering how to add my chocolate. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Hi Holly, 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!
Okay. Thanks!
I tried this last weekend and it worked! The chocolate flavor was so good! I just melted down chocolate chips then let them cool a bit. It kind of turned into a chocolate paste and was still a bit warm so I had to whip it a long time with the SMBC to let it cool and incorporate. Not sure if that’s the right method… It’s unclear to me how the chocolate can be melted and then cool to not become hard again…?
Hi Natasha pls how many cups does this recipe make
Hi Grace, 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 tried making this for the cupcakes I had to frost, but when I made it, it turned into soup. I kept beating it hoping it would stiffen up, but no luck. My meringue was BEAUTIFUL until I added in the butter, then it went to soup. It had a great flavor, but just dripped off the spoon. I tried putting it in the fridge and seeing if that would help stiffen it up, but still soup. Would putting the meringue in the fridge for 15 minutes, and then adding the room temperature butter work better? I am not sure what I did wrong the first time, so any suggestions would be awesome 🙂 Thank you! 🙂
Hi Rachel! 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.
Hi Natasha! Unfortunately I don’t have a stand mixer but I do have a hand mixer. I really want to try your recipe for my brother’s engagement party cake. How would my directions differ with the hand mixer?
Hi Jessica, 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 made this for valentines day and it was very good. Added strawberry, and chocolate to some of it. Yum. I was wondering if you can add more sugar or will it mess the recipe up? I’m gonna make my husbands birthday cake soon but he said he would want the icing to be sweeter.
Hi Ana, it can depend on what kind of cake you pair it with – if the cake is very sweet, the frosting will seem less so, but I think you could get away with adding more sugar here. I would start with 1/2 cup extra sugar. I’m so glad you enjoyed the frosting and I wish I could see a picture of your cake – sounds lovely!
Hi, do you know why my meringue isn’t able to get stiff peaks? its not stiff and not too soft, so I started adding in my butter. I don’t want the buttercream to be too sweet, so I only added in 1 stick and a half of butter. Now my buttercream won’t become thicker and the consistency isn’t right. It’s really runny and liquidy, so I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t wait until the stiff peaks formed, or if I didn’t add in enough butter. I will probably add in more butter, hopefully that will fix it but do you know what went wrong? I kept mixing for a long time, even though it says be patient I waited for almost 30 minutes. Thank you!
Hi Chloe, 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
Thank you for the advice but the more I keep mixing it’s getting more liquidy? I’m going to add in more butter to see if it helps.
Hi Natasha,
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s always fabulous. I’ve been able to make it ahead and put it in the freezer and it comes out great. This last time it wasn’t looking as smooth as I liked so I put it in the mixer for a while but it came out too soft Should I have kept whipping it or did I whip it too much?
Hi Misty, thanks for sharing that it freezes well! I haven’t tried freezing but with SMBC frosting, beating longer will usually firm it up.
Hi Natasha,
You asked me to tell you how it turned out when I tried adding chocolate. It was amazing! I used about 6 ounces 78% and 3 ounces 65%. I added another 1/4 teaspoon of salt to cut the sweetness. Next time I will use all 78%. I liked it much better than using Nutella because that made it too sweet for me.
That’s so great, Misty! I’m so happy that worked out for you! & thank you for getting back to me! I’m sure our readers will find this helpful also!
Hi Rachel, if making the frosting ahead, it would be best to pipe onto the cupcakes 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.
Can I make this frosting the night before, and then frost my cupcakes the next morning? I am making 240 cupcakes for a party, and will have the cupcakes made in advance, but didn’t want to frost them too early. Thanks!
Hi Rachel! This frosting is very stable and should last pipped out in advance, but I think that should work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Rachel, I have made this SMBC many times now. It’s my go to for frosting now. Just love it. I’ve found that piping the cup cakes the day before, refrigerate them, then take them out about 2 hours before you need them. (1 hour if it’s very warm weather). I’ve done this many times now with cupcakes and whole cakes. You will be less stressed on the day too, because that is a lot of cupcakes. Hope this helps. P.S. Another plan could be: 3 days before, you make the SMBC & pop in the fridge, the next day, make the cupcakes, cool them, whilst your SMBC is back out of the fridge softening a little bit, re whip it (that won’t take as long as it does to make it), then pipe them and pop back in the fridge. then the next day you’ve got them made, just have to take them out for your event. Just thought it might help. Good luck
Thank you so much! 🙂
I have never made swiss buttercream. I’ve taken about 3 years off from making cakes and always used shortening and butter flavor in the past (blech). I love that this one uses butter instead of shortening but looks to be pretty white and stable.
Question: if I double the recipe, can I cook the egg whites and sugar, then split the mixture in half and whip a batch at a time? I’m sure my mixer won’t hold two batches once whipped but I wasn’t sure if the egg whites being cooled before whipping would make a difference. I know it doesn’t matter for regular whipped egg whites. Thought this would be a time saver.
Thanks!
Hi Melinda! 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.
Natasha, I’m not sure you understood my question. I want to make a double batch. So i want to put 14 egg whites and 4 cups of sugar in the double boiler. Then split that in half, set aside one half and whip the other half (then add in the butter and such, finish it and remove it from the mixing bowl). I thought this would save time by not having to heat two batches of egg whites and sugar separately.
The other half i set aside will be cooling while i whip and mix the first batch. If i whip and mix the mixture after it has sat and cooled a bit, will that cause issues?
I realize i will have to clean my mixing bowl well between whipping or the 2nd batch definitely won’t whip.
Hi Melinda, I haven’t tried it that way (and I don’t foresee any issues), but since the mixture is heating up over steam, it may take twice as long to heat to the right temperature so I’m not sure that it will save time to do it that way. Great point about cleaning the bowl in between!
Hi I have a question!
The consistency of my Buttercream seems off. I’ve whipped the heck out of it but it just won’t get thicker. It’s like the consistency of soft whipped cream. I’ve tried refrigerating it for a couple hours and whipping it again but still doesn’t get thicker. I’m wondering if maybe I didn’t cook the egg whites and sugar hot enough or doubling the recipe threw it off?
Hi Danielle, usually if you just continue beating it for another 2 to 3 minutes, it will thicken. You may run in to 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.
Hi Natasha, I was just wondering if the recipes will be enough to RIM (Outer circle inside the layer where I’ll be filling the centers with a jam) a 4 layer cake with a crumb coat and full cake frosting. 8″ x 2″ (4 times). Please help.
Hi Josue, I think that should work. Here is a cake that we frosted that was a 2-layer 9″ cake which might help with perspective.
Thank you!!
Hi Natasha,
How much swiss meringue would be needed for an equivalent 4 cups sugar : 4 cup butter American buttercream? I know that this quantity of ABC is required for my frosting but am doubtful about the equivalent quantity of swiss meringue buttercream. Please help.
Hi Deepthi, I’m not sure I”m understanding your question correctly – SMBC has different ratios than American Buttercream, but for 4 cups sugar, I would recommend doubling the recipe and you would have to do it in 2 separate batches unless you had an industrial sized mixer. Hope that helps!
Thanks Natasha. Should the egg whites be at room temperature?
Hi Deepthi, with this recipe it doesn’t make a difference because you will be heating the egg whites. They will heat up faster if they are at room temperature but it isn’t critical for the recipe.
The recipe I used called for 10 eggs and 2 1/2 C sugar. It fit fine in an small 6qt kitchen aid I think 14 eggs would fit fine in a large KitchenAid mixer just my opinion😁
Hi Natasha my mixture is not getting hot over the stove. Any ideas?
Hi Marley, it might be how you have your water bath set up – you should have the bowl sitting over the steam. make sure you are using a pot without a lip on the edge so the steam isn’t escaping or it will take forever for the mixture to heat up. Also, be sure your water is simmering underneath. Hope that helps troubleshoot.
I used this recipe a few weeks ago and loved the flavor and texture of the frosting! I am in the process of making a birthday cake and trying to figure out if I need to double it. I might of missed it somewhere but how many cups of frosting does this recipe make? Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Shana, 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.
Hi Natasha! I was wondering if you you could use a hand mixer instead because my electric mixer had broken and I have nothing else to make this with but I still have my hand mixer. Also, I’ve wanted to make this recipe for a long time but I can’t find any recipe without the electric mixer
Hi Bianca, 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.
Thank for the advice😊! I’ve been wondering about this for a long time and thank you so much for the help. Also, thanks for helping me throughout my baking journey. I have been making all of your recipes but it is really truly hard when i’m at such a young age and you are such an inspiration to me. Thank you so much for replying to me and being such an inspiration to me😊😊😊🥳
You’re so nice, Bianca! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment 🙂
This frosting is so good! If you aren’t making cupcakes for children, replacing the vanilla extract with Kahlua really makes it extra!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for that suggestion!
Absolutely the best buttercream I have made. My 10 year old even likes it. My stand mixer took a little longer, and I was struggling with patients, but it came out perfectly. I did add just a 1/4 teaspoon more of vanilla just to increase the flavor even more. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Its going in the envelope for sure
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing your review with us 🙂
Hi natasha!
Can i add food coloring to the buttercream?
Thank you!
Hi Celine, 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.
My grandson cannot have dairy, could I use imperial stick butter for this?
Hi Melinda, I have not tried it with the imperial stick butter tt may be worth experimenting!
My son is allergic to dairy also, but I only use real butter, and he doesn’t have any problems.
One more question. I’m wondering how much I will need to pipe a basket weave on the sides of my 2 layer cake along with large flowers on the top? I’m wondering if I will need to actually double this recipe? I may be hard to do 1.5 times the recipe unless I buy liquid whites. I can always double this and make something else to use the rest. 🙂
Hi Holly, I wish I could tell you but I hadn’t measured it that way, but I can only guess that it may be enough. It is enough to frost a 9″ two-layer cake. If you end up doubling the recipe, you can use the leftovers for some cupcakes 🙂
Hi Natasha,
This is a wonderful frosting! I’ve added raspberry preserves and made a wonderful raspberry buttercream. I’d like to make a chocolate one but don’t know how much chocolate to add. What would you recommend?
Hi Misty! 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 have used your recipes in the past and just love them. I will be trying SMBC for a birthday cake and have been searching for recipes. Most are very similar to yours, but one I found adds 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. What are your thoughts on that? Thanks! I will use your recipe for the frosting, but am trying to decide if adding the cream of tartar will create a different result that might alter it too much. (I use it all the time when whipping egg whites.) Thanks.
Hi Holly, no this recipe does not call for cream of tartar and I have not had to use any with great results. 🙂 If you experiment, please let me know how you like this recipe I’d love to know if that helps.
Okay, thanks. I may not try adding it the first time making. Just wondering, how long does this remain “stable” once on the cake and in the frig?
Hi Holly, this is a very stable buttercream and will remain stable for days on a cake as a regular American buttercream frosting.
This is the FIRST and ONLY SMBC recipe I have ever used and will only use. As a beginner baker and cake decorator, this was so easy to follow and it was like I had you with me the entire time telling me what to do and to expect. Absolutely perfect! Thank you
Question: chocolate SMBC. How, and when would I add chocolate to this recipe? And what chocolate do you recommend? (Ie; melted, powder, milk, semi sweet etc etc)
😋
Aww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful review with me! I’m all smiles! 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!
Help, mine curdled
Hi June, if the recipe was followed, that can be normal to see some curdling before it forms – you just have to beat it longer and it will come together.
Thanks, gonna try again but for reference, if it fails add 380gm of self raising flour and you have a nice cake 😂
I’m an amateur home baker and this is the first and only recipe I use for my SMBC. The way itis written is so easy to follow and I was able to make mine first go. It’s absolutely perfect and I can decorate a 4 layer cake with the quantities in this recipe. 100% perfect!
Natasha, are you able to let me know how much chocolate I would need to add to this recipe to make it a choc SMBC? And also What type of choc?
Hi Sonja! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us! 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!
Thanks so much Natasha! I will be trying this out in a few weeks 😊
Apologies, I added a new comment the same as my first as it never originally showed that mine had posted.
Did I just kill the frosting by using salted butter?
Hi Doreen, I recommend using unsalted because each stick of salted butter has 1/4 tsp salt so you would be tripling the salt in the recipe by using salted butter. I hope it turns out for you!
I’ve made this about 5-6 times now and I always use pasteurized egg whites just because I’m paranoid Lol
Anyway, I still heat it and follow all the same directions as regular egg whites. Every time I end up having to chill it after the butter is added and the. Rewhip in order for it to firm back up. It always turns out great though and everyone loves it. I do refrigerate it if I won’t be eating them until the next day
Thank you for sharing that with me! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi, I made this SMBC for the first time over the weekend. It was a filling for an iced birthday cake. I flavoured it lemon instead of vanilla. It was lovely, totally smooth and not overly sweet. Actually doing it today with raspberry flavouring. Well worth the extra effort of the heated pan of water and continual whisking!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Andrea!
Hi great recipe mind you I did have to chuck the first time round I did it just wouldn’t thicken after I added the butter but I think it was to soon adding it so be very careful as the next time I did it I was perfect and I put cocoa powder in it at the end as I wanted it for a chocolate cake
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Maryann!
Hi! I need to make a dairy free version of this recipe and I was just wondering if this recipe would still work using dairy-free butter. Thanks!
Hi Adrienne, I haven’t tried that but it may be worth experimenting with shortening.
Best SMBC recipe I’ve tried so far. Fluffy, smooth, delicious. Stable too, really good as a macaron filling. You’re a legend, Natasha. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Jonathan!! I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for the awesome review!
I use it for filling macarons too—it’s absolutely p
Just finished making this and it turned out great. I used my $15 hand mixer with no whisk or paddle attachment, no stainless steel mixing bowl either so I used two stainless steel pots as a double boiler. Once I finished adding in the salt and vanilla I added in about 1 cup of homemade raspberry curd and it tastes great. It’s so smooth and fluffy so tomorrow I will split it up and add some food coloring.
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I love this frosting!!! Follow the recipe to the “T” and it is perfect every time (except when I picked up salted butter instead of unsalted and failed to notice)..My question is…can the butter be reduced?
Hi Cindy, I haven’t tested this with less butter but I worry it wouldn’t come together and become fluffy the same way with less butter. We used a higher amount of egg whites here so I would hesitate to cut the butter down without making other modifications.
thank you…everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing your talent 🙂
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Hello, I’m making my son’s 1st birthday and I’ll be using 1 12 x 18 rectangular cake pan and 1 10″ round cake pan. I was wondering how many cups of frosting your recipe makes? I read you mention that your recipe will cover a 2 layer 9″ cake but I’m wondering if I need to make 2 batches to be on the safe side?
Thank you,
Traci
Hi Traci! 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.
Cindy, can you please telle what happened when you used salted butter? Thanks!
Hi
Is this the go to recipe for piping buttercream ruffles on a cake
Cathy
I think this would be great for that!
Hi Natasha!
Just wanted to know how would I add different flavours to the SMBC. For example like Nutella?
Thanks!
Hi Jae, 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!
So far I’ve added melted chocolate (about 5-6 tablespoons), rose extract (about 1-1(1/2) tsp), lavender extract (about 2-3 tablespoons), espresso (2 shots), lemon juice (3 tablespoons), vanilla extract (1 tablespoon), and orange juice (3 tablespoons) to this recipe. It holds up really well with added ingredients and I’ve been able to add all of these a little at a time until I’m happy with the flavor. As far as I know, you could probably add as much flavoring as you would like (within reason) without messing it up.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Wyn!
Hello Natasha, am Nigerian and am trying out your recipe. I was on the butter adding stage when power went out, am I in trouble? Will my SMBC fail? Rated recipe 4 stars so far
Oh no! I hope it comes on soon!
Flavor is delicious but my butter seemed to have slightly separated. Where did I go wrong? Can I fix it?
Hi Susan, I haven’t had that happen, I’m wondering if that ould be the culprit. Are you letting it cool completely before adding the butter? Ay other changes made to alter the recipe?
No changes made whatsoever. I tried to follow the recipe to a T. Waited for the whites to coll completely. Is it possible I did t hold the whites over the water long enough? They were stiff peaks when it was done beating. Not sure what happened. Maybe I’ll be brave enough to try it again one day 😏
Thank you for sharing that, Susan. I recommend reading through the post comments for more troubleshooting
This is by far my favorite recipe to use now that I’ve got it down! I was just wondering, can I do a double batch of this?
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Hi was going to make this for my sons birthday and wondering can i add chocolate to it? if so when and how can i add it
Hi Julianna! I haven’t tried making this chocolate, but From my research, chocolate is always added at the end. I would probably start with 8-9 semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled and whip it in at the end.
Hi i wanna know if this batch works from an 8×4 cake
I have used it to generously frost this 2-layer 9-inch cake so I think it could work well to frost that cake.
Tried this recipe today!! And let me tell you it is amazing!! At first a bit runny but after a few minutes of letting it cool down it was perfect!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha!
I love love love all the recipes that i have tried from your site. So good. I have made your vanilla cupcakes so many times! And your raspberry mousse is to die for!
I have made this Swiss Buttercream about 5 times now and its really good. I do have a question though, is it possible to overwhip this type of buttercream? Or to overwork it? I noticed that as i started spreading it onto my cake it wasn’t as “white” as it was before. It was turning a yellow colour (almost looking like butter ) and it wasn’t as thick as it was before. I had refrigerated it after i made it. I took it out and i let it sit for 30 min then i whipped it again. It was still a little hard when i did that though. Could that be the problem?
Hi Chen. I haven’t had that happen, I’m wondering if that ould be the culprit. Are you letting it cool completely before adding the butter? Ay other changes made to alter the recipe?
Hi. I think the problem is, once my eggs have reached 160F, i beat the mixture for much longer than the 20 minutes in your instructions. It takes so long for my bowl to get to room temperature. If my bowl is not at room temperature after the 20 minutes do i stop beating and just let it cool to room temperature? Or should i not use the bowl of my stand mixer for that initial step and maybe transfer the mixture into the stand mixer just for the whipping stage?
I wondered the exact same thing. At almost 35 mins and not cool yet
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for the recipe of this buttercream! Today I have made it for 2nd or 3rd time and it came out super good!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi, I plan on making a three layer 8 inch cake. Will one batch of frosting generously cover the cake ? If not, how much do I need to make ?
Thank you!
Hi Michele, I have used it to generously frost this 2-layer 9-inch cake so I think it could work well to frost a 3-layer cake if you are less generous with every later.
I am currently making this icing. After removing from the heat and beating for 13 mintues I had the most beautiful, stiff glossy, icing, added the margarine and it’s become soup. I’m going to see after beating it what happens and will post results. The bowl is cool and the egg whites as well.
Hi Vicki! 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.
I’m having this issue too. I’ve used butter and everything was going great until I changed to the paddle. 20 minutes later and still liquid… what may be the issue?
Hi Elaine, 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.
I tried this today & it worked beautifully. It was a little soupy after I added the butter, but I just let it keep whipping & it was great. I do have 2 questions.
Is it possible to reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup with the same results?
And is it necessary to switch to the paddle attachment?
Maybe you should use butter per the recipe and not margarine.
Pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes and the beat it with the whisk attachment for 5-8 minutes 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a solid 8-9 times and it’s never failed me that way
Wow! I’ve just made this today for the first time after stumbling across your blog! The icing is amazing. So thick and glossy and easy to work with – I wanted to make an ombré cake and everyone recommend this type of icing! Made a trial batch cake today with this, and now cannot wait to ice my daughters 3rd birthday cake with it next weekend! My icing was way too runny after the final step but 30 minutes in the fridge, 5 more minutes of beating and it was perfect – I think my meringue was still too warm when I added the butter! I can’t wait to try your other recipes now!
Hi Sally! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). It sounds like you have a new favorite! I’m all smiles!
I love how simple you made this recipe sound! I was able to follow super easy. Thank you!!! I’d love to post a pic of the cake I used it for but done see an option for that here in the comments.
You’re so nice! Thank you, Paola! You are more than welcome to share that on social media and tag #natashaskitchen or join of VIP group on Facebook and share your creations there.
Hands down the best, most silky delicious frosting.( I despise American buttercream). Cannot stop licking my bowl. This may even beat my mommas frosting recipe, which has been my go-to for years! Quick question though; once I’ve decorated my cake can I freeze it and expect it to still be delicious?
Hi Anna, I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us! 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!
Hi Natasha.
The buttercream looks delicious.
Can I make half of this recipe?
Also.. which piping tip have you used to create those beautiful swirls on the cupcake? Is it Wilton 1M tip?
Hi Sandy! We used that Wilton 1M for the frosting swirl. 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.
Hi thanks so much fir this recipe! I had no issues at all…I think patience is key because it does talk awhile to come together. I love it, everyone I’ve made it for loves it! I would love to male a chocolate version…do you have a recipe for that?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tried making this chocolate, but From my research, chocolate is always added at the end. I would probably start with 8-9 semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled and whip it in at the end.
I tried the recipe as written. Before adding butter to it, it turned into a shinny, sticky/gooey, white mess that couldn’t hold it’s shape no matter how long I beat it. I chilled it, nothing. I was using a hand beater yet I did beat it mercilessly. I regrouped and researched an answer. I did a small test batch out of my …frustrating results so far. I added butter to some and chilled for a good 20 minutes. It came together beautifully!!! It held up beautifully to liquid and gel coloring and piped great. I left out some for a couple days as a test and it is very stable still. Great recipe and thanks!!!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi, Natasha!
I just made this, and it’s pretty runny.. I don’t know what happened. I don’t have a kitchen aid, but I mixed long enough for the egg whites to stiffen. After incorporating the butter, it ended up runny. I beat it for at least 20 minutes after incorporating all the butter, and it never got better. I put it in the fridge for a while and beat it again, and it whipped and stiffened up enough to pipe it. So I piped it onto my cupcakes, and now there’s literally liquid running down the cupcake paper. The icing is still in shape on top, but it basically looks like white water dripping down the sides. Also, if you tilt the cupcake, the icing slides off. I let the cupcakes cool over night. It’s not hot. It’s a little humid outside, but not raining. Any thoughts?
Hi Caprice, 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.
Thank you! I did try that, and it helped.. but still was lacking volume. It fell a lot. I’ll try again on a dryer day, though, and see if it helps! Thanks again!
Another site said do not try to make the icing without a Kitchen Aid mixer a regular mixer’s motor is not strong enough however what I learned is to put it in the refrigerator then whip again but I have a KitchenAid mixermi Mine never comes back together no matter how long I mix I mixed it over 30 minutes it stayed soupy so I put it in the refrigfor about 20 minutes or so and then it whipped up perfectly delicious
Thank you for sharing that with us!
Laurie, I tried that as well. It didn’t work either. I can make other icings fine with it and even divinity which requires stiff egg whites. I’m not sure what the problem was..
Hi Natasha!
Can I use pasturized egg whites from a carton? 1oz per egg, I’d assume.
Thanks!
Hi Bree, it is recommended to use fresh eggs. The results haven’t been the same using carton eggs.
I just did and it worked fine.
I want to use the recipe to cover a two tier square cake (6” and 8”). How much do you think I will need for this?
That may be enough, Rachel, possibly more if you are looking to generously frost. I used this recipe to frost this two-layer nine-inch cake so I think it could work well to frost 2 short cakes if you are less generous with every later.
Thank you! If I was to double the ingredients, would it affect the outcome of the buttercream?
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.
I made the perfect vanilla cupcakes (which were amazing) and decided to try this recipe for the frosting. I’m very much a beginner and this was a little intimidating with the double boiling to 160 degrees and cooling down to the right temperature. However, I managed to get through it on the first try and just used normal food coloring to dye the frosting and this was so delicious! I feel so amazing that I accomplished it. I would just cut this recipe in half. I threw away a lot of frosting. The regular cupcake recipe made almost 50 mini cupcakes and half this recipe would have been plenty to frost them. So delicious though!
Hi Heather, I’m so glad you enjoyed the Swiss Meringue buttercream frosting and the vanilla cupcakes! Yay!! Thank you for sharing your amazing review!
Absolute perfection. Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you for the wonderful review!
will this crust?
Hi Emily, Swiss Meringue buttercream does not crust like traditional American buttercream.