Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This is the most reliable frosting for finishing a cake: it holds in a warm room, takes the finest piping tips and is far less sweet than an American buttercream. The method is short but needs a thermometer. At 60 °C the sugar dissolves and the whites are safe; at 26 °C the butter emulsifies instead of shearing the meringue apart.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 16
- Level
- Challenging
- Per serving
- 290 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: about 900 g — masks and fills a 20 cm cake with 3 layers, with enough left for a border
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Degrease the bowl
Wipe the bowl and whisk with vinegar or lemon juice on a paper towel. The faintest trace of fat stops the whites whipping.
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Step 2: Heat the whites
Set the whites, sugar and salt over a water bath and whisk constantly to 60 °C. Rub a drop between your fingers — you should feel no sugar grains.
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Step 3: Whip the meringue
Off the heat, whip on high for 8–10 minutes until thick, glossy and holding stiff peaks.
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Step 4: Cool to 26 °C
Keep whipping on medium until the base of the bowl is barely warm. Warm meringue melts the butter and the frosting turns to soup.
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Step 5: Add the butter
With the mixer running, add the butter one cube at a time, waiting for each to disappear. This takes 5–7 minutes.
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Step 6: Push through the split
At some point it will look curdled — keep beating. After 2 or 3 minutes it comes together all at once, smooth and satiny. Beat in the vanilla.
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Step 7: Knock out the air
Stir by hand with a spatula for 2 minutes, or run the mixer on its lowest speed. This removes the bubbles that leave holes in a finished cake.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Curdled and cottage-cheese-like means too cold. Melt 50 g of the frosting until liquid and beat it back in.
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Tip
Loose and shiny like melted ice cream means too warm. Chill the bowl for 15 minutes and whip again.
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Variation
For chocolate, beat in 150 g of melted chocolate cooled to 30 °C at the very end.
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Storage
A week in the fridge or three months frozen. Bring back to room temperature and re-whip before using.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 16 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 290 kcal | 4,640 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g | 32 g |
| Fat | 25 g | 400 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g | 256 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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