Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Out of all of the frostings to choose from, Swiss Meringue Buttercream is the best. It’s buttery, creamy, smooth, lightly sweetened, and it tastes just like vanilla soft serve ice cream. The icing requires just a little more preparation than frostings such as classic vanilla buttercream, but the final results are totally worth it!

“Buttercream is my favorite accessory.” ―

Anonymous

Why You’ll Love This Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

• Airy vanilla flavor
• Super smooth and buttery texture
• Not too sweet
• Tastes like vanilla soft serve ice cream
• Goes with every cake and filling flavor
• Flavors are customizable
• Produces stable decorations

Inspiration for Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

I couldn’t post the best yellow cake recipe without also posting the best buttercream recipe!

Since there’s a lot of people who don’t care for the richness of many buttercreams, this is the one that changes minds because it doesn’t taste of sugar and shortening. The flavor is very refreshing and boldly vanilla―a taste often difficult to capture.

As a bonus, this buttercream goes well with any cake flavor or filling. One of my favorite combinations is the Best Ever Yellow Cake with a Strawberry Raspberry Jam, iced with this very buttercream. It’s also quite addicting on rich chocolate cake. Whether it is fruit, caramel, or nuts, the world is your oyster with this buttercream.

How the buttercream is made

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is made by dissolving sugar into heated egg whites, whipping it into a stiff meringue, then whipping butter and vanilla into the meringue. Use good quality or your favorite butter, cane sugar or white sugar, and true vanilla extract. If you’re skeptical about using eggs, simply use the pasteurized variety found in the grocery store.

The buttercream has a creamy, satiny finish that is easy to frost and pipe. The recipe is enough to frost a double later 8” cake and 12 to 18 cupcakes, with some left over for decorating

Decorates well

Other than being utterly delicious, this buttercream is versatile and easy to use for cake decorations. Cake spatulas help the buttercream glide on the cake, and the pipework produced is neat and smooth.

I used this buttercream to create my Teal and Blue Mermaid Cake. If you are looking to decorate a cake or cupcakes with less effort, I highly recommend using Sprinkle Pop sprinkles.

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Special Tools and Equipment

• Double boiler
• Stand mixer
• Silicone spatula

Print

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Prep Time 30 minutes

Servings 42 ounces

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (200ml) Pasteurized Egg Whites
• 2 Cups (400g) Sugar
• 6 Sticks (600g) Butter room temperature, cubed
• 2 tsp (10g) Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. In a double boiler, heat the egg whites and sugar on medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. This can take 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Pour the egg and sugar mixture into a large mixing bowl and whip the mixture on medium-high until a meringue develops. It is ready when the meringue is cool, shiny, and reaches stiff peaks.
3. Set your electric mixer to its lowest speed and add the butter a few cubes at a time. As the butter gets incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly increase the speed to medium.
4. Add the vanilla extract and whip until the buttercream is glossy and white or ivory in color.

5. Makes enough to frost an 8" layer cake or 12 to 18 cupcakes with some leftover for decorating.

   Enjoy!

Did you give this Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe a try? If so, please rate it and tell us how it went in the comments below!