Buttery and ultra-silky Swiss Meringue Buttercream smooths beautifully over cakes and cupcakes. Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream is flavored and tinted with fresh strawberry puree.
This tutorial will show you how simple it is to make a Swiss buttercream. Nothing smooths over a cake or pipes onto cupcakes as beautifully as this buttercream will. I love how it melts in my mouth. It is like satin without the gritty taste or feel of confectioners sugar. It’s a rich and luscious dream. You can do this!
Gather Ingredients
Making the Meringue
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2Before beginning make sure your mixing bowl and beaters are completely grease/oil free. Meringue will NOT whip up if fat is present. To be completely sure, you can wash down the mixing bowl and beaters with vinegar and water. Let’s begin…
- Slice each cube of butter into 8 equal slices or 1 tablespoon slices or cubes.
- I like to arrange them on a plate to soften. Important note: You do NOT want your butter to be room temperature. You want to soften, but still cool.
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6- Pour 2/3 cup egg whites (make sure there are NO bits of egg yolks in with the egg whites or the meringue will not whip up) into the bowl of an electric mixer. Make sure the bowl is very clean and free from fat or grease. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar.
- Whisk together.
- Place the bowl on top of a pan of simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water.
- Whisk egg whites and sugar constantly. The mixture should be moving at all times so the hot water doesn’t begin to cook the egg whites. Attach a thermometer to the side of the bowl.
- The temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- The sugar should be dissolved. Rub the mixture between two fingers to feel for sugar crystals. The mixture should be warm and smooth.
- Using a whisk attachment, begin whipping the mixture.
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- Beat until a stiff meringue forms and the bottom of of the bowl is cool to the touch, but not completely cold. This could take 8-10 minutes.
- The meringue should be thick and hold its shape.
- Once the meringue is thick and has cooled remove the whisk and switch to the paddle attachment.
- Adding butter and the Stages of Buttercream
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6- Take the softened butter and add it to the meringue mixture.
- Turn the mixer on and add butter one tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Repeat.
- You will notice that the meringue will slightly deflate. DO NOT PANIC. Wait for it…
- Continue to add the butter while mixing. Wait for it…
- Notice how the buttercream begins to thicken
- As the last tablespoon of butter is added the buttercream will finally come together. It is complete!
Adding flavorings
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2- Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Ta da! Perfectly smooth and satiny buttercream. What cakes are meant to be iced with.
How to Make and Add Fruit Pureé
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4- Add washed and cut fresh strawberries to the bowl of a small food processor.
- Pureé until smooth.
- Pour pureé through a wire mesh strainer to remove seeds.
- With the mixer running, add 2-6 tablespoons of pureé to the buttercream. The amount depends on how much strawberry flavor you want.
Piping Buttercream
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4- The perfect pink.
- Fit pastry bag with a star tip.
- Fill a pastry bag with buttercream
- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
The beauty of Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- It can be flavored in so many ways – melted dark or white chocolate that has been cooled, Hazelnut paste, pistachio paste, any type of fruit pureé, vanilla bean, etc.
- It can be tinted with any food color gels, Hibiscus tea reduction, or even beet juice.
- It’s not overly sweet or grainy like powdered sugar icings.
- Melt-in-you-mouth heaven
- It freezes wonderfully. Freeze in a covered container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then mix using the paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy.
- This recipe makes approximately 4 cups of icing. It will ice one 3 layer 8-inch cake, 1-2 dozen cupcakes (depending on how thick the icing is), one 9-inch 2 layer cake, 9 x 13-inch sheet cake
Troubleshooting
- Why didn’t my meringue whip up? If fat is present due to egg yolks bits in with the egg whites OR if grease/fat/oil are present in the mixing bowl or beaters, the meringue will NOT whip up to be tall and fluffy. Wash your mixing bowl and beaters with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. Make sure your egg whites are just egg whites. No yolks allowed.
- My Buttercream looks curdled 🙁This generally happens if the butter is too cold. Just warm the mixing bowl a bit. With the mixer still running wrap a warm dishcloth around the bottom and the bowl and hold there. You may need to rewarm the towel a few times until the butter softens up to create a smooth icing. I have, also, used a small gas blow torch. Don’t keep the flame in one area. Keep the flame moving across the bottom of the bowl while the mixer is still running. It’s shouldn’t take long for the mixture to loosen up. No torch? Try a blow dryer sent on med/low heat. Once again keep the warm air moving all around the bowl. The icing will soon become smooth and perfect.
- My buttercream is hard from refrigeration Yes, it sure is. Over a cup of butter has just been added to the meringue. The buttercream will soften right up when left a room temperature. If you have frozen the buttercream, it will take longer to soften. In a hurry? Break up the buttercream and put it in the bowl of a mixer and start to beat (using the paddle attachment). Use the torch or blowdryer method to soften the buttercream to spreading consistency.
- My buttercream has sugar crystals in it and is grainy? When whisking the egg whites and sugar over simmering water, make sure to wash down the sides of the bowl with a damp cloth if loose sugar crystals are present. Feel the mixture between your fingers before you begin beating to make sure there are no sugar crystals present.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Nothing smooths over a cake or pipes onto cupcakes as beautifully as this buttercream will. I love how it melts in my mouth. It is like satin without the gritty taste or feel of confectioners sugar. It’s a rich and luscious dream.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12 servings
Calories 296 kcal
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup egg whites 150 g
- 1 1/4 cups sugar 250 g
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbl. cubes or slices 340 g or 3 cubes
- pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
optional:
- 1/2 cup seedless strawberry puree
Instructions
- In a very clean bowl of an electric mixer, add egg whites and sugar. Place over a simmering pot of water, stirring constantly until temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Rub a small amount of the mixture between two fingers to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Using the whisk attachment, beat until the mixture is a thick meringue and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch. The bowl must be cool before adding the butter.
- Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment. With the mixture on medium-low speed add butter once slice at a time until all of the butter has been incorporated. The mixture should be silky smooth and thick. The mixture may begin to look curdled, keep mixing until it is smooth. This can take 10 minutes or so. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add strawberry puree, if using. Once puree is added keep mixing until mixture is silky again.
Recipe Notes
The beauty of Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- It can be flavored in so many ways - melted dark or white chocolate that has been cooled, Hazelnut paste, pistachio paste, any type of fruit pureé, vanilla bean, etc.
- It can be tinted with any food color gels, Hibiscus tea reduction, or even beet juice.
- It's not overly sweet or grainy like powdered sugar icings.
- Melt-in-you-mouth heaven
- It freezes wonderfully. Freeze in a covered container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then mix using the paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy.
- This recipe makes approximately 4 cups of icing. It will ice one 3 layer 8-inch cake, 1-2 dozen cupcakes (depending on how thick the icing is), one 9-inch 2 layer cake, 9 x 13-inch sheet cake
Troubleshooting:
- Why didn't my meringue whip up? If fat is present due to egg yolks bits in with the egg whites OR if grease/fat/oil are present in the mixing bowl or beaters, the meringue will NOT whip up to be tall and fluffy. Wash your mixing bowl and beaters with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. Make sure your egg whites are just egg whites. No yolks allowed.
- My Buttercream looks curdled 🙁This generally happens if the butter is too cold. Just warm the mixing bowl a bit. With the mixer still running wrap a warm dishcloth around the bottom and the bowl and hold there. You may need to rewarm the towel a few times until the butter softens up to create a smooth icing. I have, also, used a small gas blow torch. Don't keep the flame in one area. Keep the flame moving across the bottom of the bowl while the mixer is still running. It's shouldn't take long for the mixture to loosen up. No torch? Try a blow dryer sent on med/low heat. Once again keep the warm air moving all around the bowl. The icing will soon become smooth and perfect.
- My buttercream is hard from refrigeration Yes, it sure is. Over a cup of butter has just been added to the meringue. The buttercream will soften right up when left a room temperature. If you have frozen the buttercream, it will take longer to soften. In a hurry? Break up the buttercream and put it in the bowl of a mixer and start to beat (using the paddle attachment). Use the torch or blowdryer method to soften the buttercream to spreading consistency.
- My buttercream has sugar crystals in it and is grainy? When whisking the egg whites and sugar over simmering water, make sure to wash down the sides of the bowl with a damp cloth if loose sugar crystals are present. Feel the mixture between your fingers before you begin beating to make sure there are no sugar crystals present.
Nutrition Facts
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Amount Per Serving
Calories 296 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 15g75%
Cholesterol 61mg20%
Sodium 26mg1%
Potassium 44mg1%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 21g23%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 709IU14%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hi I was wondering how many egg whites are approx. 2/3 cup? And how much icing does this make? Enough to ice 24 cupcakes?
Hi I was wondering how many eggs whites is approx. 2/3 cup?
Hello,
I been wanting to try to make this for a little while now and finally today i tried it out.
I did it with a hand mixer and took a while for the meringue to get stiff and wasnt sure if it was stiff enough after beating for 15 min. after putting in the butter and salt and vanille it came out smooth and thick and Soooo yummoe, the taste is perfect, not too much butter wich i had with another recipie i tried a while back..this recipie I LOVE!! thanks for sharing.
I just wasnt sure why i didnt got really stiff peaks of meringue, but it came out good.
Greetings from Holland.
Thank you so much for sharing your success. Beating the meringue is such a process and can take forever. I bet your arm and hand got tired. I'm sure it was worth the effort. This stuff is amazing. Have and great day in Holland. I'm so happy you found my blog.
I have been searching through a lot of blogs for an instruction on how to make SMB because I will be making it for the first time- and I found your tutorial so perfect for me because it is easy to follow and so simple to understand ; that's why I made my first SMB right away yesterday and it turned out fantastic! I used only a handmixer from Kenwood and it only took me 20 minutes in total to make. Thank you so much for this!
Thank you so much for sending me this comment. It will help the above reader with her question. I'm thrilled the buttercream was a success. Isn't it just divine. Who needs a cake, when a spoon works!
Thanks for your quick response. Do you recommend using the wire whisk or the beaters to whip the egg whites? And since there is no paddle attachment, can I just use the beaters to incorporate the butter?
I think you can use the beaters throughout the entire process and still have success.
Hi… I would like to make this, but don't have a stand mixer. Do you think it would turn out as well with a hand mixer? Thanks so much!
Sure, I don't see why not. It should work just fine just beat like crazy. Best of luck. Let me know the results.
Thanks for sharing this, I really hate fondant,it's costly and not practical as the fondant meant to be thrown away..what a massive waste. Swiss buttercream is my choice now^^
I agree with you completely. Thanks so much for sharing your comment. Go Swiss buttercream!
Hello Karolina in far away Serbia. I'm pretty sure I have made this and forgot to change the attachments from whisk to paddle. I would try it because I think it will work. I will fee really bad if it doesn't. I'm pretty sure it will. I would do exactly what you have said, on low speed. Please report back to me and let me know about your success.
Well i'll make it for Valentine's and if it works i will have the same thing on my wedding cake this june 🙂 will report on my succes or failure 🙂
Wedding in June? How exciting! Congratulations!!!
So i tried it and i think it will change my life completly 😀 it turned out wondefully and i have no words for the taste 🙂 thank you for the recipe and the tips! and thank you for the congrats 🙂 we are very excited 🙂
Lots of love
Karolina
This is great news and makes me so happy. Thanks for sharing your success. Best of luck planning your wedding.
Hello! I read your blog for quite some time now, and i'm blown away with the details and wonderfull food you make! I really want to make this buttercream for those wonderull choco cupcakes, but i have a question. I do not have a paddle thingy on my mixer, i just have the wire ones and those spiraly thingies for dough, so can i use the wisk attachment on low speed when i'm adding the butter? everywhere i looked there was a paddle attachment for administratng the butter, so now i have no courage to try and make this… Thank you in advance 🙂
Lots of love from Serbia!
Karolina
I absolutely love these two recipes! Thank you so much for sharing. I love the frosting recipe — different than anything I already have so thank you very much!
Thanks, Mel. I always look forward to your uplifting comments.
This looks quite simply delicious, Janet! Beautiful pictures, as usual! x Mel
I encountered a similar problem when our daughter was planning her wedding. I eventually marched myself to the local library, checked out every book on wedding cake baking and set to accomplish the task myself. The learning curve was pretty steep. I did have wonderful help from friends on assembly day. The buttercream came together beautifully and the cake was delicious. How could it not be with 20 pounds of butter in the cake and icing? Can you ever do too much for your children? 🙂
Bless your heart. A wedding cake would have pushed this mother over the edge. 20 lbs of butter?? that is amazing, but I can see why you would need that much to cover a wedding cake. I bet it was beautiful. You get the mother of the year award in my book. You are right, we just keep on doing for our children as much and as long at it takes. That's for sharing this fun comment.
it is so WONDERFULL !
It is! 🙂