Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) is a super smooth, stable buttercream that is not too sweet! This makes it a great alternative to American buttercream which some people just find a little too sweet. For the chocolate version, check out my chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipe.
What is Swiss meringue buttercream?
Swiss meringue buttercream is what we call a meringue based buttercream. It’s made by whipping cooked egg whites and caster sugar together into a stiff meringue, followed by your butter and flavourings. It is less sweeter than American buttercream and is one of the easiest meringue based buttercreams to make. This makes it a popular option for many bakers!
My top tips for success!
SMBC is a little harder than making a traditional American buttercream, BUT it’s totally achievable! Below are a list of my top tips to get your SMBC right the first time around 🙂
– Make sure there are no fats/oils on your bowls or spoons. Any fat residue can prevent your meringue from whipping up properly. Ensure all bowls and utensils used in this recipe are washed properly. You can also wipe your bowl down with a touch of lemon juice or vinegar to ensure there are no fats left behind from a previous bake 🙂
– Make sure your butter is at the right consistency. Your butter should be soft enough that you can make an indent in it with your fingers, but should still be relatively firm and hold it’s shape. Check out the recipe video below for a visual on this.
– Cook your egg whites and sugar over a bain maree on a very low heat. If the heat is too high, you’re going to overcook your egg whites and have scrambled egg buttercream!
– Whip your meringue to stiff peaks. If your meringue is too soft, it’s not going to be as stable and hold it’s shape as well.
– Let your meringue cool before adding in your butter. When you whip your meringue it should take about 15 minutes to reach the stiff peak stage. By this point it should be cool enough to add in your butter. If it still feels warm, then pop your bowl into the fridge for 10 minutes or so and then add in your butter. If your meringue is too hot, it’s going to melt your butter and you’re going to end up with soupy SMBC! But not too worry, if this happens you can totally fix it! Check out the troubleshooting tips below.
Help! What’s wrong with my SMBC?!
– Why is my buttercream soupy?! – If your buttercream is soupy it’s most likely because your meringue was too hot when adding in your butter. You can easily fix this by popping your soupy SMBC into the fridge for about 30 minutes, and then rewhip it.
– Why is my SMBC curdling? – Don’t panic, this is TOTALLY NORMAL! When adding your butter to your meringue, you need to give it time to incorporate into the meringue. It may look like it’s curdling, but just let it do it’s thing and it will eventually come together. You want to let it whip for at least a few minutes after the butter is added in.
– Why does my SMBC taste like butter? – SMBC does taste more buttery than American buttercream, but it shouldn’t taste like you’re eating butter! Firstly, check the quantities you have used carefully. Secondly, make sure you’re whipping your SMBC long enough after adding in the butter. If you don’t whip it long enough, it won’t lighten up the frosting and you’re more likely to have that intense buttery taste.
– Why is my SMBC grainy? – This would be because your sugar wasn’t completely dissolved into your egg whites. Check that you can’t feel any sugar granules between your fingers before whipping up your egg white/sugar mixture.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (400 g) unsalted butter - room temp, cut into small cubes
- 5 large (150 g) egg whites - see note 4
- 1½ cups (320 g) castor sugar - regular white sugar okay - see note 3
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
Instructions
- If this is your first time making SMBC, I would recommend watching the demonstration video below. This will help with understanding what things should look like at each step 🙂
- Begin by separating your egg whites from your egg yolks (if using fresh eggs). Make sure there are no yolks in the whites, otherwise this will prevent the whites from whipping up properly when we make our meringue.
- In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the egg whites and caster sugar, and gently heat the mixture over a double boiler. Keep gently mixing the mixture so it heats evenly. The goal is to get a smooth texture without over-cooking the egg whites. After a few minutes, check the mixture by rubbing it in between your fingers. If you can't feel any sugar granules then it is done. If you're not using pasteurised egg whites, then ensure the mixture has reached 75 °C so that it is safe to eat.
- Transfer the mixture into a stand mixer (see note 1). Using the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and sugar on medium-high speed (speed 8 on KitchenAid) for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is cool and stiff peaks have formed.
- Turn down your mixer to a medium speed (speed 6 on KitchenAid) and slowly add in the butter, about a tablespoon at a time (see note 5). It is important to ensure that the butter is at room temperature (soft enough to make an indent with your finger, but not melted or losing it's shape). See note 2
- Once all the butter is mixed in, add in your vanilla and continue to mix your buttercream until it is smooth in consistency, about another few minutes. At some stage it may look like the buttercream is curdling, but this is totally normal! Just let your mixer do it's thing and it will come together.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
58 Comments
Assalamu alaikum Maryam,
I am a big fan and loves all videos and am now doing my small cake business thanks to you with your educative recipes.
Well I have a question, I don’t use Butter but Margarine and sometimes my swiss meringue comes out not creamy. Should i stop using margarine and use butter instead.
please i need your answer ASAP
Thanks so very much
Hi I recently made this frosting and everybody loved it. Just wondering though if I were to make the frosting in advanced, how long does it last for? Am I able to freeze it?
So happy to hear you all loved it Adriana! 🙂 And yes you can totally make this frosting in advance, it’ll last about a week in the fridge, or you can freeze, thaw and rewhip it. If you find that your frosting curdles when re whipped check out this video for trouble shooting tips 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG6diwnwT-k
Hi
I have a question I have been whipping my meringue with hand mixer since more than an hour and I’m taking breaks between as well so the hand mixer doenst get faulty and idk why it’s not forming stiff peaks, even tho I havent added any yolk or anything else that wouldn’t allow it
Same is happening for me now. Was hoping there was an answer. Don’t want to add the butter and waste it.
Hi Ilham and Jillian 🙂 Sorry I must have missed the original question! So if your meringue is not whipping up it could be due to a few reasons. Firstly, check that the bowl and attachments you’re using are super clean (no fat residue at all. To be sure, wipe the bowl and attachments with lemon juice or white vinegar). Secondly, the mixture may be slightly too warm. Pop the meringue into the fridge for 15 minutes and then try whipping it again. Also stick to a medium-high speed when mixing. Lastly, ensure the correct quantities are used – I would recommend using the gram measurements for accuracy. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi so I was wondering if I were to make a cake and crumb oat it using this frosting and leave the cake overnight, would I be able to use the remaining frosting the next day to ice the cake or would it go weird
Hi Hannah! Yes absolutely, you will just need to rewhip the SMBC the next day before using it as it often has a lot of air bubbles if you leave it sitting overnight 🙂 and if you find its a bit hard the next day then just heat it up ever so slightly like 5-10 seconds and then rewhip it and it should become nice and smooth 🙂
Hi so I was wondering if I were to make a cake and crumb oat it using this frosting and leave the cake overnight, would I be able to use the remaining frosting the next day to ice the cake or would it go weird?
Hi can you use an egg white substitute for this?
Hi Clare! Hmm I haven’t tried an egg white substitute myself apart from aquafaba which worked well! Here is the recipe if you wanted to try it out 🙂 https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/eggless-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
I have a question, is there anyway for me to fix the buttercream so it doesn’t have an eggy taste? I love that it’s not sweet like American but it has a hint of egg taste I can’t get over
Hi Cheryl! 🙂 So SMBC shouldn’t have an eggy taste, and if it does, it could be because you overheated your egg whites just a little too much. I would also recommend adding in a tiny bit of vinegar to your egg whites before whipping if you keep noticing the eggy taste and also make sure you’re putting in enough vanilla flavouring 🙂 hope these tips help!
Hi Maryam
I’ve just found you on youtube and have watched every post – love it and your techniques are easy to follow. Just a quick question – how much chocolate should I add for this recipe?
thank you
Hi Julie! 🙂 So glad to hear you’re enjoying the content 😀
You can find my chocolate SMBC recipe here: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/chocolate-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
Hope that helps 🙂
I really loved it. It worked out perfectly. Well, eventually. Great job Maryam 🙂 Thanx
Thanks Elizabeth! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi, does the cake need to be stored in the fridge once the icing has been put on it? And how does this icing hold up to heat?
Hi Kristy! Swiss meringue can be left out for a couple of days, but after that should be placed in the fridge. It’s a great stable buttercream so holds up well in reasonable heat, but as with all buttercreams, don’t leave it outside in hot weather or in direct sunlight 🙂
Hi love love your cake receipe. I hv tried so many of your yummy receipe and all successful. But I faced couple problems. My SMBC has lots of bubbles and I try to deflate it with a spatula and only helps a little. Advise how to achieve a smooth frosting when applying to the cake. The frosting also seem dense to apply on cake. Lastly, when I added color to the frosting the cake has a uneven color tone. Your advise would be greatly appreciated:)
So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes Jessica! 🙂 In terms of the SMBC, I find that heating up the frosting ever so slightly (about 5-10 second bursts depending on how much frosting you have) and then whipping it helps to remove the air bubbles and will also help make it a smoother consistency for applying on cakes 🙂 in terms of the colour, you may want to let the gel colour mix into the frosting for a few extra minutes to ensure it’s evenly distributed. Hope that helps 🙂
I’m a complete novice (practicing for my toddler’s birthday cake) and this worked like a charm for me. Thank you! Especially for warning that it might look like it’s curdling – just to persevere. I love all your videos!!
Yay! So happy to hear your trial run came out great Kim 😀 yesss people often get scared at the curdling – it’s definitely one of those ‘trust the process moments’ haha! All the best with the birthday cake I’m sure you’ll do awesome 😀