Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This is the recipe that EVERYONE asks for.  At long last, I am devoting an entire blog post to BUTTERCREAM!  No cake - no cupcakes - no decorating tips - just lots and lots of start to finish pictures of my buttercream process.  My recipe is fairly straightforward and I'm breaking it down into simple - easy to follow steps.  You will be making your own Swiss Meringue Buttercream in no time. ​

It was harder than I thought to document my buttercream making process because I make it so often that I do it without even thinking anymore.  (I know - I'm not proud of it.)  I make pretty large batches of buttercream at least 3-4 times a week and I'm giving you the recipe that I use - exactly.  This recipe makes enough buttercream to fill and frost 1 three layer cake.   I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with an 8 quart bowl - you may need to adjust the recipe based on the size of the mixer that you are using and the number of cupcakes or cakes that you want to frost. 

Before I get to the recipe, I going to tap into my nerdy side and briefly describe the process of making Swiss Meringue Buttercream and what separates it from Italian Buttercream recipes. 

In a nutshell, perfect Swiss Meringue buttercream is achieved by heating egg whites and sugar over a double boiler.  The meringue is then beaten vigorously to get full volume before butter is added to create a smooth and silky buttercream. 
Italian buttercream on the other hand, is achieved by whipping the egg whites first and then adding a hot sugar/water mixture to the fully beaten whites.  Butter is also added at the end of the process to create Italian buttercream.

Both techniques for buttercream will result in satiny, delicious buttercream.  It's really just a matter of preference.  As for me - I like Swiss Meringue Buttercream ... OK ... I LOVE Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
10 egg whites
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups softened butter (6 sticks)

Combine sugar and cream of tartar into bowl of standing mixer.

Separate eggs and save egg whites.  Just a tip: colder eggs are easier to separate than room temperature eggs.

Add egg whites to mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  It's tempting to separate the eggs right into the mixing bowl but don't do it - trust me - I learned that the hard way.  You want to make sure that you have pure whites before you add it to the bowl - no yolk and no shells. 

Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and place on stove.  Place mixing bowl about water and turn heat on low. 

Heat mixture, whisking occasionally, until temperature reaches 160.  My mixture takes 15-20 minutes to get to temperature but use a thermometer to make sure you don't overheat your mixture.  Mixture should be foamy.

Transfer mixing bowl to standing mixer and use a whisk attachment to whip mixture.  At the risk of getting all geeky on you - the reason that you do this is to force the folded egg white proteins to unfold and then re-combine in a new structure around air bubbles.   This process can take a while - be patient. 

This is what my mixture looked like after 3 minutes - still not ready.

Continue to whisk until nearly stiff peaks form.

Whisk in vanilla and salt.

At this point - you have a really beautiful meringue and it's super important that you get it to the right consistency before moving on.  The meringue should stand up on the end of the whisk when you take it off the mixer.  The tips of my icing are curling over but that is okay.

Swap the whisk with the flat beater.  Add butter one tablespoon at a time to mixture, while mixer is running.  Yes, that's why they call it buttercream people.  Get over the fact that it's a pound and a half of butter and just go for it. 

Two important tips: Make sure that the butter is softened so that it incorporates evenly and make sure that the meringue mixture is cool enough so that it doesn't melt your butter. 

Once all of the butter had been added - stand back and let the mixer do its thing.  My best advice is to be patient!  It is not unusual for the mixture to take an extra 5-10 minutes of mixing at this point for the buttercream to come together.   You will know when it's ready by the consistency of the buttercream.  It will go from a runny, glue-like consistency to a thick, creamy frosting consistency.  If you're still wondering whether or not you've got the right buttercream consistency - check out these pictures.  

Start piping.

If you can master this, you're well on your way to creating all kinds of delicious buttercream flavors.  I add all sorts of things to this basic recipe to create the most delicious buttercream creations. 

I add 1/2 cup melted chocolate to make decadent chocolate buttercream.

I add 1/4 cup peanut butter to make smooth and creamy peanut butter buttercream.

I add 1/4 cup strawberry puree for fruity buttercream.

I add a few drops of mint extract for a cool and minty buttercream.

I fold in a few tablespoons of caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt for a swirled salted caramel buttercream.

I swirl in a few tablespoons of my favorite cookies or candy to create a unique buttercream creation.

I also use this buttercream recipe to fill, frost and decorate all sorts of cakes. 

The possibilities are endless.  Don't expect to be a buttercream master on your very first try.  It takes some practice to get used to the process but I promise it is worth the effort. 

Ciao!

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