You will LOVE the silky smooth, light consistency and buttery flavor of this Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting recipe.
American Buttercream vs. Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
For most of the cake decorating tutorials and recipes on my site, I use American Buttercream frosting (for example, Classic Vanilla Buttercream).
American Buttercream recipes are very easy to make, using simple combination of butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk, and flavorings. These are often crusting buttercream recipes that are slightly denser, sweet, and are perfect for piping.
The first time I tried Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting, I fell in love with the ultra smooth, melt-in-your-mouth quality of this frosting. It is less sweet than American Buttercream, and has a fantastic flavor.
Does Swiss Meringue Buttercream Develop a Crust?
No, Swiss Meringue Frosting is not a crusting recipe, and so the Viva Paper Towel Method of smoothing will not work for this frosting, but it does pipe nicely and can be used beneath fondant (when chilled).
If you’ve never tried Swiss Meringue Frosting, you MUST give it a try at least once! The process takes a bit longer but the resulting frosting is heavenly! It may just become your new favorite!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Delicious Swiss Meringue Buttercream! This recipe makes a great filling or frosting and pipes perfectly!
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter (12oz. 339g) *At Room Temperature
- 5 egg whites ( ¾ cup, 168g)
- ½ teaspoon (2g, ⅛oz) cream of tartar
- 1 cup ( 205 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon (21g) vanilla extract
Instructions
Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar in a heat proof bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixing bowl). Put this over a pot of simmering water, whisking by hand until a candy thermometer attached to the side of the bowl registers 140 degrees.
Transfer this to your mixer and put in the whisk attachment. Whip on medium high speed until it reaches stiff peak stage This could take about 10 min. The bottom of the bowl will cool off . The mixture will become fluffy and glossy.
While the meringue is beating, cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces.
When the meringue is ready, put the paddle attachment on the mixer and add the butter a few pieces at a time while beating on low speed.
Add vanilla
The mixture may look like it is separating after you add the butter. Don’t worry, just continue beating on medium-high speed and it will become smooth again.
You can use immediately ….refrigerate in an airtight container for 5 days or freeze for 1 month. If frozen, bring to room temp and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until it is smooth again…..3 to 5 minutes
*Make sure to check out our full listing of tried and true recipes for our favorite Cakes, Cupcakes, Fillings, and Frostings in our Recipes Section!
Can you please tell me how many ounces/grams your sticks of butter are? I’m in Australia, so our packages/measurements are different.
Thanks.
dito that last comment :) I am in Ireland :)
Hi, 1 stick of butter is 113 grams/4oz
If I want to make this s chocolate SMBC, what kind of chocolate do I use? melted? how much chocolate to use? and when to add the chocolate? thanks in advance!
Can you decorate a cake with this recipe? I’m not looking for anything too intricate, possibly some star tip roses or some ruffles.
Nevermind, found my answer in the forums. Thanks.
Hi Tiffany, sorry for the delay. We actually are planning to do a short video on SMBC this week.
I do have another question. I was what’s the difference between swiss and italian meringue buttercreams? I can see that the ingredients either calls for more or less of the basics (egg whites/sugar/cream of tartar) and the italian calls for water.
I have to say I had great success with this buttercream, decorating a cake with piped roses and leaves. The roses I did with a nail and refrigerated and simply popped them on to the cake when firmed up and then added leaves etc. The cake does need to be served at room temp otherwise its like eating a sweet firm butter.
Hi,
Can this buttercream be used under fondant?
Regards,
Katrina
Yes, it can be used under fondant . As you know, you do not need to refrigerate your fondant covered cakes……….SMBC covered cakes can be out 36 hrs. if the room temperature is no higher than 70 degrees (my personal opinion on playing it safe). So if you have SMBC under your fondant, I like to refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving. Does your fondant do well with refrigeration? We typically use Satin Ice and have had no problems.
What’s the difference between Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Italian Merinque Buttercream. Which do you prefer?!
What is the best buttercream to use on a wedding cake? Doing my first one ever and she wants a buttercream tall cake. I live in Australia and its pretty warm, so a buttercream that will work well with a warm room. Thanks heaps
Hello,
About how many cupcakes will this batch frost?
thanks!
Hi Chezgod, I would probably use the Fluffy Buttercream recipe from the recipe section since you have warm weather conditions. It does have 1/2 cup 113g. butter along with Crisco shortening…..or you could substitute a high ratio shortening such as Sweetex. We order Sweetex online from http://www.shopbakersnook.com. If you have time you might make this and test with your weather conditions. You can substitute shortening for the butter also, then there are no worries about heat. If you do this you will want to add some imitation butter flavoring .
Hi iljam12, One cup of frosting will frost 12 cupcakes with a swirl. I haven’t measured the cups in this recipe but I think there is probably about 3 1/2 cups.
why there are times that SMBC once made this fine but then when you let it sit and think back to beat water and cut loose?
Can this be made ahead of time and refrigerated before frosting the cake? If so, how long will it stay good before frosting your cake?
Ansa
Hi Ansa, yes, you can make it in advance. It will be good in the refrigerator 5 days or you can freeze it for 1 month. When ready to use just bring it back to room temperature and beat on low speed with your mixer until it is smooth again.
Astick ogf butter is 125gms
What would be the outdoor temperature threshold for this, say at picnic at a park. I have a request for this type of buttercream on cupcakes this weekend. Thanks
Hi Elisa, it is mostly butter so it will become very soft if it is a hot day. I would caution your customer. I don’t actually know the temperature threshold.
Hi Bebe,
I’m thinking to fill my cake with SMBC and then cover with chocolate ganache then fondant, here in Australia is winter so how long would this cake stand for before serving? Thanks
Hi Nisreen, because of the SMBC filling I would say a day. There are differing opinions on this, but this is my preference. Also, you could refrigerate and take out the morning of your serving day to let it come to room temperature…..if your fondant does well with refrigeration.
Pecan Praline Cake
Does anyone have a recipe for Pecan Praline flavored cake or any ideas as to how this can be accomplished usingboxed cake mix? thanks.
Can this type of buttercream be used as a dam for filled cakes? I would like to try it, but I think it would be weird to use regular stiffened buttercream as a dam, then frost the rest of the cake using SMBC. I know that you can use the SMBC as the filling, but I was wanting to fill with a mousse instead. So, can it be used as a dam? Is it stiff enough for that?
Does this crust if refrigerated?
Hi Kate, swiss meringue buttercream will not crust. It will firm up if you put it in the refrigerator, then when taken out it will soften as it comes back to room temperature.
Can some of the butter be substituted with hi ratio for stability? Also could you use meringue powder instead of cream of tartar and if so how much?
Is this the most popular for cupcakes? If not, which one is?
Hi Taylor, It is all a matter of personal taste preference. The Swiss Meringue Buttercream does have a less sweet taste than the American buttercreams (the Classic and Fluffy recipes).
Hi
I would love to make this buttercream for cupcakes for saturday night .
If I frost the cupcakes on friday night and leave them at room temperature (with A/C) will they hold until sat .night ??
What if I refrigerate the frosted cupcake , do you think it will harden too much ?
I’ve always made a white chocolate cream cheese , and would like to try SMBC.
Thank you so much , great website , and tutorials
Veronica
Hi
I would love to make this buttercream for cupcakes for saturday night .
If I frost the cupcakes on friday night and leave them at room temperature (with A/C) will they hold until sat .night ??
What if I refrigerate the frosted cupcake , do you think it will harden too much ?
I’ve always made a white chocolate cream cheese , and would like to try SMBC.
Thank you so much , great website , and tutorials
Veronica
Hi Veronica, yes you can leave out up to 2 days and then you will need to refrigerate. As you said, an air conditioned room would be good.
I need a white buttercream to cover a cake. Is this recipe white with all the butter that’s in it? Does it make a difference if I use clear vanilla?
Hi Nadeen, this will not be white because of all the butter, using clear vanilla is what you should use but it will not change the yellow tint that the butter gives. Also, some butter is more yellow than others so using one that is less yellow will help. If this is the frosting you or your customer prefers because of taste I think the slightly off white color becomes acceptable.
To get a pure white frosting you would need to use an all vegetable shortening such as Crisco, Trex or high ratio shortening.
I love this buttercream I think it tastes just like creamy vanilla ice cream, just not cold. I have a question though, I tried to make a double batch yesterday and although it was very smooth it didn’t thicken as it usually does. I kept beating it but it just stayed like melted ice cream. I must have beat it for almost an hour before I gave up. Any ideas on why this happened ar how to fix it?
Hi kissedbycake, your butter could have been a little too soft causing the mixture to remain too soft and loose. When this happens, you can place your mixing bowl of buttercream in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes, then beat again and it should come together and be perfect.
Hi, if I use SMBC will it crust quickly how long should I wait? I’m planning to use SMBC as my frosting and place fondant accents on my cake. Is that ok? Thanks :)
Hi Sweety09, SMBC does not crust. After you have frosted your cake, put it in the refrigerator for a short time and the buttercream will firm up. When you take the cake out of the fridge, the fondant accents will stick to the cake or just need to be slightly moistened. If your fondant accents are already dry when you want to add them, you can just adhere them with a small dot of buttercream.
Hi,
I want to use smbc for a wedding cake. It’s a 6 inch round & around 6 inch tall. I’d like to use smbc to sandwich 4 layers, cover it & pipe ruffles all around the sides. How much buttercream would I need? Also, is smbc ok for ruffles? Thanks in advance.
Hi Farzeen, here is a link to the Wilton Chart, http://www.wilton.com/wedding/wedding-cakes/wedding-cake-data.cfm
You may need to make the recipe 3 times depending on how thick you fill your layers and the height of the ruffles. You can use SMBC for ruffles, make sure the ruffle you are piping is attached to the cake and not to the buttercream ruffle that is on the cake, otherwise the ruffles may slide down the cake – – hope that is clear.
Thanks so much for your help. I found your tutorial
On ruffles extremely helpful and the cake was a great
Success! So thank you xxx
I’ve got to share it with you, so here’s the link:
https://m.facebook.com/home.php?_rdr#!/photo.php?fbid=678701655475055&id=605179056160649&set=a.608407675837787.1073741829.605179056160649&source=46&__user=1187194156
Farzeen, your cake is gorgeous!!
Thanks so much for letting us know how it came out–great job!
Tonight I’m trying this using vanilla sugar. I made the vanilla sugar using the bags that my vanilla beans came in, then added the granulated sugar to them. I’ll come back and let you know how it tastes.
Great! Interested to hear how it comes out ;0)
It really enhanced the flavor! I should have used my Mexican vanilla sugar since that is what I ultimately flavored it with, but it was still yummy!
Does this buttercream will crust?
Hi Lenylia– No, it doesn’t. We have a video tutorial on making this recipe and frosting a cake with it if you would like to get a better idea of what it is like to work with.
Hi! I was wondering if I could add cream cheese to this after its all done or will that effect the texture?
Hi Jennifer–I’ve never tried doing this but I found a recipe/blog that looks good for adding (whipped) cream cheese to swiss meringue buttercream- If you try it, let us know what you think!
http://korenainthekitchen.com/2013/03/28/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream-frosting-success/
Hi, I was wondering if I can leave out the cream of tartar? Thanks!
Melissa, I made this today and it was so soft and almost liquidy. I am so sad. I let it mix on my stand mixer for 45 min to cool down and put my butter in very slowly and then still let it mix for another 20 min and it was still so soft. Its in my fridge right now in hopes that I can salvage it. Any advice for the future? What did I do wrong? What are your recommendations for the “ruined” SMBC?
Hi Emily, Unfortunately the site has been down tonight. I hope we can still save the buttercream. Probably the butter had gotten a bit too soft and that caused the problem. Hopefully, it will come together after having been put in the refrigerator. If not, you may need to add a few more pieces of very cool butter. Here is a link to a picture tutorial by Sweetapolita showing this very problem. I hope you will find it helpful http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/
Hello,
Would you be able to make SMB ‘softer’? Would putting more egg whites making the buttercream softer? not as firm? I know that if SMB is cold they are firm and become softer at room temperature. Someone would like this icing to be softer.. so I am just wondering if that is possible.
Thank you very much.
Can this recipe be doubled or does it need to be made batch by batch?
Hi there !
Just wanna check SMBC can be used for flower piping like roses, daffodil, crysanthamum etc ., for high heat & humid zone ??? I stay in MALAYSIA
Hi, the temperature that is mentioned is in Fahrenheit?
Thanks.
Hi Antonina, Yes, the temperature is measured in Fahrenheit.
Hello ladies, yesterday I delivered a 3 tier fondant cake using this icing. It is delicious! However, I had trouble sleeping because I as thing that the icing was too soft for fondnt. I watched the video and when you finished making it, you mentioned it was ready to use or if not it could go in the fridg. So I immediately used it. I’m thinking that it was just too soft under fondant and would just soak in the cake like whipped cream. I pray it was fine. ?? But did I miss something in the video, or would it do you think it was ok? I’m thinking maybe in my haste, I overlooked an important detail because you ladies are always very thorough with instructions so I know I missed something! Just wish I didn’t think about it after the fact. I really thought this would be my go to frosting, but if it just absorbs in the cake…I gotta go back to American buttercream…I had no problem making it…just the exectution as far as under fondant. I was hoping your video showed it under the fondant…please clear my brain and tell me what I did wrong. Do you have to put extra extra frosting under the layers? I really think I screwed that cake up. Please Thanks in advance!!! I know it’s after the fact but maybe i will do another cake. I fill like tetiring my apron! ?♀️??Again thanks so much!!
Hi Terri Tate, I am sorry this has caused you worry. Yes, Swiss Meringue Buttercream is used under fondant. As when using American buttercream it is good to chill your frosted cake before laying on the fondant? Chilling makes it easier to lay on the fondant. Even if you did not and your caked looked good when completed (and it sounds like it did) there will be no problem for your customer. As for your question on putting extra frosting, you may need to do that when trying to create a completely smooth surface. Just put your cake tier in the freezer or refrigerator for a quick chill after being frosted. It is chilled when you can touch it but it does not leave a fingerprint. Take out of the refrigerator and smooth with your bench scraper to get a smooth look. You can repeat that process is needed to get the frosting as smooth as you would like. When you have it smoothed you can put it back in the freezer while you roll out your fondant. You may need to lightly brush the cake with water or a simple syrup to help the fondant stick to the frosted cake. Hope this is clear, let us know if you have other questions.
Hello ladies, the cake came out fine but I️ now know to tefeigerate prior laying down my fondant. But is it possible to mix Swiss buttercream with your fluffy buttercream? I️ absolutely love the taste of the Swiss but love the crusting of the fluffy bc. Just wondering if you ever tried it before I️ try…thanks in advance!
Thanks for the recipe. Pls can this recipe cover 8 inches cake, or do I have to double it?. Thank you
Hi Anita, The recipe will make 4 to 4 1/2 cups. It will cover a 2 layer 8 or 9 inch cake with a simple frosting. To fill and frost with decorative piping you will want to make 1 and 1/2 the recipe or double the recipe.
I have never tried swiss buttercream. So there is no powdered sugar?
Hi Peggy, I’ve seen a recipe or two that does call for powdered sugar, but most do not.
Hi I made smbc which I thought was perfect, nice and silky. I placed in to the refrigerator in an air tight container overnight. I took it out the next morning and let it sit for a couple hours and then I tried beating it. It became very watery. butter separating from liquid. a mess. what went wrong
PLEASE HELP….I made swiss meringue buttercream but while cooking the egg white and sugar I only let temperature reach 110 but all sugar granules we dissolved. Is this frosting safe to use if the temperature did not reach 140 while cooking??? I’ve already crumb coated the cake.
Hi Carrie, Some bakers do not use a thermometer but say they put a small amount between their thumb and finger, rub together and if they do not feel any sugar granules, all is fine.