This Swiss Meringue buttercream always makes my day a bit sweeter. I love the mouthfeel, the sweetness and the way it always complements a cake so wonderfully. (Oh how I love cake!) Decorating (and eating) cakes is a huge passion of mine and this buttercream, in particular, is seriously the best on the planet. How do I know? Because, I tend to like any and every buttercream I come in contact with, maybe except those made without butter, ick. It’s just a million times better than the rest! It’s always my go to recipe for every cake occasion.
It is, however, a tad bit different from a traditional Swiss Meringue Buttercream (whipped egg whites, granulated sugar and butter.) Same preparation, but with the addition of shortening and powdered sugar. With that said, it’s a perfect marriage of Swiss buttercream and American buttercream. It gets its fluffiness from the meringue and the sweetness from the powdered sugar. Not too fluffy, but not too dense at the same time.
My Passionate Love For This Recipe
Having posted about this icing once before, I wanted to come back to it and profess my passionate love for it once again. So here we go…I promise I won’t get too sappy! I love that it’s perfectly buttery, I love its delicate fluffiness, I love that it’s ultra silky smooth and velvety making it a dream to ice and work with. Achieve crisp piping and edges every time! I love its subtle shine, I love its delightful sweetness, and I love the mouthfeel-it’s melt in your mouth deliciousness every single bite. I love that it doesn’t crust extremely fast, so fondant sticks to it and sprinkles adhere nicely. Most of all, I love to eat it! It’s nothing short of amazing, and the perfect icing to complement any sweet confection or for any sweet tooth!
More Great Icings
This is one icing recipe you must try! And here are other tried and true recipes I’m in love with.
Let’s Start Making Some Icing
Like I said earlier, Swiss Meringue is traditionally made with whipped egg whites and granulated sugar. Butter is then added and whipped until extremely smooth.
Sure, you can stop after you’ve added the butter, but this results in a slightly sweet butter to me. Don’t get me wrong, it is fabulous in itself, and you may go ahead and use it just like this, but I like it a bit more dense and a lot more sweet, so I’ve added shortening and powdered sugar. I initially did this for wedding cakes. The shortening keeps the outdoor cakes from melting too fast and gives it a bit more stability.
It’s a tad bit of work, but nothing too hard or intimidating. I can tell you though, it’s totally worth it. So don’t hesitate.
To begin, over a double boiler, heat the egg whites and sugar until 173 degrees Fahrenheit is reached and the sugar is completely melted.
Next, carefully pour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Whip on high speed until light and fluffy.
Continue to whip until cool. While cooling, prepare butter, and always, always use unsalted butter. A side note, the better quality butter, the better taste you’ll achieve-always. Room temperature butter is necessary. Cut into cubes and add into the cooled whipped egg whites and slow the speed to medium.
Mix until fully incorporated. Continue to whip another 5 minutes. Next, add the shortening, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix for another 3 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate, if not using right away, for up to two weeks.
Helpful Tips
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making this icing.
- Make sure every bowl, whisk, untensil you use is void of any fat. If any is present, even the littlest amount, this will result in the egg whites not whipping up properly. So crack your eggs carefully!
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature.
- If you do not have a double boiler, make your own by placing a metal bowl over a sauce pan filled with water. Just make sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl.
- Make sure the meringue is completely cool before adding the butter.
You Need Some Cake With Your Icing!
I promise you’ll love this icing! If you need some cake to go with your icing here are my favorite recipes
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
A fluffy, silky smooth, perfectly sweet buttercream to complement any sweet confection.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Egg Whites
- 1 Pound Granulated Sugar
- 2 Pounds Unsalted Butter, Cubed Room temperature
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 8 Oz. Shortening
- 2 Pounds Powdered Sugar
Instructions
-
1. In a double boiler, heat egg whites and granulated sugar until it reaches 173 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Carefully pour into mixing bowl and whisk on high speed until fluffy and cool. (Room Temperature)
3. Slow to medium speed and add the butter slowly.
4. Whip until the buttercream comes together and whip for another 3 minutes.
5. Add shortening, salt, vanilla extract and powdered sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Beat for another 3 minutes until shiny and smooth.
6. Immediately use or cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Chelsea
I sugar coat everything!
1,645 total views, 14 views today
yum! I love a good buttercream! Also a big fan of cream cheese frosting!
Me too! Thank you!
Interesting addition with the shortening! Thank you for the tips!
I have tasted it – delicious!!!
This looks so fluffy almost like a mixture of buttercream and whipped cream. I am going to have to try this.
It is very fluffy – I love it because of how fluffy it is, but it also holds up very well for decorating purposes 🙂
Okay, yep, going to make this now! It’s acceptable to not put it on a cake, right…. just eat it? 🙂
Definitely! I know it’s what I do best 🙂
They’re so pretty! Looks delicious!
Thank you!
Sounds so good! I can’t wait to try it in our home!
I had NO idea fat stops eggs from whipping! Thanks for the tip, this icing sounds delicious!
This looks delish! Thanks for providing photos and detailed instructions!
This looks so good! Thanks for the great pictures of the steps. It’s good to see what things should look like along the way.
It looks so good.
I have never made frosting with shortening. I will have to try this! Thank you.
I feel like Homer Simpson…drooling at the photos on my screen! I love this recipe – it’s gluten-free which means I’m not missing out!
I love frosting and cake, but I’m not good at it. I will definitely try this.
I see the contestants on GBBO doing a swiss meringue all the time. I’ll have to give it a try!
Now I want to make some gluten-free cupcakes to go with it!
these are so cute and look delicious!
I can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing
Wow! These look to die for! Would kill for one right now! Yum!
This looks so great! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you!
I can definitely feel your passion for the sweet goodness of your buttercream icing recipe. Your pictures also paint 1000 words. The cupcakes look heavenly!!
Thanks! 🙂
This icing sounds wonderful. I make butter cream icings but never a meringue icing. This will be my next. And you have a red velvet cake!😲 going to check that out too. Thank you!
Thank you!!
Yum yum yum! That cupcake looks so good. I love a frosting that holds shape like that.
YUMM!! Thanks for sharing this! I also make my own frosting (my Gram’s recipe)! But this one looks yummy to try!!!
Wow! That looks delicious.
Thanks! 😊
This looks so amazingly good. I am going to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Oh, my ~ Oh, my! My sweet tooth is going crazy right now. These cupcakes looks delish and that icing looks soooo good! Yum!
Thanks! 😊
Yay! I need a good recipe for buttercream!
I’m going to share this with my friend that loves to bake and hopefully get to taste it too. Hee hee. 🙂 I love the pictures with directions!
This looks so yummy! And I definitely notice a better tasting cupcake after using good quality butter! It’s a must!