This is the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe you’ll ever make! Once you try it, you’ll want to use it to cover all of your cakes and cupcakes.
How to Make the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream Video:
Hello, and welcome to SugarHero!
If you’re looking for the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe (aka cheater’s Swiss Meringue), you’ve come to the right place! While you’re here, make sure you sign up for my newsletter so you get every future dessert post sent straight to your inbox!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is my FAVORITE type of frosting—it tastes delicious, is a dream to work with, doesn’t crust, and isn’t overly sweet or greasy. In short, it’s almost perfect!
The only problem? It can be a big pain to make. I won’t go into all the steps—for that, you’ll want to read my post on how to make traditional Swiss Meringue Buttercream. But the point is, the whole Swiss Meringue shebang has been a necessary evil…until now. Introducing your new favorite recipe, The EASIEST Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
Traditional Swiss Meringue involves heating egg whites, then lots and lots of whipping. This recipe skips the heating step entirely, and still produces a rich, smooth, ultra-creamy buttercream with the characteristic texture and taste of Swiss Meringue. It’s as easy to make as American Buttercream, but it doesn’t crust over and it isn’t teeth-shatteringly sweet. You seriously NEED to try this recipe!
First things first: this is based on a frosting recipe by the amazing cake decorator Lauren Kitchens. If you want to see some real talent, check out her site! The frosting is not technically a Swiss Meringue, because the technique is different, but the ingredients and final product are so close, I have no problem calling this a lazy version of SMBC! I did a lot of tweaking and ended up with some very different ingredient quantities than the original recipe, to find the right balance of sugar + butter for my personal taste buds.
This recipe is so good, it’s the starring player in my NEW Craftsy class! This is my second class I’ve filmed with them, and I am THRILLED to share it with you. I am so proud of this one! It’s called “Get Started Decorating: Quick Birthday Cake Ideas,” and it has twelve (twelve!!!) different cake designs/techniques. Most of the cakes also have accompanying cupcake suggestions as well, so there is a serious boatload of information packed into these videos.
I love this class because it’s not fussy. None of the cake designs require a piping bag, we are NOT covering cakes in fondant, there are zero gumpaste flowers, and in short, it’s for people who might not have a ton of decorating experience or a ton of time to construct a super-elaborate cake. (Soooo, basically everybody!) The cake designs use common ingredients you can find in a store, they’re colorful and fun, and once you have the basic methods down, you can translate the specific design ideas to any occasion you want! (“Birthday Cake” may be in the title, but these are NOT reserved for just birthdays!)
Here’s a little glimpse of all of the cakes we make in the class. This was taken at the very end of the last day of filming. We shot all of these cakes and cupcakes in TWO days! Believe me when I tell you I collapsed in bed at the end of that week!
My Craftsy cake decorating class is now live, and you can read about it and watch a trailer here!
Now let’s get down to the business of buttercream.
Because the Craftsy class is aimed at beginners, I wanted a frosting recipe that would be easy to make—no heating of egg whites required! But I also didn’t want the standard American Buttercream, both because I think it tastes gross, and because it crusts over when it dries, and many of the designs require a non-crusting buttercream. Easiest Swiss Meringue to the rescue!
This frosting will seriously change your decorating life. I used it as a base for all of the cakes in the Craftsy class, and it was easy to work with, tasted great, and didn’t crust over, so I could press the various candies, sprinkles, and many (MANY) other assorted goodies into it, even hours after I frosted the cakes. That is gold, people.
FAQ About the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream Video
What piping tip are you using in the video?
It’s a closed star tip, Ateco #849. You can get the closed star tip here.
What is that mixer attachment you are using?
It’s called a beater blade, and I LOVE it. Literally never use my regular paddle, ever! Get one!
Where can I get those cupcake cups?
Sadly, I don’t know! I bought them at Michael’s Craft Store, but can’t find a link to them online anywhere. If you search for “paper baking cups” online, you’ll find similar shaped cups in lots of cute patterns, though.
Is it safe to eat raw egg whites? / Do I have to use egg whites in a carton?
I recommend using pasteurized egg whites for food safety reasons. Pasteurizing means the whites have been heated to kill the bad bacteria, so you can safely consume raw whites. If you cannot find pasteurized whites in a carton, look for pasteurized whole eggs, and separate out the whites yourself. If you cannot find either, and you personally feel comfortable eating raw egg whites, then you can use regular whites. OR just use this recipe for traditional Swiss Meringue! The whites are cooked in that recipe, so it is safe to use regular eggs.
The EASIEST Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This is the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe you’ll ever make! Once you try it, you’ll want to use it to cover all of your cakes and cupcakes.
A note about the ingredients: this recipe calls for pasteurized egg whites. IT IS SAFE to consume egg whites without cooking them, as long as you make sure that the whites you buy are pasteurized. To save time, I buy them in a carton--look for 100% egg whites, not liquid egg substitute. If you cannot find them in a carton, you can buy pasteurized eggs and separate them yourself. You’ll need about 5-6 large eggs to get the ¾ cup called for in the recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 fl oz pasteurized liquid egg whites (3/4 cup)
- 24 oz powdered sugar (6 cups)
- ½ tsp salt
- 24 oz unsalted butter (3 cups) , at room temperature
- 2 TBSP vanilla extract
Instructions
-
Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes.
-
After 5 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. At the end, you’ll have a frosting with a wonderfully light and creamy texture. It can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or the freezer for up to two months. If you have chilled the frosting, let it come to room temperature and then beat it for several minutes to smooth it out and restore its texture before using it.
-
To make chocolate buttercream, chop 12 oz unsweetened chocolate, and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool until it is completely room temperature. Make the frosting as described, and after it is finished, add the melted and cooled chocolate. Mix on low speed until the chocolate is completely incorporated.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is adapted from a frosting recipe by Lauren Kitchens.
Want to learn to make traditional Swiss Meringue buttercream? I have a Swiss Meringue Buttercream photo tutorial and recipe right here!
Here are a few of my favorite cake recipes that would be great with this Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cakes
Someone has been very busy! Love your assorted cakes and cupcake. What a great picture of your talent. The Swiss buttercream is something that I’ll try next time that there is a cake or cupcake that needs to be decorated. Thanks for the 411.
Haha, you said it! All I want for Christmas is sleep. 🙂 Thank you so much, and please let me know what you think of the frosting if you give it a try!
Is this enough frosting to crumb coat the cake first, or isn’t this necessary?
Hello I made this frosting today,I got a mixer bowl full it stays on the paddle but kind of falls off a spoon,what did I do wrong? I want it stiff to hold flowers
This looks so light and fluffy. Perfect for anything you would put icing on…I get to lick the bowl!
You’re gonna have to fight me for the bowl. 😉 Thanks Amanda!!
This definitely looks like an easy recipe and so pretty 🙂
Thanks so much, Stephanie! It’s definitely the easiest egg white-based frosting out there!
Those cupcake are beautiful! The icing looks so light!
Thanks Evi! I can’t stand really heavy frosting–I need it to be light and silky-smooth!
Well now I want…scratch that…need to make cupcakes! Thank you for a simple fool proof recipe and an easy to follow video! Plus your cupcakes are cute as can be!!!
You DEFINITELY need to make cupcakes! (It’s always cupcake o’clock somewhere!) Thank you so much, Lisa!
Perfect timing, I need to make and frost 4 doz cupcakes tonight
Whoa, it’s meant to be! Let me know how it works out for you! (And yummm, cupcakes!)
The best ever, I’ll never make plain old buttercream again. It was easy enough that my 6 yr old could help, that was a bonus.
Wahoo! So glad to hear it!!
My daughter’s birthday is coming up, I’m definitely going to use this recipe. Thanks!
Awesome! Please let me know how it turns out–and happy birthday to your daughter!
YES–thank you! I was so caught up in the class + giveaway talk, I forgot! Lauren is a genius and deserves all the credit for this technique. The ratios of ingredients in my recipe are very different (especially the butter amount) but I owe a big hat tip for the method. Adding it right now!
I am concerned about using the egg whites and not cooking the frosting. Is it safe to use and leave out for serving, or do you refridgerate until serving?
Totally understand! That’s why it’s important to use pasteurized egg whites and not just regular ones. The pasteurizing process takes care of the cooking step and kills dangerous bacteria, so they are safe to eat raw. (Per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, feel free to do your own googling/research and don’t just take my word for it!)
Personally I feel comfortable leaving it at room temperature until serving (the taste + texture is much better that way!) but would not leave it out for days and days on end. But over the course of a day? I think that’s completely safe.
oops! just reread the recipe and saw your note about the safety of raw eggs, sorry to have asked
No worries, I’m sure lots of other folks would have the same question!
I love Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but totally agree on the time consuming factor! I am seriously sooooo excited to try this. But this might be the death of me. Because then I will basically want to make it ALL the time. Have you tried this with any fruit version? I make a strawberry swiss meringue. Could you adjust some ratios and make that work? I’ll have to check my other recipe and make some comparisons….. Also, pick me! It’s my birthday coming up, ya know 😉
I haven’t tried it with fruit yet, but I’m sure it will be fine! Do you use strawberry puree? My fave way to make strawberry is actually to use freeze-dried strawberries and grind them up in a food processor until they’re a powder, then add the strawberry powder. It gives a really intense fruit taste without adding extra liquid that can mess with the BC texture. (This works with other freeze-dried fruit too!) Definitely give it a try if you haven’t already…I get my freeze-dried fruit from Trader Joe’s but I feel like it’s pretty readily available at a lot of grocery stores now.
I also use freeze-dried strawberries. Much safer and yummy. I will try your recipe. Thank you for sharing
This looks like the yummiest frosting ever! Can’t wait to try it!
Yay, thanks Karen!
Lazy SMBC seems so great! Will definitely try it! Plus it “curdles” like good old terrifying SMBC too, neat!!! Holy smokes that’s amazing, 12 cakes!!!! Can’t wait to check it out! Congrats!! Xo
Haha, right?! SMBC just has to have that gross in-between stage when you’re sure you’ve done something catastrophically wrong. Good times! Thank you so much, ladyfriend!
Glad I found this site and certainly this recipe! Look forward to being on your list and receiving more great recipes and tips.
Thanks, Leny! Welcome to the SugarHero family! 🙂
I’ve always wondered if you could make buttercream with pasteurized eggwhites. I’ve heard mixed opinions. Now I’m going to try it.
I’d love to take your class- it looks perfect for me!
Thank you so much, Karen! If you don’t win the free class, I’m going to be offering a discount on the class to my readers once it comes out, so hopefully you’ll be able to take it either way–it’s a fun one. 🙂 And let me know what you think if you give the frosting a try!!
I use Pasteurized Egg Whites all the time to make homemade Angel Food Cakes. These egg whites work much better than most people either know or realize. If anyone has had a problem with them, then it’s something they likely did wrong, not the egg whites or the recipe.
Agreed, they’re one of my favorite shortcut ingredients. 🙂
Oops I forgot to ask about the cupcake holders in your post. Sooo cute!
I got them at Michael’s Craft Store! 😀
Very similar to mike mccareys in his classes( which I use)
Will try yours to compare
Nice! I’m not familiar with his recipe, but I did some googling and it looks like his includes about 25% more powdered sugar and a greater amount of fat, some of which is hi-ratio shortening. His is probably more sturdy at high temperatures due to these changes. My recipe has much less butter than most similar recipes, due to my personal preference, so I’ll be interested to see what you think if you give it a try!
Both you and all those cakes look gorgeous!! I’ve found traditional SMBC to be a dream to decorate with but taste (to me) like sweet butter, so I’d sort of given up and always use cream cheese whipped cream, but that has serious decorating downsides. This recipe looks like an awesome alternative. Also… so excited for all your Halloween recipes!
Thank you so much, Eleanore! Let me know what you think if you give it a try! I drastically reduced the butter in this recipe (because I can’t hang with super-buttery frosting either) so I’ll be curious to hear what you think. Cream cheese whipped cream sounds delish, but also really tough to work with in heat and humidity!
Everything looks so pretty thanks for sharing your knowledge. I cannot wait to see more, and draw off your ideas for the grandkids.
Thanks so much, Candy! You have some lucky grandkids!
Wow!! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try. Gorgeous creations!
Thanks Micky! Let me know what you think!
I have tasted SMBC but never made it because it seems like a lot of trouble, when ordinary buttercream only takes about 5 mins. I want to try your recipe, I have a No 18 cake to make and they want large roses piped all over it in graduating colour from pale to cerise pink, Is this recipe or any SMBC sturdy enough for the roses to hold their shape and not slide down the cake as its softer than the normal buttercream. Hope this makes sense. TIA
Hi Joanne, SMBC is great for piping. It’s not quite as sturdy as Italian meringue, but I would still trust it on a cake unless that cake was going to be sitting in direct sunlight or something. It’s never going to be as sturdy as American buttercream made with shortening, though, so if that’s the measure you’re going for it won’t measure up. But in general it’s my go-to when decorating large cakes and it hasn’t failed me yet!
You are so crazy talented! Your creations always look too good to eat. As for the egg whites, are you suggesting we use the ones from a carton instead of using egg whites from separated eggs?
Thank you, Rosie!! You are so sweet. Because the egg whites are not cooked in this recipe, I recommend using pasteurized whites, so that they have been heated already and you don’t have to worry about food safety issues. You can buy whole pasteurized eggs and separate them yourself, or you can buy 100% egg whites in the carton that are already pasteurized. I just prefer the carton kind because I’m lazy–and they last a long time in the fridge, so they don’t often go to waste at my house. Hope this helps!
Can you use food coloring in this frosting?
How many days is the frosting good after putting on cupcakes?
Yes, definitely! I recommend gel coloring rather than liquid if possible, and add it after the final beating. The frosting is good for several days at room temp, several weeks in the fridge, and several months in the freezer.
Will the lazy SMBC stay up under hot weather ( during summer or in Asia country )
Recipe simple yet the buttercream look amazing, I’m staying in Singapore. I use SMBC often as it stay will under the hot weather here.
Yep, it’s just as sturdy as regular SMBC! So if you have success with that, I think this one will work just fine for you.
Hurray for the Internet! I live in the UK and have just made a birthday cake for a friend. I was worried that using ordinary buttercream in it, on it, and around the cake would be too sickly. Then low and behold there was your recipe for SMBC! Thank you, it’s wonderful – I will now use it all the time!
Hurrah for the internet, indeed! So thrilled to hear that it was a success for you!
Can this be using inbetween layers of cakes? And then tiered? My friend is wanting me to use this recipe on their 4 tier wedding cake!! I have to admit I’m kind of freaked out about doing that.
Yes, definitely! It’s just as sturdy as regular SMBC. I would still use dowels in the cake, of course, but it’s a great one for large tiered cakes!
Can i make half the recipe just cutting everything in half (ingredients)
Yep, it can easily be halved! No other changes necessary.
Mam,
I’m from Kerala(India) ..here we are not getting packed eggwhites .Is there any substitute for that
Hi, I recommend pasteurized egg whites for food safety reasons. If you can’t find them, and feel comfortable having raw egg whites, then you can just use those!
How can I make it strawberry flavored or banana?
You have a few different choices: you can use flavoring extracts, fruit purees, or freeze-dried fruit. Flavoring extracts are the easiest, just buy strawberry or banana flavoring and add it in. I’d start with 1 tsp and add more to taste (different brands have different strengths, so start on the low end and taste).
I wouldn’t try using banana puree, but you could definitely blend some strawberries and add the puree to the buttercream. It’s good but tricky because if you add too much puree the frosting gets soft and runny.
My favorite method, though, involves freeze-dried fruit. Put the freeze-dried bananas or strawberries in a food processor, and blend them until they’re a powder, then add that powder to the buttercream. It gives a really intense, realistic fruit flavor to the frosting without adding any extra liquid that might change the texture. Yay!
I was disappointed how it came out, too runny and not light and fluffy, don’t know why as I followed recipe precisely.
Hi Rosa, Sorry to hear that the frosting gave you trouble! I’d be happy to help you troubleshoot if you want to send me an email with a little more detail.
Could you use reconstituted powdered egg whites in place of the carton?
Hi Kris,
I suspect the answer is yes, but I haven’t tried it myself. You could do a half batch and see how it turns out before committing to the full batch? If you try it please let me know how it goes!
Hi how much will this make – as in what size cake will it fill and cover x
Hi Claire,
It makes about 8.5 cups, enough to fill and frost an 8- or 9-inch layer cake.
I have a question can you use it for a wedding cake too? Planning on getting married and have not decided if I’m making my own cake or not and that icing sounds really good just wanting to know if it could be used on a wedding cake or not???
Yes, definitely! It pipes well and also works well under marzipan or fondant!
The 100% egg whites brand I have found, says pasteurized , but also says do not use for meringue based desserts. Is this product still ok to use for the Swiss meringue buttercream.
Yes! Mine also say not to use them in meringue or angel food cake, and it works fine!
I love SMB…it’s not so sweet and not at all difficult to make. This particular recipe is AWESOME. I tried it and I could not believe how fluffy and delicious it was. Love piping it onto my Halloween cupcakes. So buttery and creamy I could have eaten it out of the bowl (well, I did have some…well, maybe a little more than some). This is a keeper in my book. Thanks for sharing this wonderful frosting recipe.
Haha, I’ve been know to sneak a taste or two…or ten…myself! 😉 So glad to hear that you loved it, Vicki!
Can I use a regular mixer instead of a kitchenaide
Yep! If you’re using a hand mixer, you might have to mixer for a longer period of time, but any mixer should work. I recommend a paddle attachment instead of a whisk.
Would this work using Splenda or powdered Stevia as a sugar substitute?
Hi Ruth, I haven’t tried it with a sugar substitute, but my inclination would be that it wouldn’t have the same taste/texture. Maybe try a half batch and let me know how it goes?
Can I frost a cake with this a day ahead of time? If so, should I refrigerate it?
Yes and yes! It stores very nicely in the refrigerator. For the best taste and texture bring it to room temperature before serving.
Thanks so much for this recipe! Would increasing the sugar to make it just a touch sweeter effect the finished product at all? I found that the 1:1 ratio of sugar and butter wasn’t quite right for my tastebuds 🙂
Nope, that should be just fine!
I totally bought the wrong kind of liquid eggs. Mine are pasturized but they are whole eggs not just the whites. Is it still ok to use this?
I’m sorry, but it needs to be the 100% whites, not the whole eggs. 🙁
Always been told that I make an outstanding buttercream but made this today for my daughters cupcakes and this may be my new favorite thing by far. Texture, taste, lightness, ease of use and ease of preparation…….just everything here is a winner! So much better than traditional buttercream IMO….
I am planning to make a cake for my mum. Just wonder if this uses icing sugar, would it be gritty/grainy like american buttercream? Many thanks!
This isn’t gritty like American Buttercream, and it doesn’t crust like ABC. It isn’t *quite* as smooth and traditional Swiss Meringue, and I do think there is a bit of texture, most likely due to the corn starch in the powdered sugar. (I always use C&H, as I’ve found it’s less gritty than most store brands.) So it’s worlds better than ABC, but a bit less smooth than SMBC…hope that helps!
I just tried this and found it gritty like American. Ended up making a batch of my regular smbc anyway. Is there a way to avoid that?
I’m sorry to hear that! I do think that the powdered sugar makes a difference–I’m very loyal to C&H, and can’t stand most store brands since they seem to have more corn starch/fillers and feel grittier. But at the end of the day, all powdered sugars do have SOME starch, so it may be that this is just not a frosting to your taste. :/
Just made half a batch for a sheet cake, turned out wonderful. My new go to buttercream frosting! Thanks so much!
Awesome, Deanna! I’m so thrilled that you like it!
Hi! I don’t have a beater blade. Can I use my regular handmixer with the whisk?
Any sort of paddle attachment (doesn’t have to be a beater blade) will work! The wire whisks beat in a lot of air, which makes for a fluffy frosting, but also gives tons of air bubbles that are difficult to get out if you’re trying to frost a smooth cake. So if you HAVE something that’s not a whisk attachment, I’d recommend using that.
Did anyone use the Meringue Powder as a substitute? If so how did it turn out? Thanks 🙂
This does look easy and quite fluffy, and I can understand the need to have a non-crusting frosting that is both. That being said, one of the best things about a true Swiss meringue buttercream is the fact that it is not overly sweet. Unfortunately, SIX cups of powdered sugar will make this sweeter than the ‘traditional’ buttercream you indicate tastes awful (which it does, because it is basically powdered sugar and butter). So, basically, you are making that awful-tasting buttercream and adding some egg whites to it to make it fluffy. Seems like a total waste of time and ingredients to me, just to wind up with way too much awful-tasting buttercream. Sorry, if I want a buttercream I will skip the egg whites, and if I want a Swiss meringue buttercream, I will make the effort to make the real thing.
Hi Maggie, I absolutely won’t argue that traditional Swiss meringue is delicious and worth the effort! However, I can’t agree that this cheater’s version is “awful-tasting,” nor do I find it too sweet. In taste and texture it is very different from American buttercream. My recipe has a 1:1 ratio of powdered sugar to butter by weight, whereas most American buttercreams are 2:1, 3:1 or even more, making them much sweeter. (1:1 is actually the same ratio I use for traditional Swiss meringue, just with granulated instead of powdered.) 6 cups may seem like a lot, but when you consider the butter ratio and not just the volume measurement, as well as the fact that it fills and covers an entire 9-inch layer cake, that puts things in perspective. You are welcome to your opinion, but I would encourage you to taste it before deciding that it’s a total waste of ingredients.
Have you noticed that the recipe says 24 oz sugar and in brakets (6 CUPS) then 24 oz butter (3 CUPS). Because we don’t use oz but grams I just looked at the Cups amount, and sadly made a mistake with the whole buttercream. Please change the amount. That’t why the comment above says it’s 6 cups of sugar. and that comes 2:1 ratio.
Hi Annamaria, I’m sorry if there was confusion. Both of those measurements are correct. Powdered sugar weighs 4 ounces per cup, so 24 ounces is 6 cups of sugar. Butter weighs 8 ounces per cup, so 24 ounces of butter is 3 cups. The majority of my readers are in the United States, and the majority of those do not use kitchen scales at all, making a cups measurement a necessity. However, I prefer to cook with weight (and most of the rest of the world does too) so I also provide ounce measurements, which are pretty easy to convert to metric via Google. I also anticipate that I will have an ounce-gram conversion tool available on my recipes in the near future, to help prevent any further confusion.
You really should try before making comments.
As far as decorating a cake with this icing does it smoothe easily I’d really like a recipe I could make it almost appear to have a fondant affect
It does smooth well. For the best results I use a hot metal spatula to get it really smooth. It doesn’t crust, so if you’re used to using a crusting buttercream and a Viva paper towel (or similar trick) that won’t work. But if you’re comfortable smoothing with a spatula I think you’ll be pleased. 🙂
Can you use meringue powder?
I’m not sure about meringue powder (although I suspect the answer is yes). Readers have tried powdered egg whites with great success, so I think meringue powder would also work, but unfortunately can’t say for certain.
This has got to be the BEST frosting ever. Thanks so much for sharing. I have made it several times and received so many compliments on it. So easy and so delicious.
Hi Elizabeth! I’ve never made SMB before and was looking for a recipe when I came upon this one. It is just delicious and I want to thank you for it. I frosted 3 dozen cupcakes today, trying out my new piping tips. I wish I could upload a photo.
I scooped the finished buttercream into individual bowls, then mixed in gel colors. The buttercream seemed to reduce in volume after I mixed in the color. I guess the trick is to add color and whip it in the mixer again to maintain the fluffy texture?
I’m going to make your traditional SMB recipe tomorrow to pipe onto some more cupcakes.
Thank you again for the recipe.
Just finished making this and it will be my go-to SMBC from now on! I’ve made SMBC in the traditional way with great success but this one is just as good and way less work (and I don’t have to worry about what to do with the egg yolks from separating eggs). Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing! I’ll totally try this recipe this weekend for a friend’s kid birthday cake, I just have 1 question. Do you think it’ll hold on for me to do the transfer of a drawing? Like the transfers you can do with Regular Buttercream.
Yep! It behaves just like SMBC so as long as you keep the transfer cold (I assume you freeze it?) it should be fine. Let me know how it works out for you!
I Elizabeth, do you think I can make this meringue butter cream using also cocoa powder?
Hi Sara, yes, you can add cocoa powder, although I would recommend mixing it with warm water first so that it mixes in better. What you can do is whisk the cocoa powder in with some water water until it forms a paste and let it come to room temperature, then mix the paste into the buttercream. Hope this helps!
Does it make a lot of frosting? I don’t need much and was thinking of cutting it in half
Yes, it makes over 8 cups of frosting. It halves very nicely!
Hii I ws so excited to see dis recipe n right away tried it,but it was perfect n had d stiff peaks till I added the butter..it jus became a flowing batter aftr I added the butter.why do u think dis happend? M so sorry to bother u vt my prob, ven everyone got d recipe perfect
Hi Anu, It’s very common for the buttercream to deflate and become soupy or watery after adding the butter. Did you beat it for the full 10 minute at medium speed with a paddle attachment after adding it? It needs a lot of beating time to emulsify the butter properly into the frosting. If you do give it a try again, definitely beat it for the full 10 minutes after adding the butter!
This stuff is so magical! I can’t even believe it! It’s not greasy like imbc and half the work! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Wahoo! So glad to hear that you love it, Terri! 🙂
This recipe. IS. AMAZING!!
I’ve been a pastry chef for 16 years and searching for a fantastic EASY recipe for buttercream. THANK YOU from the bottom of my sweet little pastry heart! Waiting for cooling and cooking sugar-no more!! ❤
I’m in love!!
Hi- the frosting looks amazing. I am making a raspberry champagne cake. Would I be able to add a bit of champagne to this recipe?
Thank you
What I would do is reduce the champagne by half–just boil it on the stove until it’s half the original volume, and cool it down before adding it. This will give a more intense champagne taste without having to make the buttercream too liquidy!
Hi, I am new to all this frosting business and experimenting for my 50th birthday at weekend. I used powdered egg whites as no shops round here sold the liquid version, a bit messy using them and sticky, but I followed the recipe above but only ended up using half the butter and it could have done with a bit more icing but suppose this is because the eggs were powered whites, think I would have got a better effect with the liquid version, but it is still really good. The taste is really nice too! Didn’t really need flavouring but added Madagascan vanilla, although I now experiencing a sugar rush after liking the bowls!!
Hello! Does this recipe hold its shape while decorating? I am definitely going to try it out!! I have only ever made American buttercream. I’ve tried a smbc recipe, and it called to mix it FOREVER. I don’t have time for that, so this seems ideal!
Hi Melissa, Yes, this buttercream pipes like a dream! I use it for almost all of my cake decorating now, including more intricate flower designs.
This looks like a great recipe and I like that it does not crust over. Does it matter whether you mix with a paddle attachment or the spider attachment? I would think the spider would whip more air into the frosting to make it more fluffy. Honestly, I never know when to use the spider attachment.
Hi Joan, I recommend the paddle for the exact reason you mentioned: the spider/whisk attachment beats a lot more air into it, and this can cause some really annoying air bubbles when trying to frost really smooth cakes. The paddle does a good job of emulsifying the frosting while incorporating fewer pesky air bubbles. Hope this helps, and let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi Elizabeth! I am totally in love with this recipe! Love the ease and the taste!! Definitely my to-go-recipe from now on!! But I do have 1 question: yours looks so white, but mine only turns white in the fridge. I have just iced a cake with it. Taking it form the fridge and after beating it was rather white, but after working with it, it turns yellow. Now I have a yellow cake 🙁 I did warm my scraper a bit, to help smooth the icing, because it wasn’t as ‘fluid’ as when I just made it. Can you tell me how I can prevent the yellow? Or perhaps how to get it as white as yours while making it? Thanks so much!!!!
Hi! I’m wondering if it was a difference in our butter? I know some brands of butter, especially those with high-fat or “European” varieties, are much more yellow. What kind of butter did you use? (I tend to use cheap butter from Costco!) It’s also true that using a hot spatula/scraper melts the buttercream slightly and can cause it to darken (this happens with colored buttercreams too).
Thanks so much for your reply! I live in the Netherlands, so unfortunately not familiar with American butters. How much fat does yours have? Maybe I can compare that way. I have tried to find a whiter butter, but I think the store won’t really appreciate me opening all their packages Tomorrow I am going to try again! With a cold spatula Will see if that was the cause.
to get rid of the yellow tint in buttercream add teeny teeny drops of purple to it until it whitens. Sounds crazy but it works AMAZINGLY!!!!
Would it be possible to substitute lemon juice and a touch of zest for the vanilla extract?
Yes, lemon juice is fine in small quantities, and zest is always a great addition!
Hi Elizabeth. First I want to say thank you for sharing this amazing recipe with us. I have one important question though. I am making a rather extravagant cake for my daughter’s birthday on Saturday. Due to all the decorating I would like to make it Friday. Will this hold in place til Saturday… So overnight? Also, I know if I put it in the fridge it will harden and condensate so can I leave it out overnight or will the frosting run? I keep my house at 72 degrees. Thank you so much for your help!
Sunny, so sorry I wasn’t able to see this question in time! I hope that the cake was a huge success for you! (And you might have already discovered this, but yes, you can leave it out overnight and it doesn’t run.) 🙂
I have read through all the reviews and will be trying this this week before my kids bday party next weekend. I do a lot of baking myself but can never seem to perfect my frosting! Lol…. thank you so much in advance!! Will post another review after trying this! Hey maybe if it comes out right I can save it for next weekend!! How long can I leave it in the fridge? Or freezer?
I hope it works well for you, Jennifer! This frosting lasts for ages…several weeks in the fridge, or several months in the freezer. Just let it sit on the counter until it comes to room temp, then beat again with the paddle attachment to get the smooth texture back (because it does get a little spongy if it sits for long periods of time.)
This recipe came out amazing! At first, I was beating on high speed and the frosting got very hard and balled up. I stopped the machine, let it rest for a couple of minutes and continued beating on medium for 8 minutes… It is very silky and not as sweet as it tasted when it ‘hardened’. Thank you!
Wonderful, Joanna! So glad that you liked it!
Love how easy this recipe was I was looking for a frosting that wasn’t as sweet as ABC and this is it!! Big polar bear party combined with 3 days each with a cake this is for the ice cream cake hoping it sticks to the ice cream
Yay, thanks Sharry! I hope your polar bear party turned out well! 🙂
Why doesn’t the egg whites need to be cooked over a double boiler? Did I miss something? My recipe uses egg whites which have to be cooked to 140 degrees….
Using pasteurized egg whites means that they have already been heated to kill bacteria, so the whites do not need to be heated again. 🙂 It’s explained in more detail in the FAQ above.
Hi, I just came across this recipe the other day…made it today…WONDERFUL! Thanks so much for this amazingly easy but sinfully decadent recipe. Will use it again and again!
Thank you so much, Laura! I’m so glad to know that you loved it! <3
Hi
This recipe looks amazing! I was wondering if this same recipe would work if I subbed Aquafaba for the egg whites? I have been making SMBC successfully with aquafaba using Gretchen’s bakery recipe. But would love to try this hassle free version.
Hi, I’m so sorry but I have zero experience with aquafaba! So I can’t say either way. :/ I hope you’ll let me know if it works, if you give it a try! (This recipe tends to scale up or down very well, so you could try a half or quarter batch just to see!)
Love this recipe! I have used it with regular vanilla cupcakes and I have added cinnamon to it for Snickerdoodle cupcakes and it works very well. Thank you!
One question: Does it require refrigeration? As in: I’m frosting cupcakes tonight, using them tomorrow during the day, will they need to be refrigerated or when on display for a 4-6 hour event, will they be safe at room temperature?
They’re fine at room temperature! If you were going to leave them out for 4-6 DAYS you might have a problem (hah) but for half a day, you’re golden. Let me know how it goes!
Hi. Sorry if this is a stupid question. But you do want the paddle attachment, yes?
Why do you have a picture of the frosting in a whisk attachment, instead? Just wondering. =)
I hope to make this very soon!
Hi Corinne, Not a stupid question, and yes you want a paddle attachment (like in the video). The picture you’re referring to is a link to my recipe for traditional Swiss Meringue buttercream, where I do use a whisk attachment. I tried to make it obvious through the text on top of the picture and the picture itself that it was referring to a separate post about regular Swiss Meringue, but I can definitely see how it is confusing! (It doesn’t help that the names are almost identical…)
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I’m in love with you! SMBC is my absolute favorite, but such a pain to make! I just finished a cake using this method and it was a dream!!!!! Absolute perfection and half the work. THANK YOU.
Tried your recipe, but I thought it tasted too buttery, & it left a greasy feel in my mouth. Do I need to use that much Butter? It also was yellow instead of white. What did I do wrong. I have never made this type of frosting before. Thanks
Hi Dorene, I’m sorry the frosting wasn’t to your taste. You can try cutting back the amount of butter, I already reduced it by half from the original source recipe so I wouldn’t recommend reducing it more than a quarter otherwise you might run into texture problems. Were you using a hand mixture or stand mixture? I find that hand mixtures do not incorporate as much air which could lead to a yellowish tinge and a heavy texture. Also, what kind of butter did you use? Butters with a higher fat percentage tend to be more yellow in color and that might explain the yellow color of your buttercream. Feel free to reach out by email if you have further questions.
Totally confused. You say 24oz of powdered sugar but then in parenthesis it says 6 cups. 24 oz is only 3 cups! Which is it? 6 or 3? I’m making this right now. Guess I’ll start with 3 and see if it needs more????
Hi Kathy, each cup of powdered sugar weighs 4 oz. So 6 cups is, indeed, 24 oz, and 6 cups is what the recipe calls for.
You might be confusing weight with volume–for liquid measurements, 1 cup is indeed 8 fluid ounces. But when it comes to weight, different ingredients will weigh different amounts. 1 cup of chocolate chips will weigh more than 1 cup of shredded coconut, for instance. The 8 oz = 1 cup rule does not apply to weight. Hope this clarifies things.
O. M. G !!!! I will never make another buttercream frosting recipe again! For me personally, it was the perfect balance. As you mentioned, it was very silky; not gritty at all. Enough said! Thank you for sharing.
P.S. I added my home made caramel sauce to the recipe and it was amazing.
Hi Janice, so thrilled that you loved it, and your caramel variation sounds amazing:)
Hi Elizabeth,
I just had post after trying this recipe. Over the last two days I have made three batches of this, two of the chocolate version and one of the vanilla. It is fantastic! Very easy to make and the taste is amazing! I will be adding this to my collection and using it often. Thank you so much for sharing.
Yay! Glad you loved it!
I’m so happy to find this recipe! I am in love with Swiss and Italian meringue butter cream, but it is so time consuming to make. I make cakes for birthdays at work, so they are free, so having a recipe like this allows me to have a weekend instead of spending all weekend in the kitchen. Thanks!!!!
Dena, I totally agree. This recipe is now my go to because it’s so fast and easy. Glad you love it, and might I say you have some very lucky co-workers:)
Can this be left out of the fridge after decorating the cake? Or does the decorated cake need to be kept in the fridge?
Hi Tammy, it’s fine to be left out for several days, but if it’s going to be longer I recommend putting it in the fridge. Let me know how it goes!
I tried this recipe last night, I wanted to try the traditional way but I was being extremely lazy so i opted for this one. I must say it’s really easy to make. The taste is smooth and silky you can taste the butter and the sugar. It’s not too sweet but just right. I started to get worried when it looked soupy but I started to blend for 8 minutes and it started to come alive lol. I halve the recipe three times because I was only making four cupcakes. I’m so glad I found this recipe. Thank you!
Awesome, I’m glad you liked it, thanks for the comment!
This frosting is amazing. I’ve made it twice now and I think I’m over traditional American buttercream after tasting this. This frosting is light and smooth, but still sweet and creamy. I’m so thankful I found your recipe!
Thank you Heidi, I’m glad you loved it!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! I’m in love with this recipe! I made it for the first time, and I can tell you, I will NEVER go back to making ABC again! It’s so stable, which is what I was hoping for! I keep waiting for it to fall apart, and it doesn’t!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
So glad to hear that, thank you so much!
Hi Elizabeth. I love Swiss Buttercream, but it’s definitely a little tedious to whip up if you’re short on time, so I love the convenience of this recipe. I noticed that this compared to your traditional SMBC, has much less egg whites and much more butter, and looks to make a smaller batch. Does this have much more of a buttery taste than the traditional, or a bit heavier in general? I know some people think SMBC is too buttery for their taste as is (although I do confess to loving that flavor!), so if I’m making it for a birthday party I am thinking about that.
Hi Megan, I would say that in taste and texture they are very similar. I do think that the EASIEST version has a slightly different texture due to the cornstarch in the powdered sugar. It’s not very noticeable, but if you were to taste them side by side it would not be quite as smooth. Other than that, I don’t think there’s a real difference in the sweetness or buttery flavor. Let me know what you think if you give it a try!
I can’t wait to try this! My only question is can I make a big batch then freeze it for later use like you can for traditional buttercream?
Yes, definitely! It freezes beautifully. Just let it defrost at room temp and re-whip to get back a smooth texture. 🙂
I am just getting back into baking and decorating after a long time off after my babies were born. I reaaaaally dislike American Buttercream at this point, but SMBC is a bit intimidating and pricey to experiment with. I am so excited to give this a try!
Awesome, Let me know if you have any questions, and I’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a try.
If I were to make and frost cupcakes as you have could I freeze the whole iced cakes for a week or so? Thanks so much!
Hi Lynda, technically you could but I wouldn’t recommend it. I think the texture of the buttercream after it defrosts is a little spongy and I always like to re-whip it after defrosting it. So I’m not sure if you would be fully satisfied with the piped buttercream cupcakes.
This is amazing! Thank you soooo much for this! I cannot stand traditional buttercream, it’s greasy and heavy and to me tastes like I’m eating sugared butter (since I actually am!). :-{
THIS however, is light and creamy and airy, perfectly textured and lovely and beautiful! I used vanilla bean paste in mine and everyone LOVED it! Tasted a lot like a creamy vanilla bean ice cream! My husband and son were licked the piping bags and anything else they were allowed to touch! Haha! A HUGE HIT! SO AWESOME, THANKS AGAIN!
Thank you so much, I’m so glad that you loved it!
Hi I have a question is the egg whites have to be in room temperature or straight from refrigerator is okay?
Did you shift the powder sugar?
Have you try to adda cream cheese to make cream cheese filling?
Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Hi Fonnita, I prefer to use room temperature egg whites because it mixes better, but cold egg whites are okay. I usually don’t sift my powdered sugar because I find that mixing it does a good job getting rid of the lumps. For the cream cheese frosting I’ve had the most success with first making the buttercream recipe as written, then in a separate bowl beat the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. Then gradually adding the buttercream to the cream cheese. This is most fool proof way I know to make cream cheese buttercream that doesn’t break. Let me know if you have any further questions and I’d love to see how it turns out!
Looks amazing! I am about to try it now and realized the eggs whites are still in the refrigerator. Do the liquid egg whites need to be room temperature?
Hi Arlene, I recommend room temperature egg whites as it mixes better, but cold egg whites can work in a pinch!
Can you make flowers out of this?
Yes! It pipes beautifully. Here is a link of a recent cake I made with this frosting.
http://www.sugarhero.com/spring-in-bloom-layer-cake/
This is the most amazing frosting I’ve ever made! It pipes like a dream!! Thank you!
I’m so glad it worked out for you! Thank you for letting me know!
Holy delicious, smooth frosting, Batman! THANK YOU! I will never use AMC EVER again. This is awesome!
Great! I’m so glad you love it Ashley!
I have tried every variation of “Swiss Meringue” buttercream I could find…..No look whatsoever until I made this! I know this is technically a “cheater” version but I don’t care!! They other versions never tasted sweet enough…just like pure butter. This is the perfect blend of sweet and buttery…not TOO sweet, not TOO buttery! My husband hates regular American buttercream and he LOVED this!!
Hi Caroline, thank you so much, I’m so glad you and your husband loved this. I’d love to see some of the things you make with it:)
Amazing recipe! Tried and it came out beautifully. Thanks 🙂
Thanks Nika, so glad you liked it!
It came out runny smh .l have no idea what I did wrong
Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. Assuming all the ingredient measures were correct, it’s very common for the frosting to go through a runny period before it comes together. So in general, I would just recommend beating it for a longer period of time because almost invariably it does come together in the end. Feel free to reach out via email if you’d like more trouble shooting help.
Not sure if this has beven asked already but I just tried this recipe and it just stayed in the runny liquid stage despite whipping it for ages and putting it in the fridge in between as well. What did I do wrong? 🙁
Hi Michelle, so sorry it didn’t work out for you, my usual recommendation is to beat the frosting longer but it sounds like you’ve done that extensively. I would ask if you’re sure if you measured the ingredients properly? This is something I make at least once a week and I feel confident in the recipe as written, so without being there and watching you make it it’s hard to know exactly what went wrong. Are you using a hand mixer or stand mixer? If you’re using a hand mixer it might take longer to come together but that’s really the only variable I can think of. Feel free to reach out via email with more details.
Hi, I made this and it came out great, put in fridge overnight. When I took it out next day, I let it sit for a while, then re-beat it and it turned to a grainy, soupy mess. Any idea what happened?
Hi Paige, my guess is that it wasn’t completely at room temp when you started beating it. It’s pretty common for the buttercream to break if it’s mixed when it’s still cool. Fortunately the solution is to always keep mixing, and it will come back together. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any further questions!
Help! I started beating it right out of the fridge. I didn’t let it come to room temp. Now what can I do to fix it?
Hi Jill, honestly if you continue to beat it it should come back together. If you want to speed up the process, you can try microwaving a small portion of the buttercream until slightly warm and then adding that to the cold buttercream and mixing them together. Even though it looks like a mess, all is not lost and it will come together eventually.
Hi, i found that the consistency of this buttercream was very, very soft (but still delicious!). It was a pretty hot day but the house was air conditioned, and I followed the instructions as well as ingredients. Do you have an idea of where I might have messed up?
Hi Olivia, I;m so sorry the frosting was soft for you. I would say it’s usually pipe able right out of the bowl for me. You can add additional powdered sugar and see if that helps the texture; let me know how it goes!
it really was super easy to make. my only question is can the sugar be reduced to maybe 5 or 4 cups instead???
Hi Carmen, I’ve never tried reducing the sugar, but I think it would be okay if you went down to five cups. Let me know how it goes:)
I’m so confused and frustrated. I’ve tried so hard to make this lovely SMBC, but just can’t get it right. I’ve thrown 3 lots away now. I did everything step by step. It looked just right at the last attempt, and I was so excited. It was lovely after I had added the butter but after I carried on mixing it went soft so I put it in a bowl (well actually Poured it in) and in the fridge but it still didn’t go back stiff. I’m so disappointed as everyone seems to have got it right, but I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. Do you think you could help me Elizabeth? I would be most grateful. By the way I love the cupcakes on the display. You are very talented. I’m so envious of you lol. Thanking you in anticipation.
Hi Carole, I’m so sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the recipe. How long did you beat the frosting after adding the butter? It’s very common for the frosting to get soft and runny mid process, but almost without fail it comes back together with continued beating. The last beating should be literally 10 minutes to get it to the right texture. Please feel free to reach out via email if you have more questions or if I can assist you in any further manner.
Love this recipe! I made it to use for a Margarita cupcake and instead of using the vanilla, I added tequila and lime zest! Everyone loved them!
… That sounds AMAZING!
WOW! I have never left a comment on recipes before, but I had to for this one. I have never been able to make a good buttercream… it always comes out too sweet and runny. This recipe is PERFECT! It came out exactly how I needed it to and wasn’t super sweet. I was nervous after adding the vanilla because the texture looked off, but once you keep mixing it it is the exact texture you want. It held perfect on my cupcakes. Thank you soooo much!!
Hi Amanda, I’m so glad it worked out for you, thank you so much for leaving such a sweet comment!
This is an AWESOME recipe! I have been fretting over HOW to make my buttercream less sweet without having to always do the traditional SMBC! Thank you!!
Thank you Heather! I’m glad you loved it:)
I don’t have a stand mixet, only a hand mixer. Will that work?
Yes it will work, but you might find that you need to beat it for longer. Hand mixtures aren’t as powerful so sometimes the recipe requires an extended beating time. Let me know how it goes!
Hi can you yse powder egg white. I have never seen liquid egg white. Thanks sw.init@ hotmail.com
Yes! I haven’t done it myself, but other commenters have tried it and had success. You can read through and find out their experiences in the comments. 🙂
Hi,
This recipe sounds delicious, what ratio would I need to use to cover a three tier cake?
Thank you,
Mila
Hi Mila! Are you torting and filling them with buttercream as well, or just covering the outside? That can make a big difference in the final answer. 🙂 The batch as written makes about 8.5 cups.
Wow. I’ve never made SMBC before because it seemed to daunting. This was SO easy and my husband, who loves my usual ABC, said it was the best buttercream I’ve ever made! I used 2c salted butter (and omitted the salt) with 1c vegetable shortening, and it turned out great! Thank you!
Wonderful, so glad to hear you and your husband loved it!
I love this recipe! I thought I’d try a chocolate version so added the right amount of white chocolate and it went so runny. I’ve left it in the fridge overnight and whipped it again this morning and it’s come back to life, but now very soft. And it’s supposed to be icing a cake that will eb covered in fondant. I am worried it won’t take the weight of fondant. Can I do anything to it to help it harden a bit?
Hi Jillian, I’m so sorry that you’re having trouble with the white chocolate version, white chocolate is tricky because depending on the brand, it can have really different amounts of cocoa butter and the final texture can range anywhere from very loose to very firm. Your best bet might be to add more powdered sugar to firm it up. This will add a lot of sweetness so it might not be ideal, but it’s what I would try as a last minute solution. Please let me know how it goes!
I was reading the comments and some wanted to know if the egg whites should be room temp. but I didn’t see the response for that?
Sorry, it’s sometimes hard for me to keep up with the comments and I occasionally miss some unintentionally. 🙂 Yes, room temp egg whites are preferred so everything can emulsify smoothly. Hope that helps!
I have been using this recipe for months now, and I love it. It’s my go to! But I have a request for a peanut butter frosting. So I’m wondering if I can add peanut butter, or if it would change the texture or anything?
Peanut butter is tricky because it has a lot of fat in it, so it can change the texture of the BC and make it unpleasantly greasy or cause it to separate. I’ve had the most success with using powdered peanut butter–like PB2. It’s defatted, so you’re not adding a ton of extra fat, and it’s really flavorful, so you don’t have to add a ton to get a good peanut butter taste. I haven’t tried it in this exact BC recipe so I can’t give you quantities, but I’d try adding it bit by bit and seeing how it works out for you! And please come back and tell us how it goes. 🙂
Can you substitute shortening for some of the butter to make it more heat/humidity stable?
I’ve never tried it with shortening, so I can’t say for sure. I would guess that it would probably work. If I were to try it I would use hi-ratio shortening and try to keep at least a 2:1 butter ratio for flavor purposes. I hope you’ll report back if you give it a try!
I’m wondering why you’re using a paddle instead of a whisk. I want to try it, but would probably reach for the whisk attachment unless there’s a good reason not to. Thanks for this post Ellizabeth!
It will also work with a whisk–I find I get more air bubbles in my frosting when I use the whisk, so I usually use the paddle for this one, especially because there’s no need to whip the egg whites into a meringue before adding the butter. So the paddle gets the job done with less air bubbles–but you’re free to use your tool of choice. 🙂
Help mines curled after mixing
Just keep mixing! Sometimes it takes a little longer to emulsify, especially if the butter was a bit cold or there’s some other temperature difference. (That’s why I show the curdled BC in the video, because it’s fairly common.) But assuming all quantities were measured correctly, it will eventually come together with more mixing.
Hi Elizabeth! I’m actually making your recipe right now. I used a 2:1 ratio bitter to shortening. I also used egg whites straight out of fridge as I did not see your reply for this question asked by others. Hoping this turns out well and that I like the taste. Thanks for posting and I will give an update. 2 minutes left
Hi Elizabeth! Seems we are on at almost same time 🙂 I just finished my buttercream and I used shortening g along with the butter. I also used egg whites straight from the refrigerator(was out maybe 5 min)before I saw your last comment on it being room temp. I did not have any problems at all. The result seems perfect. Going to put in the fridge tonight and rewhip tomorrow to see how it is. On adding color..you stated gel colors. Does it streak at all? I read somewhere that candy colors work better in meringue..wasn’t sure. Thanks 🙂
Hi Elizabeth! I JUST finished making the buttercream and am very pleased with my results. My egg whites were almost straight out of the refrigerator as I did not see your most recent comment on that subject. They had maybe been out 5 minutes, but I had no issues. I also used shortening and would definitely not use more as you would lose a lot of the flavor. I actually think it could have been a tad sweeter..but just a tad maybe. Certainly not much. I was concerned about the flavor being too buttery using all butter..but I think I could make it that way and it would be ok too. We will see how it tastes tomorrow as I plan to cool it and re whip to see how it responds. On adding color…i know you mentioned using gel colors as one normally would. Have you ever had issues with it streaking? I believe I read somewhere that candy color works better for meringue..but wasnt sure. Thanks for posting!
Hi Melissa, glad to hear it worked with the shortening. I’d love to see pictures of what you made with it. To answer your question about the coloring, typically I don’t have any problems using gel coloring — I use AmeriColor brand and that works for me. Please let me know if you have any further questions!
How does this recipe stand up to heat and humidity compared to regular SMBC? We need to do a small cake and a bunch of cupcakes for a wedding in the Northwest – Washington State. The reception will be in early July so likely temps are in the 80’s though it might go up to 90F. And humidity is pretty variable – it can be as low as 55% up the 90% mark. So in the worst case scenario – high 80’s and high humidity, will your Easy SMBC survive an outdoor wedding?
We are cool and rainy this week. Looking forward to giving your easy SMBC a test run. It sounds like what my wife loves, a not so cloyingly sweet buttercream to top her baked goods.
Hi Tatoosh, I would say this is comparable to a regular Swiss meringue. When it comes to withstanding heat, Italian meringue is actually my preferred frosting because I think it is the most stable. That being said, if you wanted tot try this one, you could try replacing 1/3 of the butter with shortening to give it more staying power in the heat. And definitely keep it out of direct sunlight. Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Hi how many cupcakes can this frost? Thank you
Hi Vivian, it depends on your frosting plans and how high you like to pipe your cupcakes. I do big bakery style swirls and I get about 24 large cupcakes out of it.
I like to bake ahead of time. Can I bake, frost, and freeze my cupcakes for a later time. How does the swiss meringue hold up after thawing?
Hi Susan. You can bake and freeze your cupcakes and frost them later. I wouldn’t recommend freezing frosted cakes and cupcakes. I do it all the time this way.
Hi Susan,
My response is the same as June’s. I would recommend freezing separately and decorate after frosting.
Hi Elizabeth. I just wanted to tell you I came across this recipe last fall and IT IS THE BOMB! It is the only one I use. I am a home baker and do lots of cak s for friends and family and everyone LOVES it. Last month I put dulce de Leche in it and it was so delicious! I am going to fl in 10 days for my mothers 87 birthday. My sister doesn’t have a stand mixer so I am making the buttercream at home and packing it for the flight. I have left it out of fridge for a few days and it has been fine! Thank you thank you thank-you!
Hi June,
Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear that you love it. I have actually done the flying with buttercream before and I wish you best of luck with the cake. Please let me know how it goes!
Elizabeth
Hi there,
Making/trying this recipe to use as a cupcake tray set up like a weeding dress for a bridal shower. My friend wants white icing. This seems pretty white to me. Is that right? Also, for 40 cupcakes, should I double the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Melissa,
I would say it’s fairly white, but because it uses butter and not shortening it’s not pure white like a Crisco-based recipe. The amount you need depends on how you plan on decorating them, but to be safe I would double it. If you have extra buttercream you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
Please let me know how it turns out.
Best,
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! I live in Finland and we don’t use cup, fl oz or oz when measuring ingredients. So could you please tell me how many grams of powdered sugar and butter you use for this recipe cause I’m really confused now. I’ve tried with this now twice and failed both times. The buttercream is pretty loose in the end, way too loose for making any decorations. I use a hand mixer and after adding the butter it looks excellent and thick, but after 5 min mixing it starts to become loose. And it stays like that even after 30 min of mixing. I’ve even added more powdered sugar, but that doesn’t help either. I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong. The butter and the egg whites are room temperature (which is around 22°C so not too warm.)
Hi Katri,
I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the recipe. I don’t bake in grams myself, but here are the conversions provided by Google. For the 6 fl oz of egg whites, it is 175 ml. 24 oz of powdered sugar becomes 680.389 grams, and same for the butter.
Let me know if this turns out any better.
Best,
Elizabeth
And those same numbers I got also. So I have everything correct. Hmmm…. Weird. I really don’t know what could go wrong then. Now I’m even more confused. 😀 Could it be just that I’m using a hand mixer and not a stand mixer?
I’m so sorry to hear that! Hand mixers are less powerful, so sometimes it takes more mixing with the hand mixer, but I have heard from readers that use hand mixers that it does work, so hopefully if you just try mixing it a little longer that will help fix the problem? Let me know if that works!
First I would like to thank you for this fabulous swiss meringue buttercream recipe. I’ve been afraid to try SMBC before, because some of those recipes looked a little difficult to make. But using the pasturized egg whites worked fantastic, and I thought it was really easy. It is now my absoluetly favorite frosting ever. I did frost some chocolate expresso cupcakes and did freeze them. To see how they would be after they had thawed. They looked and tasted, just as good as when they were freshly made. Like I mentioned in a comment before I like to have baked goods in the freezer for when company stops by, or I want a cupcake in the middle of the night.:) Thank you again. I’m so happy I found your recipe.. P.S. Do you have any Idea on how, or if you could make a caramel SMBC
Thank you so much! I’m glad you tried this one! And well of course, desserts on standby is a must. Yes! You can add a thick caramel sauce, as in from a jar, and if you add up to one cup to the batch after mixing, it makes a really nice buttercream! Let me know if it turns out!
I saw in a comment above that the SMBC doesn’t “crust” like traditional buttercream does. I also saw the comment that said that the SMBC will hold fondant, but my question is:
Will it hold fondant “decorations” that are on a two-tier cake, or will they slide down the cake, since it doesn’t crust? This frosting looks amazing, and I’m not into the overly sweet frosting’s, so this would be perfect. I just hope that I can adhere fondant decorations to it, instead of having to resort to using the overly sweet frosting’s out there. I’m wanting this for a cake for a 4 year old’s birthday party.
Thank you so much!
I haven’t tried adhering fondant decorations to this buttercream. I’ve done it with other Swiss Meringues, and it turned out just fine. This Meringue behaves much like any other, so I think it should be fine. However, since I haven’t tried it, I would recommend doing a test run. Let me know how it goes! Best of luck.
Wow I love this recipe, I’ve made it a few times now and love the taste, so much better then normal buttercream. However is there a way of making it a bit more stiff? I follow the recipe to the dot with loads of whipping x
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoy it! You will get differences in texture depending on the heat or humidity in the room, so you may find that adding more butter, or shortening, will give the buttercream more body. Hope this helps!
You are my “Sugar Hero”! I will be doing my daughter’s wedding cake in next June and have already been practicing. I will be using this in my blog–I will make sure I follow your reuse rules!:) I have made regular Swiss buttercream with about 85% success–but I need 100%! I followed this recipe to the letter–during the entire process I’m thinking–no way–no WAY can this be this easy. I used Costco butter and clear vanilla because I wanted to see how white it could be. First off, it’s WAY whiter than any buttercream I have ever made–even the ones with half shortening. I plopped some on a snow white bowl and it was totally camouflaged. I’m interested to see if it darkens after freezing. Second, it is the best frosting I have ever tasted–bar none. My husband agreed and so did the (3) others that tried it. All 5 of us have tasted many types of frostings. Finally, the ease and safety of it all. The fact that the egg whites are pasteurized is a relief when feeding a crowd. The time this saves is amazing and its simplicity! A stand mixer is a must. I froze this batch after filling and crumb coating an 8″, 3 layer (2″ high layers) vanilla cake. I froze the cake with the crumb coating and filling as well. I’m still in shock and so fantastically happy about this recipe!
Hi Debby! Thank you so much for all the kind words and detailed feedback! I’m thrilled that it worked out so well for you and I really appreciate the information, hopefully others will benefit from it now as well! I have never noticed darkening after freezing, so hopefully it won’t for you either. I would absolutely love to see how it turns out! Keep me posted. Thanks again 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Very easy, very quick and very delicious! The only thing I would keep in mind for the next time is if I am planning on tinting the frosting a deep color, I will add food coloring during the final mixing time and not wait until the end. I was going for maroon and the frosting was a little overworked on a hot June evening by time I reached the color I wanted.
Great point. I’ll add it to the notes of the recipe so others are aware as well! Thank you!
I can’t tell you how much I LOVE this buttercream!!!!! It’s my all-time favorite!! I’ve noticed it definitely makes a difference in the color of my buttercream, by the brand of egg whites I use. If I use the, All Whites brand, instead of the off brand at Walmart, I noticed my buttercream is so much whiter. The egg whites in the off brand tend to make it more yellow. I’d rather pay the extra dollar and change for the whiter egg whites!! Thank you again, for sharing your recipe!!!
That’s great to know! I get a lot of questions about the buttercream being more yellow, so I will definitely make sure to let them in on this little secret in the future. Thank you so much for letting me know! I really appreciate it. And of course! Thanks for trying it out! 🙂
Hello, Elizabeth! I loved your recipe. Im from Dominican Republic, and im concerned about finding the pasteurized egg whites…how can i use regular egg whites in this recipe? I read one of your replies when you wrote about the cooking part. Can you help me out? (Even if i have to cook the regular egg whites). Thanks!!
Hi Natalie,
I recommend pasteurized egg whites for food safety reasons. If you are not concerned about eating raw egg whites, on a personal level, you can just use regular egg whites in this recipe. If you prefer to use cooked egg whites, then I recommend a standard Swiss meringue buttercream instead. The egg whites and sugar are cooked together over a hot water bath, eliminating any bacteria concerns associated with raw whites. Here’s my favorite recipe for standard Swiss meringue:
https://www.sugarhero.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Omg! BEST BUTTERCREAM EVER! I’m a self taught baker and I’ve always been terrified of SMBC but honey! I decided to give it a go and fell completely in LOVE with it! It smooths perfect and tastes like ice cream! When coloring when is the best time to add the food color?
Thank you so much!! It can be a bit daunting but I’m glad it worked out for you!! It is best to add the color at the end after everything is completely mixed!
Hi
My buttercream came out yellow. Followed ingredients & recipe . Your buttercream looks white in the picture . I was looking forward to a white buttercream to pipe white roses .
I used unsalted butter..
The color really depends on what color of butter you used. So look for the whitest one you can find. Sometimes it is possible to color correct by adding the tiniest dab of purple because it will help balance out the yellow since they are opposite on the color wheel. But ultimately it depends on the color
of your butter. For a truly bright white frosting, your best bet is probably to use a shortening-based buttercream (unfortunately!) Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Love you easy SMBC recipe but I was wondering if it can be used under fondant an will it stand up on a wedding cake that sits on a table for a few hours.
Yes it behaves just like a normal Swiss Meringue Buttercream so it should be just fine as long as it isn’t in high temperatures! 🙂
Could you use salted instead of unsalted butter, and just leave out the salt in the recipe? Wondering if you or anyone has tried it, and how it worked. I got a great deal on salted butter last week….:)