Swiss meringue buttercream
Prep
45 mins
Cook
30 mins
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Swiss meringue buttercream is hands down my favorite frosting, and I'm thrilled to share it with you. This silky smooth topping is more stable than American buttercream, so it holds up beautifully on cakes even in warmer weather. The egg whites bring wonderful protein to the mix, making it feel a bit more nutritious than your typical frosting. Best part? Once you master the technique, you can whip this up in under an hour and a half with ingredients you probably already have at home. It's truly become my go to for every celebration.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 300 gegg whites
- 600 gcaster sugar
- 800 gunsalted butter softened
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Put the egg whites and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Gently stir for a few minutes until you can no longer feel any grains of sugar between your fingers when you touch it. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- 2
Whisk on medium speed until the mixture becomes meringue-like and has reached stiff peaks, about 3 mins. (You could use an electric whisk, but it will take considerably longer, around 35 mins.) Add the butter 1 tbsp at a time, whisking to combine before the next addition. It may look curdled and soupy but be patient and keep whisking until you have a smooth, fluffy buttercream. Whisk in the vanilla. If using this buttercream to ice a cake, change to the paddle attachment and set it on a low speed for a few minutes – this helps remove air bubbles from the icing and makes for a smoother finish to your cake. If you like, you can also add melted chocolate, freeze-dried fruit powder, malt extract or other flavourings.
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