“This Swiss meringue buttercream is creamy but not overly sweet. It’s thick, silky, stable and pipes beautifully in any cakes, cupcakes, cookies and many other more.”

Swiss meringue buttercream is quite intimidating to make but hopefully, this blog post will give you the confidence to give it a try. It is a buttercream that goes along well with your favorite cakes, cupcakes, or other bread or pastries that calls for buttercream. I used this buttercream with my ube cake ala red ribbon and it turns out really well. The good part about this buttercream is that it is not overly sweet like the traditional American buttercream.

What is Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss meringue buttercream joins other buttercreams – French and Italian – known as stable and not excessively sweet frosting. The method might be different but the Swiss process is undeniably the easiest of the meringue buttercreams as it involves cooking eggs and sugar over a double boiler, whipping them into a meringue then adding the butter and flavorings. While both French and Italian buttercreams involve pouring boiling sugar into a partially whipped egg and sugar mixture.

Steps and Tips on How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I recommend using a stand mixer in making this buttercream. Although you can prepare it using a hand mixer, it will be a tiring process as you would likely holding the hand mixer for around 15-20 minutes.

Step 1. Clean and wipe your tools properly.

You can use lemon juice or vinegar to ensure that all your utensils are free from grease. Why? Grease is meringue’s enemy. You will not achieve a stiff peak if there is any speck of grease (and egg yolk) in your egg whites.

Another tip is to use glass or metal bowls instead of plastic tools. Plastics tend to retain grease no matter how thoroughly it’s cleaned.

Step 2. Prepare your pot of simmering water.

If you have a double boiler then it is recommended to use it. But you can also use a substitute pot that you can put in your bowl without touching the water. You need to fill the pot with 1-2 inches of water and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

Step 3. Separate the eggs.

Use a small bowl to separate each egg white before transferring to your mixing bowl. Remember: Do not separate the egg whites directly into the mixer or you will end up spoiling the whole batch. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Eggs do not need to be at room temperature. Actually, cold eggs separate much easier.

Save the egg yolks for another recipe such as yema candy, egg pie, egg custard tarts, Crème Brulee and many more. I will feature more recipes about this in my future blogs.

Step 4. Cook the egg whites and sugar.

Combine your egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl and whisk then place it over to the pan with simmering water.

Whisk continually with a clean hand whisk to ensure that egg whites cook evenly. It will take around 2-3 minutes to do this. You will know that it is done when the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to touch.

Ideally, you would use a candy thermometer to accurately check if the mixture reached 160F. If you do not have it on hand, you can simply scoop a little mixture and rub it between your thumb and index finger. If you don’t feel any grains at all, then it is cooked.

Step 5. Whip it.

Transfer the mixture into a clean and dry mixer bowl and start whipping. Beat on medium-high speed until it holds a stiff peak which will take around 15-20 minutes and at room temperature.

If your meringue doesn’t form stiff peaks, it is likely due to the presence of either grease or egg yolks. If this happens, sad to say, you will need to start the process again. That is why step 1 is crucial.

Step 6. Cut the butter.

When you start whipping your meringue, let your butter sit in room temperature. Cut your butter into cubes around 1 tablespoon or so.

It is vital that your butter should not be too cold or too soft. The right consistency of your butter is that when you press it with your fingers, it will leave a bit of a dent in it. Using too cold butter makes it harder to come together, making it looks curdled. While using too soft butter can result in a soupy consistency. Both mixtures can still be fixed by warming or cooling them a bit. See below for additional tips.

Step 7. Add the butter.

When the meringue is at room temperature, reduce speed to medium and add around 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, in intervals of few seconds or just as fast as is it absorbed by the meringue. Once butter is all used up, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and continue to beat until it reaches a thick whipped consistency around 3 minutes on medium-high speed. If it looks liquid, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.

Step 8. Add flavorings and salt.

Lastly, add vanilla extract or any flavorings and salt then beat on medium-high speed for another minute until well combined.

Congratulations! You’ve done it!

Additional Tips in making this buttercream

If your buttercream looks curdled, too thick, or separated, you can put it back over the double boiler until the very edges start to melt which will take around 1-2 minutes. Whip it again on low speed for 30 seconds then switch to medium-high speed and beat for about 2 minutes or until smooth. You can also microwave a quarter of the buttercream for few seconds then incorporate it with the rest of the buttercream and beat on low speed until it comes together.

On the other hand, if your buttercream turns soupy which occurs when your meringue was too warm when you added the butter or the butter was too soft, or both. You can refrigerate the whole bowl for 20 minutes and then return it to the mixer and beat it on medium-high speed until thickened. Don’t refrigerate for more than 20 minutes as the butter will solidify. If still soupy, place back into the refrigerator the re-whip again.

Swiss meringue buttercream is buttery but should not feel greasy. If you haven’t added more butter than the recipe calls for and your meringue was stiff, then the greasiness is likely due to the buttercream not being whipped long enough. It’s always a good practice to re-whip the buttercream if it’s been sitting out on the counter for a while.

Note that buttercream should be light and fluffy, not thick and greasy. If yours tastes like you’re eating a stick of butter, perhaps your meringue wasn’t whipped to stiff peaks before adding butter, or the butter was too cold, in which case it just needs some more whipping. Or maybe you added too much butter.

Make sure to use unsalted butter because salted butter makes your frosting overwhelmingly salty/buttery. Add a little amount of salt instead.

Add flavoring of your choice! In this recipe, I used vanilla extract but you can use other flavorings such as lemon, coconut, orange, etc. remember to taste then add more if desired.

You can also add color with this buttercream preferably with gel food coloring so you aren’t adding extra liquid. Whip food coloring into the frosting at low speed after adding the vanilla extract and salt.

Making ahead and storage

You can prepare this Swiss meringue buttercream ahead of time. Leave covered at room temperature for a day or two, refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze it for about 2-3 months. You can store it in an airtight container or freezer bag in the refrigerator.

When frozen, thaw at room temperature on the counter. Once at room temperature, beat for about 2-3 minutes or until creamy before using.

Try this Swiss meringue buttercream in your next cake or cupcake project and let me know how it turns out! Happy tummy!

Watch on YouTube: Swiss Meringue Buttercream