Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe | BraveTart

How to make light and silky Swiss meringue buttercream.

Why It Works

  • A higher proportion of sugar serves to dilute the addition of butter down the road, for a frosting that never feels greasy.
  • Toasted sugar brings the overall sweetness into balance, adding complexity of flavor.
  • Cream of tartar is acidic, adding a counterpoint to frosting's simple sweetness.
  • At 185°F (85°C), the egg white syrup will be fully cooked.
  • An optional touch of almond extract rounds out the vanilla, giving the buttercream more depth of flavor.
  • Testing the finished buttercream with a thermometer helps rule out problems related to temperature, a common concern in recipes built on butter.

Swiss meringue buttercream is the fastest and easiest frosting around, made from an ingredient so humble it's often just thrown away: leftover egg whites. They're cooked over a water bath, whipped into an airy meringue, then enriched with butter, for a silky-smooth frosting that tastes light and mild—a blank canvas waiting for your creative touch. Peanut butter? Melted chocolate? Vanilla beans? Ground peanut brittle? Freeze-dried fruit? Sure thing! Mix in whatever you like, and Swiss buttercream will make it the star.

Layer cake frosted with Swiss meringue buttercream.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The Problem With Most Swiss Meringue

One thing to note is that Swiss meringue is commonly made with too little sugar and not enough heat, producing something that's eggy, fragile, and raw. From there, adding butter only makes it greasy and dense, a frequent gripe among detractors of SMBC (as it's called online). If you joined me on my quest for the perfect meringue pie last year, you know that I've spent a not-insignificant amount of time tinkering with Swiss meringue to overcome those common complaints.

You can check out my full report here, but the short story is this: With a bit more sugar and a higher target temperature, Swiss meringue loses its eggy flavor and whips up stable, light, and fully cooked (the traditional advantages of an Italian meringue). If Swiss meringue starts with toasted sugar and vanilla bean, it can also be remarkably delicious.

Top of layer cake swirled with Swiss meringue buttercream.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

How to Make the Perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream

It's a rock-solid foundation for buttercream as is, but a few extra tweaks make it all the more outstanding. Bumping up the sugar, salt, and vanilla in my Swiss meringue ensures that its flavor and sweetness aren't overpowered by the butter. In turn, the added sugar offsets the butter's richness, so the finished product feels lighter than recipes that call for less. That additional sugar does require the meringue to be cooked to a higher temperature, but aside from that adjustment, the technique stays the same.

Collage depicting stages of heating egg whites and sugar. The color changes from yellow to frothy white.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

If you haven't made a Swiss meringue before, the process is simple. Combine egg whites, toasted sugar, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla seeds in a double boiler, and cook, stirring constantly with a flexible spatula. For this recipe, you'll take the mixture to about 185°F (85°C) to make sure it's fully cooked. Then you'll whip it on high speed until the meringue is fluffy, light, and cool to the touch, about 90°F (32°C).

Egg whites whipped until light and fluffy in a stand mixer.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Sure, 90°F doesn't sound cool, but it's well below body temperature, so the bowl won't feel warm against your palm. It's also the perfect temperature to accommodate the butter, which should be pliable and cool, about 65°F (18°C). Whipped together, they'll average out to about 72°F (22°C).

You can achieve that perfect temperature any number of ways, with a cooler meringue and warmer butter, or vice versa, but that's a tightrope beginners needn't walk. Though you have a few degrees of wiggle room in either direction, if the ingredient temperatures aren't properly balanced, the buttercream may be runny and thin, or dense and greasy—maybe even curdled and broken. With an awareness of the role temperature has to play, and a trusty digital thermometer, all those problems simply cease to exist. (If you're in the market for a thermometer, mine's a Polder. The clip-on attachment, heat-safe cord, and temperature alert make it ideal for a wide range of desserts, plus savory projects, too.)

Storing and Flavoring Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Freshly made Swiss buttercream has the ideal consistency for frosting cakes and cupcakes, but it can also be kept in short- or long-term storage—a fact I rely on to polish off the egg whites left over from other baking projects. Simply roll open the mouth of a gallon-sized, heavy-duty zip-top bag; scrape in the buttercream; press out the air; and seal. It'll keep about two weeks in the fridge, or several months in the freezer. (The issue with freezing for longer than that isn't spoilage so much as odor absorption.) Do be sure to lay the bag flat, which helps the buttercream to thaw rapidly down the line. When you're ready to frost a cake, warm the buttercream back to 72°F, then re-whip to restore its spreadably soft consistency.

Close-up of layer cake swirled with Swiss meringue buttercream.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

With toasted sugar, loads of vanilla, and a drop of almond extract, my Swiss meringue buttercream tastes more satisfying than traditional recipes, while remaining simple and familiar. It's my go-to vanilla frosting when time is of the essence, and a far silkier option than anything made with powdered sugar. It's also a great springboard for new flavors, whether you trade toasted sugar for molasses-y Demerara or spike the buttercream with a concentrated fruit purée.

Because it's fully cooked, cakes frosted with Swiss buttercream don't require additional refrigeration; the cake itself will stale faster than the buttercream can spoil. Whether other versions have let you down or you've never made it at all, I hope you'll give my Swiss buttercream a chance. And should the worst come to pass, don't worry: We've got a complete troubleshooting guide that'll put your frosting back on track, no matter the problem.

May 2017

Recipe Details

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe | BraveTart

Prep 20 mins
Cook 15 mins
Active 35 mins
Total 35 mins
Serves 48 to 50 servings
Makes 6 heaping cups

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces egg whites (2/3 cup; 170g), from 5 to 6 large eggs

  • 11 ounces plain or lightly toasted sugar (about 1 2/3 cups; 310g) (see note)

  • 3/4 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; use half as much if iodized

  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • Scraped seeds from 1 split vanilla bean (optional)

  • 20 ounces unsalted butter (5 sticks; 565g), softened to about 65°F (18°C)

  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Directions

  1. Fill a wide pot with at least 1 1/2 inches of water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed on the bottom to act as a "booster seat" that will prevent the bowl from touching the bottom of the pot. Place over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla seeds (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over steaming water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites hold steady at 185°F (85°C). This should take only 10 to 12 minutes, so if mixture seems to be moving slowly, simply turn up the heat. Once ready, transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed about 10 minutes, until meringue is glossy, stiff, and cool to the touch, around 90°F (32°C).

    A collage of 6 images showing warming sugar and egg whites in a double boiler, whipping meringue until smooth and fluffy.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  2. With mixer still running, add butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Initially, the volume of the meringue will decrease dramatically; it may even seem soupy along the way, but as the cool butter is added, the mixture will begin to thicken and cool. In the end, buttercream should be thick, creamy, and soft but not runny, around 72°F (22°C). Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) on low speed until well combined.

    A 3-image collage of adding butter cubes to Swiss meringue buttercream and whip until smooth and combined.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  3. Use buttercream right away, or transfer to a large zipper-lock bag, press out the air, and seal. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to several months. (The main issue with longer storage in the freezer is odor absorption, not spoilage.) Rewarm to 72°F and re-whip before using.

    Spatula full of fluffy Swiss meringue buttercream.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  4. Troubleshooting: If warmer than 74°F (23°C), the buttercream will be soft and loose; pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes and re-whip to help it thicken and cool. If colder than 68°F (20°C), the buttercream will be firm and dense, making it difficult to spread over cakes and slow to melt on the tongue, creating a greasy mouthfeel; to warm, briefly set over a pan of steaming water, just until you see the edges melting slightly, then re-whip to help it soften and warm. Full troubleshooting guide and video here.

    Mixer bowl set over steaming water bath.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Special Equipment

Large pot, digital thermometerstand mixer

Notes

Though technically optional, using quick-toasted sugar will dramatically tame the sweetness of this buttercream, while also adding subtle depth of flavor. It's a make-or-break detail for simple vanilla buttercream, but not nearly so vital when intense flavorings, like melted chocolate or peppermint extract, come into play.

Make Ahead and Storage

To store buttercream, transfer to a large zipper-lock bag, press out the air, and seal. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to several months. (The main issue with longer storage in the freezer is odor absorption, not spoilage.) Rewarm to 72°F and re-whip before using.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
107 Calories
9g Fat
6g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 48 to 50
Amount per serving
Calories 107
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 30mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 11mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)