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.
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.
How to Make the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream Video:
The EASIEST Swiss Meringue Buttercream
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.
Notes
Nutrition
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
Hello! I was wondering if I could use this recipe to crumb coat and fully coat a cake and then it would smooth without air bubbles? Would it harden at some point hat if I touch it I wouldn’t ruin it? The reason I’m asking is because I would like to use this type of light and airy frosting instead I do a a traditional American buttercream (heavier and I seem to get air bubbles because it’s harder to “work”)
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!!
Hi. I had a question about the measurement in cups. You have 24oz of powdered sugar which says 6 cups and then you also have 24 oz oz of butter which is 3 cups? So am I actually using 48 oz of powdered sugar which is 6 cups? I really wanted to try this recipe so as soon Adnan I find that out I hopefully will!!
*As soon as
Hi Humairaa, This is a pretty common question, and the answer is that a cup of different ingredients weighs different amounts. If you think about it, 1 cup of chocolate is going to weigh much more than 1 cup of shredded coconut, right? And 1 cup of powdered sugar is much lighter than 1 cup of butter. So the oz and cups measurements are correct–24 oz of powdered sugar is approx 6 cups, and 24 oz of butter is approx 3 cups. If you have a scale I always recommend going by the weight measurements for maximum accuracy. Hope that helps!
So you are saying the same weight in oz’s of each sugar and butter as I have always made frosting by using twice the icing sugar to butter can you confirm this please
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.
Can I decorate cupcakes and put in the fridge overnight or will the icing get hard and crusty? Could I leave out in the counter overnight?
Hi Kristin! You can put the min the fridge overnight, the frosting will get hard, but it won’t crust over so when you pull them out and they return to room temp, they will be back to normal. But there is also no problem with leaving them out overnight. Whichever you prefer!
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.
I agree. I also tried this recipe and it is FABULOUS!!! my husband loved it a lot ! thanks for sharing this recipe Elizabeth! I think this is my go to buttercream now hehe
Thank you, Ruth! I appreciate the feedback and am glad it’s your new go-to!
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.) 🙂
Hello again the first Kink came out beautifully and I am making another one for my father-in-law however I have a few questions. He has requested a carrot cake which we all know has to come with cream cheese frosting. My idea is that I will take a very rich cream cheese frosting and use that in the center layers and then use this frosting around the outside for the decorating purposes so I can get a nice smooth finish. My question to you is, one, do you think this Swiss meringue frosting will hold the cream cheese in so it does not use out if I create a dam with it? Thank you again so much.
That sounds delicious! I definitely think the Swiss Meringue Buttercream will keep the cream cheese frosting in! Let me know how it turns out and if you have any other questions. Good luck! Elizabeth
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.
https://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. 🙂
Did you try it with peanut butter? If so, how did it turn out? Thanks
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!
Hi there! I am interested in who shortening turned out in your recipe? Thanks
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
How much dulce de leche did you add to this recipe?
Hi, I would start with 1 cup of thick dulce de leche and check the taste/texture after it’s mixed in. If you want a stronger flavor, add more a few spoonfuls at a time until you’re happy with it.
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!
Use a clear vanilla as well.
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! 🙂
Hello I cannot wait to try this recipe!!
The only problem is that I need it to be dairy free… can use shortening and/or margarine?if so in what quantities? Can you recommend any specific brand?
Thanks so much!!!
Hi Elisa! I actually haven’t tried to make this completely dairy free. I’ve substituted a portion of the butter for shortening but can’t say how it would work substituting all of it. I would probably recommend trying shortening rather than margarine but I’m afraid I can’t say how it would work for sure. If you try it, I would love to know how it goes!
Best,
Elizabeth
Best recipe ever!! Love, love, love. It is now my go to icing recipe for using in macarons.
Ooh yum! Trying to get my hands on some of those! What a great idea.
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….:)
Hahah! Yes it should work fine! I like to use unsalted cause you have a little more control over the saltiness of the final taste, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t work! Good luck 🙂
This really is a lovely recipe, thank you! I made some strawberry, chocolate, and lemon Swiss meringue buttercream this week, mixing the basic recipe with pureed strawberries, melted and cooled chocolate, and lemon curd respectively. It went down a storm, and I don’t think I’ll go back to my traditional buttercream recipe.
The only issue I had was that after freezing and defrosting the leftover mixtures, I had a terrible time trying to get a nice smooth consistency again – it was all curdled and greasy looking. I beat it for around ten-fifteen minutes and couldn’t get it to rebind… I’m not sure if i just wasn’t patient enough or what? I’ve just read the suggestions about microwaving 1/4 of the mixture and re-adding it to the running mixer. I don’t actually have a microwave, but maybe next time I could warm it up in the oven for a moment? I probably didn’t leave it to defrost thoroughly enough either to be honest!!
Thanks again 🙂
I’m glad you loved it! And I love hearing all of the variations you tried! They sound absolutely lovely. If it wasn’t thoroughly defrosted, my guess is that’s the problem. It needs to be room temperature if it’s going to re-combine properly. That’s why adding the microwaved buttercream is suggested. However, I’m still surprised that it didn’t eventually combine! Going forward, definitely make sure it’s at room temp before. Additionally, rather than putting it in the oven, I would suggest warming it over a hot water bath because you can control the gradual temperature change easier that way. Let me know if that helps at all!
I made this for my nieces birthday and now my nephew wants it but. chocolate version…how would I do that? This recipe is the best!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!
Awesome! So glad you loved it! There are directions for how to make a chocolate one at the bottom. Let me know if you have trouble finding it. Thank you!
Holy Crap! This stuff is amazing! I love the science of frosting. Who would ever think that the process of mixing for so long would create such a fabulous frosting! It’s awe-mazing!! Thanks. Make traditional Swiss meringue so infrequently that I’m not ever quite sure I’ve nailed it or “nailed it”. This is foolproof!
That’s the goal! I’m glad it worked 🙂 Right! Isn’t it so cool?? Thanks for sharing!
I don’t often review recipes, but I had to add to the chorus of kudos for this one. I use it ALL the time. I’ve found that it appeals to people who like SMBC as much as those who like American buttercream. Really a wonderful, easy recipe. I’m looking forward to making the chocolate variation this weekend!
Thank you so much! It makes my day to hear how people enjoy the recipe. Feel free to reach out with all your questions! 🙂
If I wanted to make a lemon version of this, would you recommend adding some lemon curd (and approx. how much)? Thanks!
I would lean toward adding lemon extract instead of curd. Curd is nice because it’ll give it a really smooth and creamy texture, but will also make it softer. If you’re going to use it as a cake filling, that’s totally fine. But for frosting and decorating, probably not ideal. For lemon extract I would start with two tablespoons and add more to taste after that. If you could find it, citric acid is a great addition. Just a quarter teaspoon adds a lot of tartness and a really realistic lemon flavor and I like ot use it in all of my citric desserts. I often find it by the spices or by the bulk dry goods in grocery stores.
I want to point out that 24oz of butter is 3 sticks or 1 1/2 cups NOT 3 cups.
I love butter, but that might not work so well. I didn’t read all the comments so someone else might have already caught the error
Where are you located? In the US, a stick of butter is standardized at 4 oz, and is measured to be 1/2 cup. So 24 oz is indeed 6 sticks and 3 cups.
Could I use cocoa powder to make the chocolate version instead of the melted unsweetened chocolate?
You can, when I do that, I like to mix the cocoa powder with enough water to make a paste and then add the paste, because the powder doesn’t mix as well without the water. Best of luck! Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
How much cocoa would you recommend using for one batch of frosting?
I would start with 1/2 cup cocoa powder, mixed with just enough warm water to make a paste, then added to the buttercream. Give it a taste and add more if desired!
Ok so I am too cheap to buy a standing mixer, even though I bake regularly and a lot. But that’s a different story. So I only have my trusted hand held mixer, how does that alter change the recipe and the beating times. Other recipes I looked at and used, always gave side notes about this. Can you please enlighten me
I always use my stand mixer, so I can’t give a definitive answer. Based on comments from my post I know people have successfully done this with hand mixers. I need to experiment on my own to know for sure though! In general, hand mixers often add a few minutes to the mixing time, but I would just start with the given time and see how it looks! Let me know if it works, or if you have any other questions!
Making it tomorrow, will definitely time and let you know. Excited to try something that doesn’t require a double boiler
Made this yesterday and used it to frost rosettes on about 4 dozen cupcakes with about a cup of frosting left over. This was my first attempt at a meringue type frosting and it was a huge hit! I think next time I will increase the amount of sugar by about a half cup. The recipe as is tasted more like pudding or pastry cream to me which was still really good but I would have preferred it to be slightly sweeter. Next time I make a layer cake I will definitely use this to fill the cake and something sweeter for the outside frosting. One thing I want to point out if you are making this for the first time…after adding the butter make sure you follow the recipe and whip it long enough! I was worried since mine looked really weird like scrambled eggs BUT after about 7 or 8 mins it became nice and creamy. Thanks so much for the recipe! I can’t wait to try your traditional SMBC. Also I was wondering…while mixing long enough is important, is it possible to overmix and if so what would happen?
Really? I found it way too sweet and was wondering if I can reduce the sugar by about two cups. I couldn’t finish one cupcake.
Hi Stephanie! I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for the review! Definitely try the traditional version and let me know what you think! As far as overmixing, I haven’t tried for, say, an hour, so I couldn’t tell you exactly what might happen, but it is possible to beat a lot of air into the frosting, which can result in some unsightly air bubbles that are really annoying when trying to smooth out the sides of a cake! It’s not impossible to recover from, but it is a drag so I always set a timer just to be sure I don’t space out and let the mixer run for a really long time. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Can I use this icing on sugar cookies too?
Yes! The one thing to be aware of is that the icing doesn’t crust over, so if you used it on cookies you wouldn’t want to stack them on top of each other because it would be a mess. If you’re looking for something easy to stack then royal icing or a crusting buttercream would probably be a better choice. But as far as just decorating sugar cookies and adding an awesome flavor, this recipe works well.
So I made this buttercream and as I commented above, I do not have standing mixer. I added more time to beating the egg whites and the cream after adding butter. But no matter how long I beat it I still had the powdered sugar grittiness. Even though it is definitely easier, I will probably stick with the traditional SMBC. Not only for the texture but because it was so cloyingly sweet, it made it almost unpleasant. The traditional is no where near as sweet.
It is very pretty, and pipes like a dream but I wish I can cut the sugar in half. Is it possible to reduce sugar by at least a third and still make this successfully? Has anyone tried?
I’m wondering if something was askew with your weights/measurements. I make this ALL the time (my fave frosting recipe ever!) and it’s less sweet than American BC and maybe *slightly* sweeter than traditional SMBC. I don’t sift my powdered sugar or anything and still get a very silky, buttery BC – you really have to be looking for the grittiness to find it IMO.
I’m sorry this frosting wasn’t to your liking. I’m not sure what to say about the sweetness level (I personally don’t find it too sweet at all, but definitely different strokes for different folks there!) but as far as the grittiness, I wonder what brand of powdered sugar you’re using? I am very loyal to C&H sugar because I have had bad experiences with some of the cheaper store brands. C&H is a pure cane sugar and I find the texture to be very fine and non-gritty. Sometimes the cheaper brands, in addition to using beet sugar instead of cane, use what I consider to be an excessive amount of cornstarch/fillers that gives them an unpleasant texture in frostings and glazes. (There are probably other pure cane sugar brands that perform well too, C&H is just what’s easily available to me.) If you are looking to experiment further, the brand of sugar is one area where you might try making a switch and seeing if that helps the texture issue.
Delish! I’ve been looking for a frosting recipe that is more light and fluffy and this fits the bill. I was always making American Butter Cream and that just got too heavy for my tastebuds. I also like EASY recipes and this is it!!! I could easily wash up the dishes while it mixed for 10 minutes! Thank you for sharing this alternative method to making SMBC – It is quick, easy and tastes amazing.
Thanks, Kaycee! So glad to hear that you like it–and hey, clean dishes at the end is a bonus! 😀
I have to thank you SO much for this recipe!!!! I am more of a cook than a baker, but I can usually make do. However, I have NEVER been able to make a good frosting–probably because I, myself, HATE buttercream because I’ve always found it too sweet. I just finished frosting a chocolate birthday cake and I am SO happy!!! It tastes delicious and, aside from all the beating (my poor arms got a workout from using a hand mixer), it was very easy!
I used 5 sticks of butter instead of 6 (because I didn’t have 6, oops) and after three cups of powdered sugar ended up eyeballing it. I used both melted chocolate and cocoa powder to make it chocolate frosting–next time I might do a dark chocolate and use more of it because I really wanted that chocolate flavor. It was so delicious even before the chocolate and I’ll never make a different buttercream again! THANK YOU for helping me make better cakes!
That’s so great, I love hearing that! I’m glad you were able to eyeball it and that it worked out. Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh my girl you know your frosting.. I’ve been making and decorating cakes since I was a child and this is by far the best frosting I’ve ever made! I will not ever use another recipe.. Thank you for sharing! It’s going on my daughter’s wedding cake this weekend! Vanilla with lemon curd filling and your Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting!
Aw that’s such a compliment! Thank you so much for commenting. Hope the cake turns out amazing! It sure sounds good.
OMG I have just made this and it is seriously awesome. Today is a very very hot day here in Brisbane Australia and although it is very soft immediately after beating it still piped well with a large open star tip. I would probably cool it slightly before use here. I personally don’t like american buttercream as it is gritty and very very sweet. This is gorgeous and so easy. If I used this between layers and over the outside of the cake I would definitely need to store it in the fridge because of our climate. I probably would not use it as a filling or under a cake covered in fondant once again just because of our climate. Would be brilliant for cupcakes. Thank you for an easy but delicious recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing! Sounds like you would definitely have to adjust for the weather down there. I’m glad you liked it!
I have used your recipe several times and it is one of my favorites. It’s super easy to make. Thanks for sharing it is absolutely delicious !
So glad you love it!! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Real Swiss Meringue Buttercream does not have confectioners sugar in it, it is made with granulated sugar.
I know! In the first few paragraphs, I talk about the differences between traditional Swiss Meringue and this recipe!
Do you beat the egg whites and sugar to a soft or stiff peak before adding the butter
The egg whites and powdered sugar won’t form peaks (like a traditional meringue would.) The mixture just gets a bit thicker in texture and more opaque.
Hi Elizabeth. I’d like to use this under a fondant covered cake. Would you say it’s safe/stable enough that I could cover the cake in fondant the day before the event and just keep the cake at room temperature (air conditioned home)?
This is beyond DANGEROUSLY GOOD! I am NEVER going back to regular buttercream!!! Thank you sooooo much!!!!
I followed your recipe to the letter and I’m left with a mixing bowl of smooth, frosting SOUP. I whipped it longer and still it just won’t come together. Needed this for a party this weekend, but looks like I’ll have to make a supply run and start over. I love the idea of a not so sweet frosting, but this just didn’t work for me. 🙁
Hi. This buttercream looks great. Can you tell me if it holds its shape at room temperature or if like normal butter cream it melts
It holds very well at room temp as long as it’s not too hot in your house (or wherever else it may be sitting)!
Hi Elizabeth. I first want to say that I have been watching your videos for a couple of years and I have enjoyed all of them. Secondly, I have tried SMBC, IMBC, American BC and several versions of all of them. I am an avid Craftsy student and I happened upon your class and your unique recipe for easy SMBC. I just made a batch, and I have to tell you that it is the BEST buttercream I have ever made. Not too sweet, not gritty whatsoever, and has a nice smooth taste. I actually prefer it over the traditional SMBC. I am so happy I tried it and I wanted to say a big thank you! ~Cherry Robinson~
OMG!!!! I’m in love with this recipe. It was much easier. This was my first time making Swiss Meringue buttercream and it came out awesome. Thanks so much☺
I plan on adding cocoa powder to make a chocolate version. I did read the posts on how to to do this but was wondering at what point do I add it?
HI, I’m excited to try this . I haven’t seen this question asked so I would like to know if I don’t have unsalted butter can I just use the salted butter and leave out the salt in the recipe?
thank you
Hi Wendy! Salted butter should work just fine. I usually recommend unsalted because it’s more consistent–you can control the exact amount of salt you add and get the same result each time. But there’s nothing about salted butter that would cause the recipe to fail, so it should be fine for you to use!
Where do you get liquid egg whites? I’ve never seem it. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Usually you’ll find them in the refrigerated aisle where milk and eggs are. Comes 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.
Is there a chocolate version of this recipe? I made this for the icing on cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday. Everyone loved it. I’m going to ise it on my son’s cake but wated chocolate. I Love that it’s not as sweet as traditional buttercream. It’s perfectly sweet and doesn’t make me feel sick after I eat it.
I’m sorry. I commented about how to make this chocolate and now I see those instructions. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Not a problem–glad to hear that you loved the frosting!
I am never going back to regular buttercream after this!!!!! I made your recipe today to frost cupcakes for a work party and it came out PERFECT! I followed your recipe to a T. I love that this tastes lighter and less sweet than regular buttercream. Thanks so much for this recipe it is a winner for sure!
Hi Erin, thanks for the comment, and YAY that you loved it! 😀
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! It really was easy and turned out wonderfully. I’m never making Swiss buttercream the long way again! I ran a dozen oreos through a food processor and stirred it into the finished product, and honestly, it’s the best icing I’ve ever made. My cookies and cream cupcakes were hit at my son’s birthday party. Thank you again for sharing this gem of a recipe.
Cathy, thank you for the comment! I’m so glad to hear that you loved the frosting–and the cookies and cream variation sounds so dreamy! Hope your son had a very happy birthday! 🙂
Hi Elizabeth,
Cannot wait to try this recipe 🙂 Will this hold up well under fondant? Also, could I add Jack Daniels Honey in place of vanilla?
Hi Maria, Yes, this is a good one to do under fondant! I’ve used it many times. Because it does not crust, it will need to be chilled before topping with fondant so that it does not sag around the corners. I haven’t tried adding Jack Daniels, but I’ve added other spirits and it works well. I think as long as you keep the JD to a small amount (so it doesn’t add too much liquid and throw off the texture) you’ll be totally fine!
Yes it does hold up well under fondant! It just needs to be chilled as its not a crusting butter cream. The Jack Daniels should be fine!
Hi Elizabeth, this question may have already been asked sorry!!! But I have made this recipe twice before and love it. What alteration can I do if I want a chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream?
Hi Giuliana, I’m so glad to hear that you love the frosting! There are instructions for making a chocolate variation in the Notes at the bottom of the recipe card. 🙂 Enjoy!
I apologize in advance for how long this comment is, but I just wanted to share my amazing experience with this LIFE CHANGING recipe!
I used this recipe to frost 50 vanilla cupcakes and 50 chocolate cupcakes for a craft show this weekend. This recipe was a HUGE success! I’ve never attempted “real” SMBC before and I didn’t think that 3:30am was the best time to try that out for the first time, so I’m so glad I found your recipe! When I tasted it, I instantly thought it tasted like ice cream, and many customers told me the same thing after they tried the cupcakes. YUM! I will NEVER go back to American buttercream for as long as I live.
I doubled this recipe in a 5 quart Kitchen Aid…..would not recommend unless you have a 6 quart or larger. I had to eventually take out half the mixture and beat them separately. It was a pain but it was my fault for being impatient, and it all worked out fine in the end! BTW even with doubling this recipe, I still have a good amount of frosting leftover after doing big generous swirls of frosting on 100 cupcakes.
I used Kirkland (Costco’s brand) pasteurized egg whites, Kirkland SALTED butter (it’s all I had on hand, obviously I left out adding extra salt), and I flavored it with vanilla bean paste. I was SO worried the frosting would be too salty but it was not, it was absolutely delicious. So for anyone wondering if salted butter will work, it totally does!
After I had finished frosting the vanilla cupcakes, I beat the remaining frosting with some cocoa paste (8 T dutch processed cocoa powder + 7 T hot water, mix and allow to cool completely) to make THE BEST chocolate frosting I’ve ever had in my life. Again, it tasted exactly like ice cream!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I know this is my new go-to frosting for cupcakes and cakes! <3
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for all the tips and tricks, I’m sure other people will find them very helpful! Glad it was a success 🙂
Hi Elizabeth, this buttercream is absolutely beautiful! I can’t wait to try it out. I am wondering, in the past I have added flavored pudding mixes to different types of icing, to give it a little flavor boost (for example, White Chocolate instant pudding mix is my favorite!). I am wondering if I could add a pudding mix or two to this recipe – do you think it would work if I left out a little bit of the powdered sugar to compensate? Say 2 boxes of the powdered pudding mix = half a cup, could I add this & 5 1/2 cups of powdered sugar instead of 6?
Thanks for all of the great recipes 🙂
Yeah I think that would work just fine! And if it seems a little soft you could add more powdered sugar at the end to get a stronger consistency! Let me know how it goes! Thank you so much!
hi recipe looks really good i don’t have a kitchen aide so what paddle do i use for the bosch? thank you
I’m not super familiar with the Bosch, I would say what ever paddle you use to make a cake batter. I would be hesitant to use the whisk attachment because it can produce air bubbles
Any ideas on how to make this coffee flavored? I was thinking about dissolving some espresso in hot water, cooling it down and adding it, but would that make it too watery or maybe it wouldn’t even incorporate? I do have some Lor-Ann Coffee Emulsion – maybe I would just do a half-and-half of coffee/emulsion and vanilla extract?
I think either of those ideas would work! I think if you dissolved the espresso in warm water to make closer to a paste consistency you wouldn’t have to worry about changing the texture and it would give it a more true coffee flavor!
I apologize if this question has been asked. Can this recipe be halved and still have the same results? I feel so dumb for asking. I am a newbie to baking.
Yeah! Half-ing it is no problem! Not a dumb question at all! Good luck on your baking endeavors!
I forgot to ask something. If I want to make this even less sweet how much can I reduce the sugar by and still have the same consistency? Beyond thank you.
I wouldn’t reduce the sugar by much, its an important part of the recipe. I would however add more butter because it would have less of an effect on the recipe and help balance the sweetness!
Can you use this buttercream recipe as the base and add in cream cheese like you do in your carrot cake/buttercream recipe? Thanks!
Yes that should work fine! I’d love to hear what you think if you give it a try!
I used this a couple days ago to fill and frost a coconut cake. I used about half a teaspoon of coconut extract and it was perfect. The texture was so smooth and the level of sweetness was perfect. I have made traditional SMBC before and was put off by the “butteryness”. This is so much better!! I will be using this soon to make chocolate cakes for some friends for Thanksgiving. Thank you, Elizabeth, for this fantastic recipe!
I’m so glad it turned out well! Happy cooking!
My go-to recipe! I only make it with Salted Butter (but omit the extra salt) – perfect EVERY time. It’s seriously the most forgiving frosting. I’ve had butter that was a little too hard and butter that was a little too soft and it still turned out perfect. I added the vanilla at the beginning, middle and end. I do like more vanilla flavor so I tend to added 2.5-3 Tbsp or part vanilla extract and part almond extract.
Glad to hear it worked out for you! Thank you so much!
HELLO! I’m sorry, I wrote on another comment by accident. I was wondering for my daughters birthday I was thinking of either doing a rosette cake or making my cake completely smooth (fondant like)… does this smooth and make it look completely clean? With traditional ABC it tends to have air bubbles and it’s difficult to work with because it’s thicker… I also wanted to know when I crumb coat could I refrigerate for about an hour and then compelete my cake with this frosting? I’ve been trying to find something ! I saw that this wasn’t a crusting buttercream so does that mean if I touch it it will mess up? Just wanna know your thoughts for a clean smooth cake! Thank you so much!
As far as the texture of this buttercream I would say it is lighter and smoother than ABC and easier to work with, it also holds up well underneath fondant. As far as crumb coating I recommend refrigerating for about an hour to make sure its firm before you finish it. You’re right that this recipe does not crust, when its cold it is firm and you can touch it without leaving a mark. You would want to cover it with fondant when its cold as to not leave a mark. But when its at room temp it is soft, but that gives it a really nice texture! Happy cooking!
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for sharing this recipe… it’s a god send! I just wondered- have you tried a white chocolate version? Would I use 12oz like with the unsweetened chocolate? Thanks x
Hi! I would personally start with about half that amount of white chocolate because it can make your butter cream soft. Start with less and see if it gives you the flavor, and if that doesn’t work keep adding little by little until you get the taste you’re looking for! Let me know how it works!
I made this and it seems a bit too runny/soft how can I make it a bit more stiff?
Sorry to hear that! You can try adding more butter, that is softened but slightly cool. I would try adding four ounces and see how the texture looks. You can also try chilling it for 10 or 15min then whipping it to see how it behaves
Thank you so much. How well does this recipe hold up to high temperatures and humidity. Especially under fondant
It holds up fairly well and can be used under fondant. If we’re talking extremely high temp under direct sunlight I’d recommend a more stable Italian meringue or a shortening based buttercream!
Not sure where do you get liquid egg whites? Can’t wait to try this.
Hi! In my grocery store they are found right by the egg, be sure to get 100% whites and they should work just fine! Thanks!
This is the best frosting recipe ever. I love how light and smooth it is. This is my new go to recipe. Trying the chocolate version next.
I’m so glad to hear you liked it! Let me know how you enjoy the chocolate version! Thank you so much!
Hi excited to try this but my q is…
Ive found egg white powder not liquid… will this work and if so how much should i use please
I actually haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. But if you try it let me know how it turns out!
Hello, im a fan !
I couldn’t get the video to play the screen was black and I could hear the music but no picture can you see what’s going on. I would love to see the video thank you for all of your hard work.
Hi! Sorry to hear that, the video seems to be working for me. Maybe it was a temporary glitch? Let me know if you’re still having problems seeing the video! Thank you so much!
Hi I just wanted to check how much in grams is 3 cups of butter? Thank you 🙂
Hey! Its 680g!
I live in the Caribbean where the temperature is very hot, would this buttercream hold up to the heat outdoors?
Hi! I would say that it has the same stability as regular swiss meringue which i consider somewhat heat stable but not entirely. If its 100 degrees in direct sun it would not hold up, I would recommend a shortening based butter cream which tends to be the most stable! Thank you so much!
Hi. I’ve been wanting to try Swiss Meringue and this recipe seems easy. However, what Im afraid of is to use raw egg whites without preparing them over heat like with classic Swiss meringue.
Hi! I totally get your concern with using egg whites, thats why I recommend using pasteurized egg whites as they are treated to kill any bacteria. If the thought of raw egg whites is unappetizing, here is a recipe where you do cook them!
https://www.sugarhero.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Simple, sweet success! And to think of all the time I’ve wasted watchfully whisking egg whites… Thank you so much, this is my new go to frosting recipe, no doubt about it. It mightn’t be authentic SMBC but I think it’s even better!
Just out of interest I made a batch using 500g of icing sugar and 500g of butter, and it turned out less sweet but just as creamy – perfection!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed my recipe! Happy cooking 🙂
I made this delicious frosting for some cakes I had to make for Thanksgiving. I added coconut flavoring to some and chocolate to the next batch. Wonderful stability and flavor. I had tried traditional Swiss meringue buttercream years ago and was not impressed with the butteriness but had fantastic texture. Thank you, Elizabeth. This recipe will be used by me often, today actually in your mint chocolate cake recipe;)
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Happy cooking 🙂
Do the cupcakes or cakes need to be kept refrigerated before consuming or can they sit out?
They can sit for a day, if its going to be several days I’d refrigerate. But a day at room temp is fine!
Hello! Is there anything I can do to thicken this up? I’ve made it and it’s become soup. Is there anyway I can save it before throwing the batch away please?
Yes please don’t throw it away! Refrigerate it briefly for about 20 minutes, then try whipping it. You can also add some more butter which can help stabilize it! Let me know how it goes!
Hi. How long the buttercream can be stored ? How?
Thanks
Loved your recipe but can you give me any tips of making it more white in colour?
Some of the color depends on the type of butter you use, some butter is more yellow due to the fat content. One thing you can do is add a tiny drop of purple food coloring to cancel out the yellow. Think of it like a color wheel! Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Hi Elizabeth,
I have not made a cake in 15 years or so, so I am a little nervous. I am planning to make a Christmas walnut cake for Christmas Eve Dinner this year and I really like your recipe for icing. do you think it would still work if I included some powdered walnuts in the icing to make it a little bit walnutty? Would you be able to suggest some proportions I could start with? thank you kindly.
Magdalena
Hi Magdalena, I think that sounds great! As long as you’re fine with the buttercream having a rougher texture from the nuts, I think it sounds delicious. I would finely chop/grind the walnuts and start with 1/2 cup and stir them in. I’d start with a smaller amount and taste as you go–it’s easy to add more, but hard to remove if you decide it’s too much! 🙂 Please let me know how it turns out!
Hello Elizabeth,
Thank you for the recipe and I can’t wait to try it. Problem is I don’t have a beater blade or a paddle, can this be successful with standard beaters?
Is this a good icing for cookies also?
Thank you!
Yes definitely you can use standard beaters! I like to use a paddle because it incorporates fewer air bubbles than a whisk, but it will definitely work with a whisk or other beaters. It tastes great on cookies, however since it doesn’t form a crust you can’t really stack them or store them as easily. Thank you so much and happy cooking!
Hi Elizabeth
I plan on using this recipe for my son’s first birthday cake and we are celebrating Christmas Day so you can’t imagine how busy it will be. Can I make the icing, colour it and put in piping bags in the fridge overnight or two? I was hoping to get everything ready the day before and then simply decorating the day of – I’m a novice so was hoping to split the work.
Thanks!
Happy birthday to your son! You can totally make the this in advance! If you’re storing it for a shorter period of time (just overnight) I would recommend storing it in a covered container then re-whipping it before using it. If you are leaving it in the fridge for 3 or 4 days I recommend taking it out of the fridge letting it get to room temp COMPLETELY then rewhipping it to get the texture back!
Hey ummm, I know this might be gross to some but I use blue bonnet in my American Buttercream, It tastes much better to me AND my customers. I was wondering could it be used in this recipe??
I followed the recipe and used 6sticks of butter and 6 cups of sugar. The texture is great but I would like it a hint more sweet. Would adding more conf sugar ruin the texture or. What would you suggest
Will this recipe really work with egg whites in the carton? All other sources I’ve read say that they won’t whip into peaks and therefore not recommend for meringue.
yes I make this recipe all the time and it works really well .It makes a beautiful smbc
Just have to say thank you! I’m 38 and finally attempted a homemade birthday cake. I made it for my daughters birthday, and got nothing but rave reviews! Thanks to your frosting (and a well searched chocolate cake recipe) it turned out wonderful. When I first made it I was a little worried because it tasted super sweet. But some kind of magic worked overnight,
and the frosting was not too sweet at all….but perfect! It was also easy to work with your frosting. I frosted that cake like a pro! 🙂
The frosting was also really good and yummy throughout the week. And the texture is amazing.
I’m thinking about making a cranberry flavored frosting. Maybe add 1/4 cup of cranberry pure?
Can I substitute meringue powder for the pasteurized egg whites? Also, can I use the regular flat beater instead of the beater blade? Thanks
I just finished icing a chocolate layer cake with this icing. A single recipe was enough to fill and ice the entire 9 inch triple layer and also one 8 inch layer. If u don’t like super sugary sweet icing, you will like this recipe. It is delicious but I think I prefer the really sweet sugary icing. This icing is very smooth and creamy and VERY buttery – but I guess with 6 sticks in one recipe, it’s going to be buttery! The butter is the main flavor- not the vanilla or powdered sugar. So the icing isn’t super white – i even used clear vanilla extract. I didn’t do anything fancy with the icing so not sure if it pipes well. I simply spread it on with a offset spatula. When making it, make sure u mix mix mix after adding the butter. At first it will look curdled but just keep mixing. It will smooth out and become creamy. I know plenty of people who will prefer this icing and think it’s plenty sweet. I just happen to have a big time sweet tooth and love really sugary American type buttercream. I probably won’t make this again but if you love not too sweet icing that is very buttery -then THIS is your recipe. Thank u for sharing it! I love trying new recipes!
Hi Elizabeth,
Can I use meringue powder in place of egg whites?
Hi Elizabeth do you know how many grams of icing sugar in 24oz thank you
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!
hello this frosting looks amazing I cannot wait to try it always looking for something not as terribly sweet as American buttercream wanted to know I am making a shower cake for my daughter and would like to use this to fill in between the layers of the cake would it work by itself and also if I wanted to put strawberries in between with that work as well it will be a naked cake and I wanted to frost the outside also with it and I will be doing a drip with white ganache I’m the top
Hi, Just wondering if it is a crusting BC?Can I stencil or paint on it? Would it work if i add chocolate in it and then paint using brush ?
Thanks!
Do I let the egg whites from carton get to room temperature before mixing them?
I just made this with Baileys Irish Cream to fill macarons but there won’t be any left by the time they cool. This is awesome! Thanks so much.
Hi there! Love this recipe, thanks so much for sharing! I would like to know if the leftover frosting can be frozen? If so, for how long?
Thank you!
Hello,
This sounds like an awesome frosting. Hoping to make it for my aunts’s 70th birthday party this month. Can I replace butter with shortening to make it more stable? Possibly add in butter extract for more butter flavoring…
LOVE!!!
!! It is my go to frosting!!
I have no paddle beaters – so now what??
I am a professional cake decorater. I saw, this recipe and I was like Swiss Meringue EASY HA ya right. You MUST BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU. YOU HAVE CHANGED MY BAKING LIFE. I tried it against my better judgement. OH MY IT TASTES AND looks exactly like Swiss Meringue. and IT IS EASY. I WILL BE USING THIS FROM NOW ON WHEN A CUSTOMER requests it
Thank you thank you thank you
Question: I am making a 1/2 sheet baby shower cake and this looks like it might be perfect for the chocolate cake they have requested…how far in advance can I make this and once I ice and decorate the cake will it be ok in the fridge overnight?
Can you do half shortening or margarine and get good results?
Can cocoa powder be used instead of the melted chocolate? Would I need to increase the egg whites? My thought was to add it in with the powdered sugar.
Every time I add the melted chocolate I get huge shards of chocolate and it makes piping impossible. The first time I let the chocolate cool to room temp (75 degrees) and it had completely solidified. The next two times I added it while still melted but not hot but I still got shards.
It’s my absolute favorite recipe but the chocolate version keeps evading me!
I LOVE this recipe, so much easier than traditional SBC….thank you….so I have not tried it under fondant yet but I did read that the frosted cake should be put in the fridge first before covering. How about after it is covered does the fondant holds its shape once cake and frosting come to room temp? Do I need to put it and keep it back in fridge once its fondant covered?
I am making my own wedding cake in October so staring to do some practice runs now!
I had two orders for the same day with no notice. Egg prices were up, I didn’t want to waste a dozen egg yolks and I didn’t have time to fight with the SMBC so I decided to try your recipe. I’m SO glad I did! It’s not quite as smooth as SMBC, but so much better than American and so easy. I frosted / decorated 48 cupcakes and had a little less than a cup left. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1608270372597291&id=423161047774902
Can you put fondant decoration on this icing? Will the decorations hold up?
I have made traditional Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian buttercream, but never again!! This was the easiest and so close to the traditional. This was a great find! Thank you!
Hi, my buttercream turned out great but it’s very offwhite unlike yours. How did u get yours so white?
Use a few drops of Wilton white-white icing color
Yes! A tiny bit of purple also helps–since purple and yellow are opposite on the color wheel, they cancel each other out. Just a tiny drop, though!
I made this, but the butter cream literally turned into a big pile of separated runny mess. When I went to pipe it, the warmth from my hands melted all the butter and it just ran out. I did 24 oz butter that was listed-which was 3 sticks. but the ingredient list calls in parenthesis calls for 3 cups which is 6 sticks. did I not use enough butter? Any ideas as to why it separated, and then melted? I loved the taste and want to make it again, but somewhere I did something wrong.
Hi Stacy, it sounds like the butter amount was the problem. It may sound counter-intuitive, but adding MORE butter actually makes the buttercream more stable, so only using half the required amount of butter would definitely lead to texture problems. Typically, the buttercream goes through several stages while mixing, and it takes the full amount of butter and the full 10 minutes of mixing to produce the final smooth, stable texture. Each stick of butter is 4 oz (1/2 cup) so for 24 ounces, you would need to use 6 sticks. If you’re up for it, I would urge you to try again using the correct amount of butter (you could even do a half batch if you didn’t want to use all of those ingredients!) because I think you’ll find the end result very different–in a good way! 🙂 Hope this helps and good luck.
Stacy, 1 stick is 8 tbsp, not 8 oz. I almost did the same thing. It’s 4 oz, 8 tbsp, 1/2 cup.
Absolutely, i used half butter and half margarine and it was delicious and stable.
Would I be able to substitute the powdered sugar for fine coconut sugar? I have a customer who needs sugar free cake and frosting.
Hello, I need to make a cake 2 days before the event and drive 6 hours with it. How do you suggest I store the cake before transporting it? It will have swiss meringue buttercream flowers decorations. Will it hold up?
I do not have a stand mixer, can you use a hand mixer?
Yes, a hand mixer will work just fine, but you will probably find that you need to beat it longer to get the right texture because hand mixers are usually not as powerful.
Hi! I absolutely love this frosting. It’s not overly sweet, it’s very light, and it holds up well under fondant. However, I have two problems with it that I need corrected for an upcoming cake, and I hope you can help!
1). The color is off-white, unlike yours in the pictures. I use clear extract, so I’m wondering if it’s the butter? What do you use? If I use white coloring, I’m afriad it will change the consistency.
2). I cannot seem to get a perfectly smooth finish. I always have air bubbles in the frosting, so it looks pock-marked. I’m only beating it for as long as you say, sometimes even less, on medium speed. I use I stand mixer. Any ideas?
Thank you!
Hi Priscilla,
Hi Nichole. this is a pretty common question, and the answer mostly just depends on the ingredients used. Some brands of butter are much more yellow than others, and if yours happens to have a stronger color, the resulting buttercream will be darker. (And I should say that mine is not pure white, it’s a light ivory but it might appear slightly different in photographs.)
So you have a couple options: you can use shortening for some of the butter (substituted in an equal amount). This will make it lighter in color, but you’ll lose some butter flavor. The other thing you can try is adding a very small drop of purple food coloring. Purple and yellow are opposite on the color wheel, so purple will help cancel out that yellowish tinge–but just a tiny drop, because you don’t want it to actually look purple!
As far as the air bubbles, I would recommend running the mixer at low speed for anywhere from 5 minutes to up to 10 or 15. Low speed will work out those air bubbles and make the frosting super creamy. Also, make sure you’re using the paddle attachment all the way through–the whisk tends to incorporate way too many air bubbles.
Can you use part shortening in the easy Swiss buttercream and if so what ratio?
Yes, definitely! Using part shortening will make it more stable at higher temperatures and will also make the color whiter. I would recommend using no more than half shortening, so you still get that nice butter texture and flavor. I’d probably start with 1/3 shortening unless you’re really worried about temperature stability.
this is so good. this is totally going to replace my current american buttercream. i have tried traditional swiss and italian and never had luck. you def need to beat for as long as indicated. it looks grim in the bowl for a while, but comes together beautifully the last couple of minutes at the end. it is so silky and smooth and pipes beautifully. so light and fluffy, but when piped no air bubbles… i did use half butter and half shortening with success.
QUESTION: pasteurized egg whites are not available at many places near me.i had to go to 4 stores. if i were to use meringue powder instead, how would i do this? im guessing i’d have to get the powder to a liquid but with what and what ratio? also the powder is so sweet…more salt or salted butter? possible?
Hi Karen, “Grim in the bowl” is the perfect way to describe it, haha! I’m so glad to hear that it worked well for you and that you enjoyed it! To be honest, I haven’t tried it with meringue powder yet so I’m not 100% sure of the best way to substitute it. It’s definitely on my list to experiment with, though, as I know pasteurized egg whites are not always the easiest to find!
My 10 year old daughter wanted to make a swiss meringue and I happened to come across this recipe. We made this and it is fabulous! We always found traditional buttercream to be too sweet; this icing reminded me of the icing on Wegmen’s vanilla cake. We followed the recipe exactly, and would not change it – perfect as written! It was so easy that she made a second batch on her own without my help. It will now be our go to icing. Thanks!
Thank you so much–I’m thrilled to hear it! And what a great endorsement, that your 10-year old daughter can make it by herself. Thanks for the feedback, and happy baking to you both! <3
Mine turned out grainy, like s broken sauce, and sloppy, no way It’s stay on a cupcake. Any tips?
Hi Sadie, keep beating! Seriously, if it doesn’t come together, just.keep.beating.it. It’s normal for it to go through a weird broken phase, but if you keep whipping it it will come together.
Hi.
This looks like a great alternative to traditional SMBC, I just wondered, how long might the frosting last on a cake at room temperature? Would it be similar to a normal buttercream or would it need to be kept refrigerated because of th eggs?
Thanks, Katrina! It’s similar to a regular Swiss meringue buttercream, which also contains egg whites. I’d say you can leave it out for a day or two, but after that I would recommend refrigeration–just make sure you bring it to room temperature before serving.
Hi,
Can you confirm if the finished cake iced in this version of SMBC must be refrigerated. Thanks.
Hi Arlene, The finished cake can stay at room temperature for a day or so, but after that I would recommend keeping it refrigerated, and bringing it to room temperature before serving.
I’m a bit confused as 24oz powdered sugar s only 4 US cups not 6! I don’t know if should go with the Oz measurements or cups? Could youhelp me please?
Hi Sanaz, a cup of powdered sugar actually weighs 4 oz, so 6 cups is indeed 24 oz. It may be that Australian cups and US cups are different and that’s where the confusion comes from, I’m not sure. But if you have a food scale, 24 oz is the correct amount, and if you have US cups, it’s 6 cups. Hope this helps.
Hello,
Please let me know if a findant can be put over the cake after frosting. I am going to keep the cake over in the fridge but later when i want to cover it with fondant, will the fondant stay firm with the BC inside?
Please let me know
Hi Tej, Yes, this buttercream works well as a layer under fondant. Since it doesn’t crust, the fondant layer will need to be added to the buttercream when the cake is very well chilled. The buttercream gets hard when refrigerated, so chill the cake for a few hours before topping with fondant.
Thank you so much for this recepie it turns out absolutely brilliant and most important tasty and very easy to work with. I am newbie and even I managed to make it
I’m thrilled to hear that, Vanina! Thanks for the feedback, and I’m glad that it worked well for you. 🙂
How long will this buttercream keep at room temperature?
Hi Liz, I’ve left desserts out for several days at cool (air conditioned) room temperature without problems.
Thanks Elizabeth. I’m going to try this recipe for my granddaughters birthday cake next weekend, and I’ll have to bake a day in advance!
Hi. Thank you so much for your recipe. Your cakes look gorgeous!
The first time I made your recipe it worked great, but it still wasn’t exaacctly what I’ve been searching for. 2nd time I made it with less sugar, but then it was unbalanced buttery.
3rd time, I just think I’m really goofing things up now.
I do realize that your recipe is less sweet than ABCs but I’m still trying to reduce the sweetness.
Any suggestions from anyone will be helpful 🙂
Also, has anyone tried this with granulated sugar?
Hi Zia, This is a tricky question, because as you’ve discovered, buttercream is always a balance between sugar and butter flavors. Believe it or not, my recipe actually uses HALF of the amount of butter that some other people use in similar recipes. (I really don’t like it when my frosting tastes like pure butter!) So although it’s sweeter than other SMBCs, it’s not as heavy…that’s the trade-off I’ve chosen. There’s not really a way to reduce the sugar by much without then having the butter flavor increased. I think adding high quality flavors, like vanilla bean paste or LorAnn Princess flavoring emulsion, helps to give the buttercream a great taste and make it taste not as sweet. (And of course, tart flavorings really help with this!)
I wouldn’t recommend trying this with granulated sugar–my guess is the buttercream will turn out grainy and you’ll be disappointed in the texture. I do have a standard SMBC recipe that calls for granulated sugar, if you’d like to give it a try:
https://www.sugarhero.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Just curious, if you substitute some of the butter with the equal amounts of crisco, would that help to maybe eliminate some of the butter flavor, and therefore less sugar could be added?
I have to say I’m put off from trying this with all that sugar – IF I were to make it, we have a product in the UK that has caster sugar with 1/3 being Stevia, a natural sweetener, you would hardly know the difference and I use this in baking all the time.
That cupcake wrapper is by Celebrate It. The design is called Vintage Blush/Rose Antique, but that includes several patterns.
That you!!! Mary to the rescue! 😀
Oh my goodness, you are MY Sugar Hero! I have never really cared for frostings or icings, they’re all too sweet, too heavy, too greasy, etc. This one, however, is light and fluffy and has amazing flavor without being too sweet! It’s awesome! And bless you, it’s so easy! It was a HUGE hit with everyone that tried it and I hunted this down again today to use for “babycakes” for a baby shower for my daughter this weekend. I just know it will be loved by all that attend!
Thank you again so much for this!!
At what part do I add food coloring?
Hi Liz, this recipe looks amazing and I’m looking forward to using it in my sister’s wedding cake! I’m doing a few layers – one ganache and another cream and strawberries between the cakes. My questions is whether this SMBC will be usable as a dam? Thanks so much!
This looks fab!
What sized cake would this quantity cover, please?
I need to cover the top and sides of a 4 (thin) layer cake, ABC filling between each layer – I’m wondering if I would need to double this ?
Thanks x
Hi, I love this recipe and have used it a lot! I wanted to add some Irish Cream flavor to cupcakes for St. Patrick’s day, do you think it would be safe to add some to the frosting or would it change the texture/flavor too much?
Hi, the 1st time I made this frosting, it was so good. I piped it right after. The 2nd time I made it, I had to put it in the fridge to use it the next day. It was ok, not as good…it felt greasy even after beating it for several minute…is it normal that the texture was not as creamy and light?
Hello, could i use meringue powder instead of liquid egg whites? I want to make a smash cake for my son with waves like icing decoration. Would this buttercream work well for that?
Do you think I could fold finely crushed Oreos in at the end to make a cookies and cream type frosting?
Hello, can i use fresh egg whites to make the frosting
Hi Elizabeth. Love your work. I’m researching on recipes of this style for wedding cakes. Have you ever added meringue powder to stabilise the recipe and make it crust. Sometimes it’s hot and humid in Australia. I like IMBC but it’s not reliable for bigger cakes. I also use Wilton Snow White, sometimes even a mixture of both. The recipe for hot climate is a bit difficult to work and get it smooth.
I’m hoping yours would be more stable on the heat and also easy to work.
I have a textured wedding cake coming up, and I would prefer if it crust a bit. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.
Hi Elizabeth. I’m researching on recipes of this style for wedding cakes. Have you ever added meringue powder to make it crust? Sometimes it’s hot and humid in Australia. I like IMBC but it’s not reliable for bigger cakes. I also use Wilton Snow White, sometimes even a mixture of both. The recipe for hot climate is a bit difficult to work and get it smooth.
I’m hoping yours would be more stable on the heat and also easy to work.
I have a textured wedding cake coming up, and I would prefer if it crust a bit. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.
I love this recipe! It’s the best!
I was wondering if it is adaptable to make it a cream cheese frosting? It’s usually pretty soft for me as is and I know cream cheese can be finnicky!
This!
I would like to make this a crusting icing. Can I use half butter flavored Crisco to this recipe?
Does anyone know approximately how many cupcakes this recipe will frost if piped on in a rosette?
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but did make the traditional SMBC recipe that you have a link for. It tasted buttery, but no complaints on that. I’m just looking for an easier way since I’m making it for my daughter’s wedding.
Also, can flavor extracts be used instead of vanilla? Anyone tried it successfully?
I make a half batch and am able to pipe rosette’s on 2 dozen cupcakes with a decent amount of icing left over.
With all the butter how does the frosting come out white? Mine comes out with a yellowish tint. I did use clear vanilla extract. I want pure whit frosting if possible.
I believe the color of the butter has something to do with the yellowish tint… maybe try a lighter looking butter. I have some Costco butter that is not as yellow as others. I will try making this buttercream over the weekend with it. Will respond and let you know if it makes a difference. I will more than likely add a color to it before I frost my cake, but will definately make note of the color before I tint it.
Yes, definitely! Butter comes in a range of shades and if you use a butter that’s more yellow then the resulting frosting will be more yellow. I think it partially has to do with the fat content of the butter. I also use Costco butter (unsalted) and my frosting is typically a light off-white color.
I add a tiny drop of violet to the icing and it takes away the yellow tint to more of a true white.
This is a great tip–thanks Malin!
Kelly, I understand that you need to use shortening if you want a white frosting. You’d give up some taste, but maybe it’s worth it.
Just made the Easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Great results. Easy to make and recipe easy to follow. Thank you
Just make this!!! It’s awesome. Thank you for the recipe.
Can this be used on a wedding cake? And will it hold up in warm temperatures ?
I love this recipe! I made it for the first time today and added the unsweetened chocolate. It was so light and fluffy and not too sweet. I cut the recipe in half because I just wanted enough to frost 24 cupcakes and there was plenty. It will be my go to recipe from now on! Thanks a bunch!
I love using this frosting and outs my go to for anything. Does it need to be refrigerated? The stability seems to change after its chilled.
I’ve only made normal SMBC, so I’m hesitant about the egg whites in a carton not forming peaks. But since I’m making several hundred cupcakes for a wedding, the fast version would be lovely! With that said, should this recipe be followed exactly on the mixing times, rather than mixing until it looks right? And can it be made in advance and frozen? If so, I’m assuming I’d just let it come to room temp and mix again to the right consistency? Has anyone tried multiplying the recipe in a big industrial mixer rather than making the regular recipe in several batches?
Hi Jennifer, no need to worry about the whites forming peaks, because this recipe doesn’t require peaks at all. 🙂 The mixing times are guidelines, but especially if you’re doubling the recipe or otherwise adjusting it, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on the mixing and go by the way it looks. I have two different mixers and the times for both mixers are slightly different because one is more powerful than the other.
As far as freezing, you can definitely make it in advance and freeze it! I actually have several containers in the freezer right now. 🙂 You just want to make sure that it is COMPLETELY at room temp, and then mix until it regains its creamy consistency. I like to mix on medium to fluff it up, then turn to low to get out the air bubbles–and always use a paddle instead of a whisk. I haven’t tried making it in an industrial mixer so I can’t comment on that–but I hope you’ll update us if you give it a try!
Can you please clarify the amounts
24 oz powdered sugar (6 cups)
24 oz unsalted butter (3 cups)
Is 6 cups a typo?
Thanks
Hi Gregg, 6 cups is correct. Each cup of powdered sugar weighs 4 oz, and each cup of butter weighs 8 oz, so the cup and weight measurements are right. Let me know if you have any questions about that!
How much cocoa would you add to make it chocolate SMBC? Also, at what stage would you add color? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi, I actually recommend using melted unsweetened chocolate rather than cocoa if possible–it gives it a richer flavor and better texture IMO. The chocolate variation is at the bottom of the recipe. 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe out. Would it be firm enough to hold sugarpaste if using to fill and crumb coat a wedding cake?
please could you give the recipe in gms
I live in Florida, with the hot temps am I able to add some sweetex (shortening) to this recipe ? And how much would you recommend?
Hi there. I’d like to use this recipe to your rainbow in the clouds cake. Would it be ok and do I need to double (or more) the ingredients to have enough? And would you put the colour in last? Thank you!
Hello Elizabeth,
I pray all is well. I do not know if I overlooked it or maybe it has not been asked but I was wondering if you have a cream cheese version of this frosting? By the way this is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. …..
Hi there!! Looking to use this recipe for my baby’s first birthday cake and smash cake!! I can’t wait to give it a shot! May I ask, can the buttercream be left out at Room Temp to keep its creamy consistency for a couple days?
If I coat my cakes and then refrigerate to help keep them cool for transportation does it sweat a lot? Do you find that a cake final coated and put in the fridge to set up when chilling and then eaten next day, does it still have the super creamy and light taste it had from before it went into the fridge??
How do you find this buttercream to hold up with Americolor gel food coloring?
Sorry for all the questions!! Thank you!! <3
Thanks so much for this recipe. Can I add fondant accents to this frosting?
Yes, adding fondant to this buttercream is fine!
Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream EVER!!! This taste sooo good. I was a bit hesitant using this recipe especially trying a new recipe for a cake order however, it turned out perfect! The first time I made SMBC it was a sloppy mess and tasted like pure butter however, this recipe is so easy and it taste like a light melted vanilla ice cream for sure. My American buttercream days are over. Thank you so so much for this ingenious recipe! Many thanks!
Thank you so much, Jasmine, I’m so happy to hear that you loved it!
Hi Elizabeth,
I have used this recipe and love it! Thank you so much for such a great recipe. I have a question though. I live in Florida and we are coming in to summer which comes along with some hot weather. Do you think I could sub half the butter in this recipe for hi ratio shortening to achieve a bit more stability for those hot days or would it comprise the final product?
Hi Tania! You can definitely swap shortening in, and it’s always a good idea when dealing with high heat and humidity days. 🙂 You might lose a little flavor, but that’s nothing some strategic flavoring can’t fix. 😉
Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for posting your recipe. I’m just beginning to experiment with frosting recipes. I’m looking for something that tastes amazing, not too sweet and is creamy. However, I want to be able to use it to pipe with and use the Russian flower tips with. I tried your recipe. I have a Bosch mixer. I found that even before I added all the butter, the frosting was already fluffy. So could I just add the butter 1/4 c at a time or even 1 stick 1/2 cup at a time? Also, this does taste amazing! So amazing!!! But it melts when left at room temperature. I had to keep refrigerating my decorating bags. It was at perfect decorating consistency for about 3 minutes. It would then quickly become very soft and unusable. Have I done something wrong, or is that a characteristic of this frosting. Also after decorating, I have to store the cupcakes in the fridge or the frosting will start to separate. I live in Las Vegas. But it’s April and not extremely hot. It is 75 to 78 degrees in my house. What do you think?
Hi Tana, I’m wondering if it’s a mixer difference that’s causing the change in texture! One of the things that I like about this recipe is that it’s really stable to decorate and pipe with (obviously not at super high temperatures, but high 70s shouldn’t be a problem at all. I live in Utah and our summers get to be in the hundreds, and I usually only have issues if it’s a really hot day and/or I’ve been running my oven in the kitchen all day long.) Unfortunately I don’t have a Bosch so I can’t do direct comparisons, but I’m wondering if the mixer is perhaps more powerful and beats more air into the frosting, causing it to look fluffy before all the butter is added and making it less stable/prone to melting? Do you have a hand mixer you could try using for a half batch as an experiment? Or perhaps a lower speed for the Bosch? You could also try substituting some shortening for the butter, which helps with stability, but if it is an air/mixer problem like I suspect, that won’t solve the larger issue. I use this with my Russian piping tips all the time so in general I think it’s a good recipe for your usage, but we definitely need to troubleshoot the texture issue!
I can’t get this to come together! The butter is chunky even though it was room temp! What am I doing wrong?
I am so sorry for how my other comment came through! It should have said I really like the flavor but it had a gel like texture. My first time trying SMBC so maybe that’s how it is supposed to be. Just wanted to make sure I did it right. Thanks 🙂
Does the cake have to be refrigerated after icing it? Thank you! Great recipe!
Hi! Any chance I can sub merengue powder instead of the liquid egg whites? Thoughts on that?
I am going to try this tomorrow….can I cover a cake with this?? Or is it just for piping and decorating?? Thank you!!
Can I use egg whites va liquid egg whites? And I have regular butter not unsalted I know the flavor will be slightly off but is that all just flavor of a little saltier? Main question is the egg white…..
Tried this recipe today. Was looking like one hot mess UNTIL the end! Will be my go to forever. Thanks for all your help in perfecting this recipe.
I has anyone tried this after few days at room temp? How long is it safe for as wedsing cakes can be made for as long as 4 days . Is this safe out the fridge for 4-5 days?
I want to try this recipe. Can I apply fondant to the sides? Will it hold fondant decorations. I’m making a baby shower cakeusing the Little Man theme with mustache and suspenders on the sides of the cake..
Beautiful cakes! I was wondering if you can make the easiest buttercream in chocolate? My daughter wants chocolate frosting on her grad cake and I just can’t bare to make the American buttercream….tooo sweet! Thanks
I don’t bake. But this summer we are celebrating my dads 100th birthday. I am doing a circus theme. To give the family a memory I am having each family bring a 9×13 baked cake around 10:30 am. We will set them up like a circus train and decorate them all together for the party starting at 1pm. Can I just leave them out in an air conditioned church? I have little plastic animals for decoration. This recipe looks like exactly the kind I need. Will make different colors in big bowls for their choosing. If anyone has any tips or ideas for decorating I sure would enjoy that. Using decorated tuna cans for the wheels. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I just made this buttercream for some cupcakes, and it is absolutely delicious! Light and fluffy, and not over-sweet! My only question is whether or not I now have to refrigerate the cupcakes, or whether they can stay at room temperature until they are eaten tomorrow. I’ll stick them in overnight to be on the safe side, but if I don’t have to take up half my fridge with future cupcakes, that would be awesome lol. Please advise! Thanks!
Was wondering the same thing
I’ve made this recipe several times and I’ve been able to leave them out of the fridge overnight. I just try and make sure they are in a cool spot in the house.
I love this recipe! I’m curious if I could add pureed fruit for flavor or will it break it down?
Hello, is there a way to incorporate flavors? like lemon or mint? Hoping to try your recipe in a day or two and wanting to make it lemon. thank you 🙂
Yes, definitely! You can always use extracts to add flavor. For lemon, you can also stir in some very finely grated lemon zest (I recommend using a microplane) if you don’t mind a little bit of texture. I also like to add a touch of citric acid to fruit buttercreams. It adds a really realistic sour flavor – just 1/8-1/4 tsp is all you need to really boost fruit flavor. Totally optional but if you can find it (either online or at grocery stores) I think you’ll like what it adds to the recipe!
How can you make this into a cream cheese swiss meringue frosting?
In addition to the extracts mentioned by Elizabeth, you could consider using emulsions (found at lorannoils.com). I started using emulsions recently and love what I have used so far. I used raspberry in a royal icing and it was amazing! This flavor was strong without that bitter extract taste.
Hoping to try this recipe today and hoping it works well in a cake roll.
Agreed, I love their baking emulsions!
Hi Elizabeth. Thank you for this. It’s so lovely and light, much better than ABC. However I found that it still has that gritty powder icing after taste.
Can I substitute the powdered sugar for granulated sugar as they do in SMBC? And how much granulated sugar?
Hi!
I’m sorry I’m a little confused. The recipe calls for powdered sugar so that the meringue isn’t gritty. Granulated sugar would make it much more gritty.
As far as powdered sugar goes, I do find that powdered sugar varies in texture. I am loyal to CNH since it is the least gritty one I have found. Good luck! I hope this helps.
Powdered Cane Sugar is the secret! If it doesn’t say it’s cane sugar, then it will be gritty. I love that you use the carton, it makes it so I don’t have to convert a regular recipe. One thing, I have found that some brands put other stuff in their egg whites and it doesn’t whip as well. Gotta make sure it’s Only egg whites in tbere!
I made this today and it tastes delicious! However it seems not quite as fluffy as yours. Do I need to whip it longer? I’m afraid to overwhip!
Hi Jana! You definitely can whip longer if the texture is not what you’d like. If you’re using a paddle attachment and mixing on medium you can go longer than 10 minutes without being worried about overwhipping. (Different mixers might produce different results, so the timing is a guideline and not a hard and fast rule.) If after whipping the frosting seems to have lots of tiny air bubbles, just run the mixer on low for a few minutes to try and get some of those bubbles out. Hope this helps!
Thank you!!!! This is absolutely the perfect combination of SMBC and ABC. I’ve been trying to find a recipe just like this for ages. Not only is it easier than SMBC, it’s not quite as pure buttery tasting either. It’s more of a whipped cream tasting version of buttercream without the terrible over-sweetness. I typically make IMBC, but this will be my new go-to, I think.
Hi Vanessa, thank you so much for the comment! I’m thrilled that you like the recipe, and agree that it’s a great blend of SMBC and ABC. 😀
if this recipe separates in the fridge does that mean that decorated cakes/cupcakes need to be kept out at room temperature?
Is it possible to incorporate cream cheese into this frosting? I absolutely love the consistency of it, but need a cream cheese flavored for a cake. Thanks!
Look up whipped cream cream cheese frosting. It will change your life.
How does this icing do with fondant figures? will it melt them or drag them down if fondant figures are used on the sides of the cake?
Has anyone tried ? I live in florida so humidy is an issue for me.
Also I have not seen any response to if this has to be refrigerated or can be left outside and if can stay outside for how long?
How long can this stay out of refrigeration?
Can I use this for a cake filling and add freshly sliced strawberries on it as well?
Hi Elizabeth. I made the frosting. I looked and tasted great. I refrigerated it overnight. Let it sit for a while this morning and then whipped it with paddle attachment in the mixer but it looks like its yellowed, butter like colour and I can see the sugar crystals. Should I just whip it longer? Thanks for your help.
Yes, absolutely that typically happens because it wasn’t completely up to room temperature before whipping again. Really, the solution is just to beat it until it comes together.
I am planning on making this for my daughter’s birthday cake. I’m in the UK so will be using icing sugar which I think is the same. I don’t have a stand mixer, will an electric whisk be ok?
Hi Fran, I believe icing sugar is the same so that should be fine. An electric whisk should work but you may have to adjust the time since it is not as powerful as a stand mixer. Best of luck!
How long can this frosting be left at room temperature? Does it stay fluffy, or does it start to wilt?
Hi Cindy, It is fine, it doesn’t melt but if you haven’t applied it to a cake yet you should mix it again before frosting. I leave mine at cool room temperatures for several days and have never had a problem. Of course, use your best judgment for food safety in your particular environment. Thank you.
Comment…Hey thanks for the go to way. But still curious on wether on not you can use and not need to refrigerate.
I leave mine at cool room temperatures for several days and have never had a problem. Of course, use your best judgment for food safety in your particular environment. Thank you.
Does this need refrigerated? Or is room temperature a safe storage method for the cakes?
I leave mine at cool room temperatures for several days and have never had a problem. Of course, use your best judgment for food safety in your particular environment. Thank you.
Just wondering if this can be left at room temperature for a few days?
Hi Alicia, I leave mine at cool room temperatures for several days and have never had a problem. Of course, use your best judgment for food safety in your particular environment. Thank you.
H Elizabeth. Just made your recipe for the first time, followed directions to a T but my icing seems a bit too runny? Taste is delicious and it’s easy to work with it just doesn’t seem quite as firm as I thought it would be. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Lorrie, The frosting should be pipe-able but it is less stiff than an American buttercream. If you are sure that you measured the ingredients and mixed them properly, it could be environmental issues causing the problem. You could try briefly refrigerating the frosting. If that does not work you could add a bit more butter, adding butter tends to give it more body. Hope this helps, please let me know.
I’m going to be making this recipe in a few days, but all I have is a Bosch. Will it work?
To be entirely honest, I have never tried it with a Bosch but believe it should fine. Let me know how it turns out if you do try it. Thanks!
Does it work to make and frost a cake with this icing and then freeze for later? It will not have any color it is a white wedding cake. thanks so much!
If possible I prefer to freeze the components separately. I think for the best taste and texture it is better not to freeze it assembled, that being said it won’t go bad but I think you would be happiest with the results by keeping them separate to freeze.
I made this yesterday and love it! I also have left the cupcakes on the counter and they are fine! I was wondering if you could add PB and if so do you just substitute it for some of the butter?
You can add peanut butter but the texture can be adversely affected if you add too much. What I prefer to use is the powdered peanut butters like PB2 or similar products. Thanks!
If using powdered peanut butter, would you change any of the amounts of the other ingredients?
No, I would make the recipe as usual and then add powdered peanut butter at the end, like a flavoring agent. I’d start small and add to taste.
How many cupcakes does this recipe cover?
Hi Deanna, it depends on how you are decorating them. Assuming you are not doing a tall swirl and using lots of frosting, you should be able to frost 2 dozen cupcakes.
Can you use the pasteurized egg whites in the carton to make the meringue cookies for decoration?
Hi Debbie, when I am making an actual meringue I prefer to use fresh egg whites from the shell because I think they whip up better.
I tried this recipe and I had an issue with it and I’m hoping you can help! The butter was room temp and the first steps went well but after all the butter was added and well combined, ie no lumps or separation, it did not thicken up. It was just too soft and creamy. I tried chilling it and remixing for a good 20 minutes and it still didn’t thicken, then I added more powdered sugar (about a cup) still did not come to a thicker consistency. I loved the taste and sweetness level of this icing so I’m hoping this is a simple fix!
I note that your buttercream in your mixing bowl looks very much more yellow than what you are piping on your cupcakes. How do you get it to be more white in colour?
Hi Lois,
Part of it might just be the color that was captured by the video/photos. In real life, it is more of an ivory. It’s not a true white because of the butter. A huge part of the color will be the butter you use, so if you can find a lighter butter this should help. If it is still really yellow, you can add a drop of purple food coloring (since yellow and purple are opposite on the color wheel), this should help get it back to a white. Good luck! I hope this helps.
Can I frost the cupcakes the day before the event and leave them on the counter? How many cupcakes with this recipe?
I have been using this as my go to icing on all of my cakes for over a year now. I get compliments on it all the time. I have a wedding cake request using lemon flavored white cake and raspberry filling. The bride’s fiance has requested a cream cheese frosting and she wants vanilla buttercream. I would like to continue to use this SMBC and was curious if there was a way to convert it into a CCSMBC?
Hi Jessica!
I’m so glad to hear that you like it so much! That cake sounds delicious!
Converting it to a cream cheese swiss meringue shouldn’t be a problem at all! I would start with the recipe as written so you have a finished SMBC. Once you have this, take a pound of cream cheese in a separate bowl, and beat it until it doesn’t have any lumps. Then, gradually add in the buttercream. If you add the cream cheese to the buttercream, sometimes it breaks. But if you add the buttercream slowly into the cream cheese, it usually comes together really well! Additionally, you can add extra powdered sugar to taste if it is a little too tangy. Best of luck, I hope the cake turns out beautifully!
Also, for what it is worth, I made a half batch of the SMBC so I only added it to 8oz of whipped cream cheese. The cream cheese was not out of the fridge for terribly long so I wonder if that makes a difference.
I don’t see my previous post prior to the one at 9:01 so again, I tried the cream cheese tonight. I added batches of the prepared SMBC to the cream cheese. The flavor was great considering I don’t usually like cream cheese frostings but the consistency was not great. It was kind of runny and loose. I don’t know that I would necessarily call it broken but it would slide off the cake when I was making my icing dams for the fillings. Do you have any suggestions?? I am hoping to be able to use this for a tasting in a couple of weeks but I want to have it right.
I noticed in this recipe compared to your reg. Swiss Meringue Buttercream you use a lot more butter and it makes less buttercream why is that and on the original Swiss Meringue Buttercream you can add more flavors like peanut butter etc. I was just wondering if you could use your amounts for the other one for this one? I need more than this and I want to flavor some of it not half with peanut butter? I have seen you can add a cup of peanut butter to Swiss Meringue Buttercream but, was going with this one because I have a carton of egg whites so hate to waste the ones in the carton and don’t like having so many egg yolks left over. I am doing this tomorrow hopefully you will see this before then. Love all your recipes and your classes look great. Also one more question I also saw on that other Swiss Meringue recipe you could add shortening to it to make it more stable and, for the chocolate you could add the melted bars or cocoa mixed like a paste to get the chocolate version. What are your thoughts on that also. I really trust your judgment as I have made a lot of recipes from your site and loved them all.
Oh I’m sorry I didn’t see this in time! But for future reference/other users I’ll still answer your questions! I hope it all still turned out for you.
In the other one, you have a meringue that is a lot more voluminous because the egg whites take up more room. You can use the exact same amounts for this one, it’s really flexible so you can kind of taste and adjust as you go.
I haven’t personally tried shortening, but a lot of other users have and it has turned out fine, so you should be good to do it! The cocoa should work just fine as well.
I’m so glad you’ve made so many and like them! I love to hear that. I hope this still helps even though it’s a little late! Best of luck, and thanks for your comment.
I actually made this today with all palm shortening, no butter (due to a dairy allergy) and it came out amazing!
I just wanted to say that this recipe is my go to for a light, fluffy textured frosting that pipes well for soft swirls, pearls and dots. This is not a crusting frosting and I like that! My husband and co-workers love it!! I never have any leftovers when I make a cake with this frosting. In fact, I used this for my daughter’s wedding cake as it had the texture my son-in law likes. I wish I could attach a picture of the cake. It had swirls on top, pearls between the tiers, and swiss polka dots all over the sides. The wedding was in September and the cake was left out in the reception room. No sliding or dripping. Perfect. I am not a professional and everyone was amazed with how it looked and tasted!
-Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth!
I’m so glad you love it so much! That cake sounds incredible, I would love to see it! And I’m so glad it turned out beautifully, as I’m sure the entire wedding did! So glad it has never failed you! Thanks for the sweet comment 🙂
As some other people have mentioned, I made this buttercream but the last time I made it and added cocoa powder to it, it became very soft and wasn’t able to pipe it. It would not stand up when piped. What would cause this, and how could it be fixed. We made the same recipe another time and the chocolate frosting stood up just fine. Thanks in advance for you answer.
Hi Lynn,
So sorry to hear that! I usually recommend using melted, unsweetened chocolate because that doesn’t affect the texture as much! But, if you’re in a situation where the buttercream is already soft and you’re looking to fix it, you can always try adding powdered sugar. Best of luck!
Hi Elizabeth, i live out side US and got a bit confused convirting the egg whites …so if you could help me with that. Im planing to frost a cake a day before the Birthday, and as I live in a hot country I need to put in in the fridge. Is it ok?
another thing is how can i make this frosting with chocolate.
thanks Anna
Hi Anna,
As far as the egg whites go, the measurement should be 177mL, if that helps? You can put the frosted cake in the fridge, but I would recommend serving it at room temperature because I think it serves better when it’s not cold. I have recommendations for adding chocolate in step three of the recipe if you want to check that out!
Good luck!
I use fondant decorations with buttercream icing. I live in Florida and the humidity is terrible. Will this hold up to decorations, like cut out sillhouttes of buildings on the sides of the cake.
Hi Pam,
I live in a climate that gets hot, but is quite dry. I can’t say for sure how it will react to the Florida humidity. In general, fondant works well, but I haven’t tested it in humidity! Please let me know if you give it a try, I’d be curious to see if it’s any different. Best of luck!
Oh my goodness… I am SO happy to have come across this!!! I can’t wait to try this! My customer has been complaining about my normal buttercream frosting crusting over (American), but having 3 very active boys, I don’t have the time to do the more complicated Swiss, Italian, and French meringue frostings. I’m so excited to give this a try!!
Glad you found it! I hope it goes well for you, you’ll have to let me know if it’s worth the switch!
I haven’t seen an answer for attaching fondant decorations to the sides of cake? Any ideas…should I add some gelatin so that it will set up better?
Can I add strawberry purée reduction to this to make it a strawberry buttercream?