Made from 5 ingredients, this is perfect Swiss meringue buttercream. Written in easy terms with in-depth instructions and troubleshooting tips, this post teaches you how to make the best meringue buttercream even if you’ve failed before or if it’s your first try. This frosting is creamy, silky smooth, holds its shape beautifully, and the best part—and why everyone loves it—is that it’s not extra sweet like traditional American vanilla buttercream.
Do you want to master Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) but are too nervous to try it? I get it, the thought of making meringue as the base of a frosting sounds complicated, timely, and intimidating. Let me break down that barrier for you—this recipe is where you start.
What is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?
Swiss meringue buttercream joins other varieties—French and Italian—as a stable, not overly sweet frosting. The process for each is a little different, but the Swiss method is arguably the easiest. Swiss meringue buttercream is made from cooked egg whites and sugar, butter, and flavorings like vanilla and salt. Whip the cooked egg whites and sugar into stiff peaks, then slowly add the butter before adding flavors. It’s out-of-this-world creamy, extra smooth, and the perfect sweetness for any confection. The whipping process is long and where some trouble can start, including never reaching stiff peaks. The butter can also melt, leaving you with SMBC soup. Or you can over-whip everything into curdles.
It’s a little more complicated than my whipped frosting, but it’s worth it! Today I’m putting you on the right SMBC track, plus there’s usually a fix for everything—and I teach you how in this post.
This Swiss Meringue Buttercream Is:
- Made from 5 basic ingredients
- Silky smooth and buttery
- Thick and ultra creamy
- Perfect for piping or spreading
- Flavored with vanilla and a touch of salt
- Not cloyingly sweet like traditional frosting
Ingredients
Let me explain why each ingredient is important. Feel free to keep scrolling to the full recipe written below.
- Egg Whites: Egg whites and sugar form the meringue. Just as I recommend when making French macarons, use fresh eggs instead of carton egg whites. Here are all my recipes using leftover egg yolks. Success tip: Eggs separate much easier when they’re cold.
- Granulated Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar, not confectioners’ sugar.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter turns meringue into meringue buttercream. I recommend unsalted butter because salted butter tastes overpowering. Keep in mind that the frosting will turn soupy and thin if the butter is too warm. Make sure you’re using butter that is slightly cooler than proper room temperature butter. Remove butter from the refrigerator and set it out for just 30-40 minutes before you need to use it. It should be cool to the touch, about 60°F (16°C). For accuracy, I recommend using an instant read thermometer. Cut butter into Tablespoon size pieces before using.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor. See FAQs below for other flavor options.
- Salt: Some SMBC recipes don’t use salt, but I strongly recommend it for another layer of flavor. You may be wondering why you can’t just use salted butter and skip the added salt, so make sure you review Salted Vs Unsalted Butter in Baking.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Video Tutorial
Give the video a few seconds to load right below this text. It’s a faded horizontal image of cupcakes. Click on the play button in the center. Make sure any ad blockers are temporarily paused on your browser.
How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Here’s an overview of the steps. Full instructions available in the recipe below. Feel free to keep scrolling to the full recipe if you’d like!
- Get rid of any grease residue. Wipe all tools that will touch the meringue with a little lemon juice or white vinegar. Grease or fat prevents your meringue from setting up.
- Separate the eggs. Save the yolks for another recipe.
- Cook the egg whites & sugar: Whisk sugar & egg whites together, then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the mixing bowl touch the water. Whisk the whites and sugar constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and appear frothy on top. To test that it’s ready, you can use your finger or an instant read thermometer. Lightly and quickly dip your finger (it’s very hot, be careful) and rub the mixture between your thumb and finger. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. If using a thermometer, the temperature should read 160°F (71°C).
- Whip it: Transfer warm mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (if you aren’t already using the metal bowl that comes with it). Beat until stiff peaks form and the meringue is no longer warm to touch, at least 10-15 minutes. On particularly humid days, it will take longer. If it’s still not reaching stiff peaks, stop the mixer, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then return to the mixer and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- If the bowl and meringue still feel warm at this point, wait until both cool to room temperature (around 70°F (21°C)) before adding the butter.
- Add the butter and flavor: Switch the stand mixer to the paddle attachment and add the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time. Wait for the butter to fully mix in before adding the next. After all the butter has been added, beat in vanilla and salt. Done!
A small egg separator is a helpful tool in this recipe.
Cook and whisk egg whites and sugar over indirect heat. When it’s ready, the mixture will be frothy on top and thin. (Below, right.)
What Are Stiff Peaks?
After several minutes of mixing, the meringue should form stiff glossy peaks. This means it forms stiff, smooth, and sharp points in the bowl or on the lifted whisk attachment.
Stiff peaks do not droop down.
After reaching stiff peaks, let the meringue cool for a bit, then beat in the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time.
Success Tip: Because butter needs to be on the cooler side, I don’t remove it from the refrigerator and cut it into Tbsp pieces until I start whipping the meringue.
Add vanilla and salt, then you’re done.
Buttercream is now deliciously creamy and smooth!
5 Helpful Tools
- Saucepan & heatproof bowl: Cook egg whites and sugar on indirect heat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (I just use the metal mixing bowl that comes with a stand mixer.) This cooking method is essentially how we cook the eggs in French silk pie and make homemade marshmallow creme. If you own a double boiler, just use that.
- Whisk: Constantly whisking the egg whites and sugar as they gently cook is key.
- Electric Mixer: Beating the meringue into stiff peaks requires an electric mixer. I strongly recommend a stand mixer, but a handheld mixer can work. Give your arm a break every few minutes because the beating steps are tiresome. A handheld mixer will take longer to beat the meringue, too.
- Egg Separator: Though not required, it’s vastly helpful to have an egg separator to ensure no yolks make it into the mixing bowl. I generally recommend stocking your kitchen with an egg separator because they’re an inexpensive tool you can use for so many recipes like French macarons and chocolate soufflé.
- Instant Read Thermometer: Though also not required, it’s helpful to have an instant read thermometer (or a candy/oil thermometer) to determine the safe temperature of cooked egg whites, as well as the ideal temperature for the butter. Less mistakes this way.
Provided you aren’t allergic to any of these ingredients, yes. The eggs are cooked to 160°F (71°C), which is considered safe to eat for everyone including pregnant women and children. As always, use your best judgement and feel free to consult a Dr if you’re concerned.
No, Swiss meringue buttercream does not crust or dry out like American buttercream can. That’s why SMBC is excellent for creating the smoothest frosting detail on cakes and perfectly piped (yet still fluffy tasting!) designs.
Yes, Swiss meringue buttercream is stable at room temperature. Though if eating on a particularly humid day, keep your frosted confections in the refrigerator as close to serving as you can. You can use SMBC under fondant-topped cakes and confections, too.
Replace some (about 1 teaspoon) of vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon of another flavor extract such as lemon, coconut, orange, maple, or even 1 teaspoon of espresso powder. Taste, then add a touch more if desired. For potent extracts, like peppermint or almond, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with just 1/2 teaspoon. For chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, beat 8 ounces of pure melted and slightly cooled chocolate into the buttercream when you add the vanilla and salt. Make sure you’re using pure baking chocolate (the 4 ounce bars) like Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands found in the baking aisle.
Yes and it’s best to tint SMBC with gel food coloring so you aren’t adding a lot of extra liquid. Beat food coloring into the frosting on low speed after you add the vanilla extract and salt.
Yes. Swiss meringue buttercream is great left covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, but after that, refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. If freezing, store in an airtight container, then thaw it at room temperature on the counter. Once completely at room temperature, about 72°F (22°C), place into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy again. If it separates or curdles, see troubleshooting tips below.
Pictured above: Curdled buttercream! Let’s fix it.
Troubleshooting Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Meringue Won’t Reach Stiff Peaks: Step 4 in the recipe below requires a long period of mixing the cooked egg whites and sugar together into stiff peaks. This mixture (the meringue) will never reach stiff peaks if there was a drop of egg yolk (fat) or grease in the mixture, mixing bowl, or on any tools you are using. Wipe down all of your tools with lemon juice or white vinegar, use an egg separator, and separate and add the egg whites one at a time to the mixing bowl. These are all instructions listed out in the recipe below. It’s also helpful to avoid making this on particularly humid days where there’s extra moisture in the air. If you did all of this and it’s still not reaching stiff peaks, the meringue could be too warm or it needs a break. See next.
- My Mixer Needs a Break: By all means, give it a break! Mixers can tire out while beating the cooked egg whites and sugar because this step requires a long period of mixing. If your mixer and its motor needs a break, it’s likely your meringue needs a break too. Stop what you’re doing, remove the whisk attachment (or beaters if you’re using a hand mixer), place the attachment/beaters in the bowl with the meringue, and refrigerate it all (covered or uncovered, doesn’t matter) for 20-30 minutes. This gives your mixer, as well as the meringue and mixing bowl, a chance to cool down. (Important: though it’s best to begin whipping the cooked egg/sugar while it’s still warm, it could simply need a cool break halfway through reaching stiff peaks.)
- Buttercream is Curdled/Too Thick: If your meringue has separated, curdled, or is too thick at any point after you mix in all of the butter, just keep beating because it will eventually come together. If it’s only getting thicker and chunkier, there’s a quick fix—and it’s my favorite. Place the mixture in your heat-proof bowl back over a pot of 2 inches of simmering water. Without stirring, let the edges of the meringue warm up and become liquid (the center of the meringue will still be solid), about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and return to the mixer. Beat meringue on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to medium-high speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. I have to do this 75% of the time, but I LOVE it because partially melting the SMBC then re-whipping actually creates a creamier frosting.
- Buttercream is Soupy/Too Thin: If your mixture has become too thin and soupy after you add the butter, your butter was likely too warm or the meringue was still too warm. Have no fear—this is fixable by bringing down its temperature. Place the entire bowl in the refrigerator (covered or uncovered, doesn’t matter) for 20 minutes to cool down, then return it to the mixer and beat on medium-high speed until thickened. Any longer than this will solidify the butter, so only refrigerate in 20 minute spurts. If it’s still soupy, place back in the refrigerator for longer before re-whipping again.
- Buttercream Only Tastes like Butter: The main ingredient, besides egg whites, is butter. Make sure you’re using unsalted butter because salted butter leaves your frosting with an overwhelmingly salty/buttery flavor. Use pure vanilla extract to flavor it and add a pinch of regular table salt. Other flavored extracts work too—see the Ingredients section above.
- Buttercream Solidified in the Refrigerator: There’s a lot of butter in this frosting, so if it’s stored in a bowl in the refrigerator, it will solidify into one large mass just like a bowl of cookie dough. Two ways to fix this: sit it on the counter and bring it to room temperature. Once completely at room temperature, about 72°F (22°C), place into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy again. If you don’t have time to wait for it to come to room temperature or if your home isn’t warm enough, follow the same instructions as #3 in this list (Buttercream is Curdled/Too Thick). Placing over gentle heat will melt the edges and when whipped, the melty edges and solid center will come together into 1 smooth frosting.
I know it seems complicated, but as long as you remain patient, read through this post, watch the video, prepare yourself by reviewing the recipe before beginning, you will be rewarded with the most luscious, not-overly-sweet frosting ever.
How to Use It:
- Pipe it. My favorite piping tips and a video on how to use piping tips will be helpful to review.
- Pictured: I used Ateco 849 and piped a tall swirl onto my vanilla cupcakes
- Try it on Yellow Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, or any of my cupcake recipes
- Use it as the frosting for White Cake, Yellow Cake, Carrot Cake, Vanilla Sheet Cake, or Chocolate Cake
- Pair it with citrus flavors on top of lemon blueberry cupcakes or citrus cake.
- As a filling for macarons or whoopie pies
- Instead of buttercream to decorate Halloween cupcakes.
- See “Yield” recipe note below for more ideas.
See Your Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintSwiss Meringue Buttercream
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Whipping
- Cuisine: European
Description
This is vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream perfection. It’s the ideal balance of sweet and creamy, without being as cloyingly sugary as American buttercream. (This is a far cry from how sweet that is!) Thick, sturdy, and perfectly pipe-able. This in-depth recipe sets you up for success on your 1st try.
Ingredients
- 6 large egg whites (approximately 230g)
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool and cut into Tbsp size pieces (*see note*)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Watch the video tutorial above, review the troubleshooting tips, and read the recipe in full before beginning. Make sure all the tools you are using are completely cleaned, dried, and grease-free. A quick wipe with a little lemon juice or white vinegar is very helpful.
- Separate the eggs: If you haven’t done so yet, separate the eggs first. Separate 1 egg white in a small bowl, then place the egg white in your heatproof mixing bowl. Repeat with the remaining egg whites. This way, if a yolk breaks in one of them, you don’t waste the whole batch.
- Whisk sugar into the egg whites, then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with just two inches of simmering water over medium heat. Do not let the bottom of the egg whites bowl touch the water. Whisk the whites and sugar constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out, about 4 minutes. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and be frothy white on top. To test that it’s ready, you can use your finger or an instant read thermometer. Lightly and quickly dip your finger (it’s very hot, be careful) and rub the mixture between your thumb and finger. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. If using a thermometer, the temperature should read 160°F (71°C).
- No need to let it cool down to start this next step—it’s important to begin mixing while it is still warm. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (if you aren’t already using the metal bowl that comes with it). You can use a hand mixer instead, but this step takes awhile and your arm tires quickly. On medium-high speed, beat the mixture until stiff glossy peaks form and the meringue is no longer warm to the touch, at least 10-15 minutes. On particularly humid days, this has taken me up to 17-18 minutes. If it’s still not reaching stiff peaks, stop the mixer, place the bowl—uncovered—in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then return to the mixer and continue beating until stiff peaks form. (This has always worked for me when it’s taking forever to reach stiff peaks.)
- If the bowl and meringue still feel warm, wait until both cool to room temperature (around 70°F (21°C)) before adding the butter in the next step. Feel free to place it in the refrigerator. A warm bowl and meringue will melt the butter.
- Switch the stand mixer to the paddle attachment. On medium-high speed, add the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time. Wait for the butter to fully mix in before adding the next Tablespoon. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer down to medium speed and fully beat in the vanilla and salt, about 30 seconds.
- Your Swiss meringue buttercream should be thick, creamy, and silky smooth and is ready to use on any cake, cupcake, or other confection.
- Too Thick or Too Thin: If your meringue has separated, curdled, or is too thick at any point after you mix in all of the butter, place the mixture in your heat-proof bowl back over a pot of 2 inches of simmering water. Without stirring, let the edges of the meringue warm up and become liquid (the center of the meringue will still be solid), about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and return to the mixer. Beat meringue on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to medium-high speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Works every time. If your mixture has become too thin and soupy after you add the butter, place the entire bowl in the refrigerator (covered or uncovered, doesn’t matter) for 20 minutes to cool down, then return it to the mixer and beat on medium-high speed until thickened. Any longer than this will solidify the butter, so only refrigerate in 20 minute spurts. If it’s still soupy, place back in the refrigerator for longer before re-whipping again. More troubleshooting tips in the post above.
Notes
- Make-Ahead, Storing, & Freezing Instructions: Swiss meringue buttercream is great left covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, but after that, refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. If freezing, store in an airtight container, then thaw it at room temperature on the counter. Once completely at room temperature, about 72°F (22°C), place into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy again. If it separates or curdles, see step 8.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Instant Read Thermometer | Egg White Separator | Whisk | Double Boiler
- Yield: This recipe yields about 5 cups of frosting, which is enough to fill and frost a two layer 9-inch cake with a generous amount, to fill and frost a three layer 9-inch cake with just enough frosting, to lightly frost 2 dozen cupcakes, to heavily frost 1 dozen cupcakes (I had just enough for the huge swirls on 12 of the pictured cupcakes), or a 9×13 inch sheet cake (with some frosting leftover).
- Egg Whites: For best success, I recommend using fresh eggs instead of carton egg whites. Here are all my recipes using leftover egg yolks. Eggs separate much easier when they’re cold. Separate the egg whites one at a time and place the egg white into a large heat-proof mixing bowl (or a double boiler or the metal mixing bowl from your stand mixer) before separating the next. This way, if a yolk breaks in one of them, you don’t waste the whole batch.
- There’s almost always a way to fix “ruined” Swiss Meringue Buttercream and it usually has to do with temperature. See step 8 as well as my troubleshooting tips in the post above.
- Butter: This buttercream will thin out and become liquid-y if the butter is too warm. Make sure you’re using butter that is slightly cooler than proper room temperature butter. Remove butter from the refrigerator and set it out for just 30-40 minutes before you need to add it to the meringue. Sometimes meringue takes longer than usual or it needs a break (see Troubleshooting above) and in that case, you should place the butter back into the refrigerator for a few minutes so it doesn’t get too warm sitting out. The butter should be cool to the touch. For accuracy, I recommend using an instant read thermometer. Butter should be 60°F (16°C).
- Flavors & Colors: For flavor ideas including chocolate, see my Can I add flavors? FAQ above. For coloring, it’s best to tint this frosting with gel food coloring so you aren’t adding a lot of extra liquid. Beat food coloring into the frosting on low speed after you add the vanilla extract and salt.
- Half or Larger Batch: You can halve this recipe. The egg white/sugar mixture won’t take as long to cook and the meringue won’t take as long to reach stiff peaks. I do not recommend making larger batches at a time because it will quickly overcrowd and wear out your mixer. If you need more batches, make them all separately.
Adapted from Martha Stewart. I found it needed less butter, 1 more egg white, and more sugar in order to stabilize properly.
Hi sally, may i know whether this SMBC can be prepare early and store inside the refrigerator for a week? Does the cream get spoiled?thank you so much on your explaination and the SMBC recipe was superb : ).
Hi Mimie! See recipe notes for Make-Ahead, Storing, & Freezing Instructions.
Made your 2-layer vanilla cake added raspberry curd between the layers and topped it with this icing…sooooo very good. It had a very slight grainy texture but I know why. I whisked the sugar and egg whites over heat as long as I could-I’m short and the bowl was high-next time I will have a stool ready to stand on. But the taste was perfect. Any time I need a new recipe I always check first with Sally’s Baking Addiction. Thank you!
Hi Sally,
I made the icing yesterday for my son’s birthday cake. It tastes awesome. I had to cool the egg white mixture couple times as it was not reaching stiff peak. After chilling it for the second time it came together. Thank you for the trouble shooting section and detailed step-by-step instructions.
Second time making this SMBC. It made enough to frost a 3-layer 9” cake. Used it as the dam to hold strawberry curd and lemon curd between 2 layers. The middle layer was cheesecake. So I had to remelt/chill 3 times. THAT’s determination! LOL Finally I did it correctly and frosted my cake! The message is “Don’t give up”! I really prefer this to American buttercream one million to one!
I was really really excited about this recipe. I watched the video and read the directions twice. The meringue would not stuffing fully after 35 min beating (with rest in fridge in between). Then when I added the butter it turned to soup. I was so sad. I followed the directions to revive with refrigeration and re-whipping. After 75 min of that I finally gave up and put it on as soupy as it was. I do live in a very humid and hot environment ( Singapore) , maybe that’s my problem. I’m going to give it another shot soon. But, it did taste amazing!
Don’t give up Jill! I just remelted/chilled a batch 3 times. Finally it worked. The third time I left it overnight because I was tired. Tried it again the next morning and ta dasaaa! Take a break and come back to it.
Tried this recipe multiple times. Tried trouble shooting multiple times. Nothing works. It’s shiney after being in the fridge for a half hour seems like it hasn’t thickened at all. When I start whipping it again it just falls apart.
I have made this once before but am considering if it’s better to add alcohol as a flavor to a swiss buttercream or a regular american buttercream. Do you have any recomendations? If I add it to the swiss buttercream, should I add it in during the sugar melting process?
It was beautiful meringue until I started adding the butter..and not all of it.. maybe 4 1 1/2 squares then it got soupy.. yes cool butter adding as per directions.. it’s in the fridge .. I’ll start over and not add butter
Hi! I love your website! Can you please explain how you arrived at the 230g measurement for your egg whites? Every where I look it says 1 egg white is 2 tablespoons, which would be 30 ml, so 6 egg whites would be 12 table spoons, which would be 180ml. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Thank you so much. 1 large egg white weighs about 40g, which is a little over 2 Tablespoons. (Usually about 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon.) We use 6 in this recipe and weigh that out to be about 230g.
Holy cow. I think this recipe finally cured me of my Swiss meringue buttercream phobia! I went to culinary school many years ago and messed this one up so many times I had nightmares about it. Today I was practicing making taste tester cakes for my niece’s wedding, and decided to give this a try. Your tips and tricks saved me! My buttercream came out smooth, creamy, light and fluffy. Simply a dream come true! I can’t thank you enough!!!
A perfect success! My only regret was cutting the recipe by a third. I could have used the entire amount. Thank you for all the trouble-shooting tips. It was easy to work with as I played with new piping tips!
I’m thinking of making your soft, cake sugar cookies, but I don’t really want the super sweet vanilla buttercream for the top. Do you think this SMBC would go okay for them, and decorating them with sprinkles for Easter?
Hi Angela, we can’t see why not. Have fun making and decorating these!
Sally, thanks for this lovely recipe. I will make it again, but wondered if I could reduce the butter and still have a lovely icing. If you haven’t tried that, I will and let you know. Your site has been so useful to me in the past. Thanks for all your hard work.
Hi Nicole! Reducing the butter would significantly change the texture of the SMBC, we don’t suggest it. But let us know what you try!
Hi Sally, I normally colour the American buttercream with powders (like carrot powder beetroot butterfly pea….Etc) and just add in tiny bit more extra milk to get it back to the desired consistency. Do I do the same here or is it not recommeded at all? Thanks in advance!
Hi April! We haven’t tested it, but you should be able to add color powders along with the vanilla extract and salt without any other changes. Let us know how it goes!
IT WORKED!!! Normally the carrot powder would suck up more moisture from the whatever I mix it in, for this recipe, the consistency stayed and I hadnt needed to adjust by adding anything to it!
The only trouble I had was getting the meringue to stiff peak (I quartered the amount of this recipe, so it might have been slightly off balanced). Followed through all the instructions as written here, even did all the troubleshooting as suggested; nevertheless, I just went ahead in adding the butter after about 45 mins of whisking the meringue, came out ok, but possibly if I could get it to stiff peaks, it would have been sturdier. Going to give it another go soon (full recipe) and hoping its just a temporary glitch in luck this time round.
Thanks again for the super in depth blog. Very informative and concise.
Hi Sally… Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I usually use American buttercream but have been wanting to make the switch to SMBC. I tried another recipe once and found it a bit too buttery. And then I tried your one. It worked perfectly first time around. Super smooth, creamy and silky. Everyone loved it and I think I found my go to recipe.
Hi!! I absolutely loved this recipe, and am planning on making it again but because I need it in a very large quantity, I wanted to use liquid egg whites so that I don’t waste a dozen yolks. Could I simply substitute fresh egg whites with carton egg whites and expect the same result? I appreciate your help 🙂
Hi Ruqaiyah, For the best results we recommend using fresh eggs instead of carton egg whites.
Hi Sally! I’ve tried this recipe I think 3 times now and every time I have not been able to get to stiff peaks before adding the butter. After reaching 160 deg, I beat it for 15 or more minutes (I think once it was 30 or so minutes) and it never forms stiff peaks. Today, I put it in the refrigerator after only getting to soft peaks in 15 or 20 min. When I took it out of the refrigerator, it was a soupy mess and I couldn’t even get it back to soft peaks. Do you have any idea what I could be doing wrong?
Hi Meagan, We don’t think you are necessarily doing anything wrong. Swiss meringue buttercream can be notoriously finicky. When all else fails and you’re doing absolutely everything right, try reducing the amount of egg whites down to, say, 5 large egg whites or about 190g. Keep everything else the same. Let us know if you try it again with this change.
Thank you for the help! I tried 5 eggs this time (turns out that was only about 130g for me). I also got a new hand mixer because mine was stuck on high. I ended up having to beat for an hour and a half to reach stiff peaks. I’m not sure why it took so long, but when I finally got to stiff peaks, it worked great! I beat in the butter and added chocolate and it’s the perfect consistency!
Hello. Is it possible to add freeze dried strawberries to this to give it a strawberry flavor? How would I go about doing that? Thank you.
Hi Stacy, you sure can. We recommend adding 1/2 cup of freeze-dried strawberry powder along with the vanilla extract and salt. No other changes to the recipe necessary. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! I was wondering, if you put heavy cream in SMBC, is it okay to leave outside and unrefrigerated for a few hours?
Hi Amy! It would depend on how warm and humid it is outside. We recommend keeping it out of sunlight. But on a particularly humid day, keep your frosted confections in the refrigerator as close to serving as you can. It should be fine for a few hours otherwise.
If I need to double the recipe, can I double it all at the same time or do I need to do it twice?
Hi Kennedi, we do not recommend making larger batches at a time because it will quickly overcrowd and wear out your mixer. If you need more batches, it’s best to make them all separately.
This is probably such a silly question but what do you mean by fresh eggs? Do you have chickens you use their eggs or do you get your eggs from a farm? What is the different between using store bought eggs vs fresh eggs? Thank you for your help I’m new to decorating and wanted to try Swiss meringue because American buttercream is too sweet for me and I wanted to try something less sweet.
Hi Kennedi, by fresh eggs, we mean store bought (full) eggs from the grocery store rather than the separated egg whites that you can buy in a carton. Hope this helps and let us know how the SMBC turns out for you!
HI Sally 🙂
How do you get your SMBC so white! Mine is more yellow than white!
Hi Natasha! It’s usually the butter. How yellow or white butter is depends on region and brand. If you’d like a stark white buttercream, mix in a very tiny (super small!) drop of purple food coloring into the frosting. This will “clear” out any of that yellow.
Good evening Sally!
Thank you so much for the tips ! I didn’t know about the vinegar thing and i wasnt changing the instrument before adding butter the salt added the little kick i was looking for 🙂
the taste is delicious love you <3
I am baffled as to how this can be done in 30 minutes – I see no way that the meringue can be cooled from 70C to 20C in 10 minutes. I beat for 15 minutes and get to about 38C, then refrigerate for 10 minutes, stir, do it again – it takes an other 30 minutes to get to room temp.
Then add the butter and last time after a long time – it worked but this time it’s way too loose so its back to the fridge.
Arrrghh – is it me or is it just a really really fiddly thing to make.
Hi Dave! Without any hiccups and on a cool, dry day it can definitely take about 30 minutes start to finish. But when are the circumstances ever that perfect? Let me look at my notes to see if we can make an adjustment to the expected times.
Hi Sally thanks so much for getting back to me – I know I was having a moan multiple attempots since then have refined my technique but it is much longer than the original quoted time.. I have made 4 batches this week and am getting on top of timing but a few comments. In a kitchen that is about 23-24 degrees, I poured the mix into a room temp mixing bowl and whisked for 15 minutes which got me down 70C down to about 40C. I refrigerated 10 minutes and whisked again and got to 35C. Same again got me to about 28C, Same again finally got me to an acceptable temperature, which is about 45 minutes and then add mixing in butter and the original time to make the mixture over the saucepan.
Added to this is that the kitchen temp does not go below around 23 degrees so you have to battle that as well. I expect making it in winter will be more efficient.
I have tried a fan, ice packs etc. which do not make a great difference. I made a 10 egg white batch which took close to 2 hours start to finish with multiple 10 or 15 minute fridge visits. BUT thats a much larger quantity so I expect that.
Anyways thanks for listening and I, like many, use your website as a cooking bible. You are thorough, explain everything, assume nothing and allow more experienced cooks to get on with it.
Thanks for all you do – I certainly hope you are making a very good living from this because you deserve it!
My SMBC tasted very greasy. I felt like I followed the recipe pretty faithfully. Any suggestions or could I just reduce the amount of butter without compromising the finished product?
Hi Melanie! The frosting will still come out just fine if you reduce the butter. However, it won’t be as stable and fluffy.
Hi Sally! I’m a young baker and I’m making a cake for my brothers birthday and I want it to be perfect but I’ve come across a small problem. I made a batch of frosting and there was small pieces of butter still in it. I tried melting it up a bit but it barely helped and seeing as you’re the almighty baker when it comes to simple enough recipes and great outcomes I thought I’d ask you!
Hi Dera, If you try this recipe again be sure to add the butter 1 Tablespoon at a time. Beat the frosting until the butter is fully incorporated before adding more. If the butter is too solid be sure you bowl is at room temperature (not too cold!) and keep beating – it will all smooth out and come together!
I can’t thank you enough for the detailed instructions and video!! I was totally intimidated by Swiss buttercream and have wanted to make it for a long time. It wasn’t until I read your recipe, instructions and watched the video that I felt like I could even try it. It came out perfectly! But if it hadn’t, I would have known what to do because of all of your suggestions. That made it worth a try and I’m so glad I did!
I’ve made this a few times now and it has always turned out perfect. It’s now my go to frosting as it’s much less sweet than others I’ve tried. I was wondering if I would be able to add some freeze dried strawberry powder for flavouring or if this would affect the structure? Thanks.
Hi Cherry, you sure can. We recommend adding 1/2 cup of freeze-dried strawberry powder along with the vanilla extract and salt. No other changes to the recipe necessary. Enjoy!
I was wondering the same thing about freeze dried fruit is 1/2 cup the standard for whatever you are using? Like say Mango, blueberries, etc.?
Thank you!
Hi Michele, correct — you can use any freeze dried fruit ground up into a 1/2 cup of powder. Hope this helps!
This is the best buttercream frosting I have tasted. My only question is how do you know when the tablespoons of butter have been thoroughly combined? I just guessed and at the end I did see and taste little pieces of butter. I mixed it again but I was worried that I would over mix it.
I wish I read your post instead of what I read when making SMBC! The one I made drooped and wouldn’t hold the shape as I piped it. I was going to give up on SMBC but am glad I found your post. Now I know where I went wrong (my butter was way too warm and I gave up on whipping). Your troubleshooting section shows actual experience with how to make this, whereas the other one I read said its already a lost cause if the meringue doesn’t make stiff peaks…. Now I feel more confident to give it another go! Thanks for all the details and specifics in your post 🙂
My meringue didn’t ever reach stiff peaks despite following directions closely, refrigerated and beat again etc.
I continued and added butter.
Buttercream curdled and now grainy despite me testing my egg/sugar mixture for graininess.
I then did the re-heat trick and it is now smooth, thin and grainy!
Am I doomed? Do I have to start over?
I don’t need to decorate my cake until tomorrow. I put it in the refrigerator and will try to re-work it tomorrow.
Any suggestions please.
The nice decorated can I leave cake in fridge and warm to room temp before eating?
Hi Jordan, refrigerating it overnight and then whipping again in the morning should correct how thin it is. However, I’m concerned the mixture tastes grainy considering it wasn’t grainy off heat. Re-whipping should *hopefully* smooth it out. Let me know how it goes.
For your last question, the general rule is that you can leave a Swiss meringue buttercream decorated cake at room temperature for 1-2 days, then refrigerate after that. It tastes best when brought to room temperature before eating.