Swiss Meringue Buttercream

My friend use to be a pastry chef from a very popular dessert restaurant in our area. She gave me this recipe for my daughters first birthday cake. It's fabulous! It does look like it's not going to work until the last cube or 2 of butter, but it does. Only thing is you need to use non-water based food coloring to color it because of the high fat content. Tastes the best, everyone raves about it!

This was absolutely delicious and very easy. I followed the recipe exactly and didn't have any problems. I halved the recipe and added 1 13 oz. can of dulce de leche at the very end for a delicious caramel flavor. I had just enough to frost and fill a 3-layer cake made with 9 inch rounds. I made the frosting a couple days before I assembled the cake, so I covered it in saran wrap and refrigerated it-- I had to mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes to get the right consistency again. If you have any problems with the frosting being soupy or looking curdled, just keep mixing and maybe add a couple more tbsp of colder butter.

This was my 1st time making buttercream icing and so glad I decided to go with this recipe - it was incredible. It is somewhat time consuming, but so simple to make ... once the egg white/sugar mixture is dissolved, the rest of the hard work is done by your mixer. For each step in the mixer, just turn it on and walk away .... the longer it mixed, the better. I halved the recipe and still had a large amount leftover after icing 24 cupcakes. I did make it the day before and put it in the refrigerator overnight. One note- if you make it ahead, you might want to let it sit out to come back to room temp before mixing again. I was in a rush to frost the cupcakes and sat the mixer bowl in a bowl of warm water for a few mins and that worked fine too. Can't wait to try again!!

I own a small baking business and have used this recipe for years. It is fabulous. Some of my clients prefer a bit sweeter buttercream so I add 1/2c powder sugar to the icing when it is completely mixed. I prefer it as written ! Smooth, lightly sweet and pipes like a dream!!

Don't worry if it's looking flat just keep going and finish the resepie.

Let me start by saying that this is my first time making a swiss buttercream, but I’m quite familiar with american buttercreams. I used this recipe as well as a few tips from around the internet and I couldn’t be happier. I agree with the previous reviewers that it takes a lot of time, but not a lot of active time. Set your stand mixer and walk away (I wouldn’t have attempted this without AT LEAST an electric mixer) read a book, watch a movie, overall quite relaxing. My egg/sugar mixture came up to temperature in about 5 minutes, rather than 10 that the recipe indicated and was about 160 degrees when I checked it (I also did checked it with my fingers since I doubted my thermometer after only 5 minutes). I followed other instructions and took my butter out of the fridge and cut it up right when I put the sugar/egg mixture on to mix. By the time I was ready to add the butter it was soft enough to stab with a fork, but nowhere near as soft as I would want for a cake batter or cookies, regardless, my meringue didn’t break as I added the butter. I added butter very slowly (didn’t add another cube until the first cube was no longer visible). I wouldn’t want to make this buttercream the same day I’m making a cake, but I like to make my cakes the day before, add a crumb coat, and refrigerate overnight. (I made an american buttercream for the crumb coat since I didn’t feel like making this recipe last night). This buttercream was exactly what I needed for the textured cake the

Out of this world delicious! Don't be in a hurry to make it though. It's very time consuming but SO worth the wait. This is kind of a massive batch...Totally filled my 6 quart mixing bowl.

OMG this is yummy! American Buttercream is too sweet for my taste, but this is so good... so light and buttery! It is time consuming so plan ahead but worth it! If you want a more white buttercream be sure to use a clear flavoring like the vanilla Wilton makes or maybe an almond flavoring (mine turned an off-white color with the addition of my extract). I will never make the regular again. I haven't tried to color this yet, but I am going to attempt it.

Divine texture! Smooth as silk and looks like whipped cream in the bowl. I cut the batch in half and made it precisely as written with real vanilla and unsalted butter until I tasted it and found it needed a bit more salt to make the flavor properly pop. The flavor is quite subtle so perhaps it would go best on a strong flavored cake. I will most certainly be making it again perhaps even the other flavor variations. Its NOT sickly sweet like foul American buttercream so if you like your frosting super sweet choose another recipe. Does anyone know if this frosting freezes well? I'd love to make a full batch and have it on hand in the freezer.

This takes some practice - it’s a very precise process, but Oh My Goodness is it worth the effort!!!

I make this a lot for cakes and cupcakes. I get so many compliments. It's easy but time consuming.

I used regular salted butter and omitted the additional salt at the end- really tasty, smooth, creamy. This time, I added 1 T. pumpkin powder to about 1 c. icing, a dash of pumpkin pie spice, turned out really lovely.

I've used this recipe several times now! It's my go to for not-too sweet and light and airy buttercream. This is very good and it's coming from someone who hates buttercream. Here are some tips that I've found works for me: (1) use a thermometer! It really helps to get the right temperature when beating the egg whites over the stove...it takes a lot less time than you think, (2) I like to let the egg whites beat for a long while until the mixer bowl is nice and cool and no longer warm...this takes a very long while (like 20 minutes or so) so I just set it and check on it 5 minutes or so to make sure things aren't running down the sides (it'll get super fluffy and go over the bowl sometimes), (3) beat in the butter in small batches...take your time and don't rush...if it gets runny - let it go until its light and fluffy again or stick it in fridge for a bit, and last (4) I always make this a day or two ahead and then stick it in large plastic containers in the fridge. Just give it a quick run through the mixer after it's been sitting out for about 10-15 minutes (or more depending on how big of a batch and temp in your house) because it gets hard in the fridge.

Made this to pair with chocolate cupcakes. Adjusted recipe to 20 servings to frost 12 cupcakes & added 1/4 cup caramel. So creamy, not too sweet, got rave reviews on the cupcakes, I was asked which bakery I got them from! The paddle attachment like the recipe suggests didn't work for me so I switched it to the whisk attachment, put it on medium high for 10 minutes & it was the perfect consistency for piping. This will be my go to recipe from now on.

Only 3 words, BEST. FROSTING. EVER!!!

Very good.......not too sweet. Followed the recipe exactly, except I cut it in half. Made more than enough to frost a 9 inch layer cake. I found 6 large egg whites equaled one cup. It was good with the 2 and half cups of butter, but am going to make it next time with 2 cups instead and think it will be fine.

Wow this is SO good! So fluffy and not too sweet. I scaled it down to 24 servings, used a large tip, and went quite tall on 12 cupcakes. It held its shape perfectly and everyone raved. Definitely a keeper!

This recipe calls for 2 cups of egg whites...that's around SIXTEEN eggs at 4 whites per 1/2 cup! SERIOUSLY?!? Why so many? Most other recipes I have seen don't call for nearly that much....the result had better be enough to do a crumb coat and some elaborate piping.

It turned out perfect minus the grit left over by the white sugar. Followed to a T and it's just kinda a weird mouth feel.

Made it several times and will make it again tomorrow. Absolutely delicious, not too sweet.

If I make this again I think I would use less butter. I know that this is a buttercream, but I was hoping for a little more of the swiss meringue part to come through.

Best frosting ever! And great for decorating. Holds it shape beautifully. Definitely a keeper!

Sounds so yummy! One question though, is it possible to make this icing ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container until I need it? Perhaps only a couple of days before I pipe it on the cake?

Love this recipe - very smooth, creamy - great flavor.

Made this today since I was out of cream cheese for my regular frosting. Followed the recipe exactly. Won't make again.

This is a straight forward, easy to follow recipe that has amazing results. Love it, will make it many times again!

It was very runny and I was not able to spread it.

I will really make it again I made it for a Harry Potter birthday party and it worked everyone loved it so I had to make more I made at least 5 batch of frosting for a 7 hour party for a 5 year old and of course I will make it

I looked to a YouTube video because I wanted to make sure I got the process right, but seriously this is delicious!

Absolutely a hit at our party. The best frosting ever!!!

I made this exactly as the recipe instructs and loved it! I don't care for American buttercreams as they are too sweet for my taste. This was just the right amount of sweet for me and did great for piping.

This recipe is great! I found that the recipe was too runny though.

Out of this world frosting!! Per others' suggestions in the reviews, I left the cubed butter in the fridge until I pulled the mixture off the heat and put it back on the stand mixer. It was slightly softened by the time I put it into the mix, cube by cube, but still cold. Frosting held up wonderfully, piped easily and got rave reviews. I partnered it with a dark chocolate espresso cupcake and can see myself flavoring it with espresso powder in the future. I lowered the recipe to 50 servings and it piped 50 cupcakes with only a 1/2 cup left over or so.

It is an amazing recipe. No need to add or take away anything!

It was easy to make and everyone that tried it said it was perfect. Very good feeling for my first time making it.

If the picture is upside down I apologize it will not let me flip it. But I use the buttercream to fill and cover this cake. My go to recipe. I love how luxurious it is. The only thing I change is sometimes I use half a cup to one cup less butter and it works out perfectly every time! I love this recipe.

I loved this. My first time making anything other than American Buttercream. The only thing I would change is that I would use the unsalted butter it calls for. I normally always use salted butter and it is what I had on hand, but I don't want salt to be the main flavor I taste...

Also, I refrigerated and rewhipped to use the next day, I didn't do any flowers so I'll have to see how it works for that type of piping.

it was just what i was looking for and I will definitely make it again.

I have made frosting for 40 years and this by far is the best. Well worth the time!! My family loved it and this is the only recipe I will ever use.

This is THE BEST frosting I have ever made. It was also easy and very forgiving. You can adjust the amount of butter/meringue to make the consistency and flavor you want. It's smooth, light, not too sweet, and it is stable at room temperature. I am never making American buttercream again. Only thing to consider: this recipe makes a lot of icing, and with a 5 quart standing mixer, I had to make it in two batches. Totally worth it though.