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Swiss Meringue Vanilla Buttercream

Fluffy, creamy with just the right amount of sweetness. This Swiss Meringue Buttercream is perfect to finish off your cakes and cupcakes. Pair it with your favorite cupcake recipe, or try it with our Lemon Vanilla Cupcakes

We all have a go to buttercream recipe, well, this is mine! It’s simply perfect! Easy to make, you can pretty much add in any flavor you want: purees, melted chocolate, zest, or any flavorful extract.

There are 3 ways of making a meringue; French, Italian and Swiss. In both the Italian and Swiss methods, the egg whites are cooked. Thus, making the buttercream more stable – which is perfect for tropical weathers like in Mauritius (classic buttercreams tend to melt in the heat). The cooked eggs also makes it safer to eat (especially for kids).

Tips & Tricks

  • Make sure your butter is at room temperature or else it will not combine homogeneously with the egg whites. Instead, the mixture will become lumpy
  • Allow your cake to cool down completely before piping your buttercream, or the frosting will melt. It is also crucial that your buttercream is at room temp
  • If you are covering an entire cake, make enough buttercream in your first batch as it is difficult to recreate colors. This recipe is enough to cover a 9-inch (22cm) round layer cake.

Storage Tips

  • Once piped, you can keep the buttercream-ed cake in an airtight container at room temp in a shady place, for up to 3 days. As long as the buttercream is not exposed to direct sunlight, it shouldn’t melt.
  • You can also keep the buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for around 1 week or for about 1 month in the freezer. You’ll have to thaw it in the fridge if you froze it. Then, just bring it to room temp (remove it from the fridge approx 1 hour before using) and beat it well before piping

Swiss Meringue Vanilla Buttercream

Course: From The Kitchen, Something SweetDifficulty: Easy
Yield

5

cups
Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 340g (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

  • 250g (1 cup plus 3 tbsp) castor sugar

  • 5 egg whites

  • Vanilla essence, to taste

  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  • In a metal stand mixer bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg whites and salt until well combined
  • Place the bowl over a water bath (saucepan) of simmering water, keeping the heat on low.
  • Using an electric hand mixer (or even just by hand whisking) constantly whisk the mixture until smooth and frothy. You want the sugar to dissolve. Keep whisking until the mixture reaches 71C/160F (or until warm to the touch). It is crucial to whisk continuously, or else the heat will cook the eggs
  • Attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing, whisk the mixture until soft and stiff peaks form
  • When the mixture has cooled down, add the butter spoonful by spoonful. The butter shouldn’t melt but should incorporate into the egg mixture
  • Add the vanilla, coloring and any other flavoring and mix well
  • Once all ingredients have been well incorporated, use a spatula and whisk the mixture vigorously 3-4 times to remove air pockets. You may use the paddle stand mixer attachment if you wish
  • Transfer buttercream to a piping bag
Inspired by Martha Steward's recipe

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