We don’t gatekeep recipes here — read below for the perfect Swiss Meringue buttercream!
I have been making frosting for years now and just recently discovered my all-time favorite recipe! Initially, I had only experimented with ABC (American Buttercream), as it is one of the easier and faster frostings to make and it tastes amazing. However, I found myself struggling to make a consistent texture and I would dread covering my cake with it because the frosting would be riddled with air bubbles that were impossible to fix. None of the hacks I tried gave me the smooth finish I longed for.
Eventually, I decided to try out Swiss Meringue Buttercream since I noticed most of the bakers swear by it. Although it did take much longer to make and I screwed up the first few times, I could already tell the consistency was much better than ABC.
I was willing to go the extra mile and spend time on the Swiss Meringue buttercream but there was a major drawback: the number of egg yolks I would waste! I know, many people find alternatives for egg yolks, but if I’m just experimenting and don’t want to make any more dessert, then those egg yolks are going in the trash. I hated wasting them and just didn’t understand how it would be feasible for me to make a large batch of this buttercream until I discovered…
DRUM ROLL PLEASE
…Milk and Honey Cake Creative’s easy Swiss Meringue Buttercream! Instead of using whole eggs and wasting the yolks, she talks about using pasteurized egg whites from the carton. Now, this was a game-changer! There was no more wasting egg yolks or trying to cook the egg whites to a certain temperature on a double boiler. You just melt the sugar and egg whites in the microwave and whip them up! I have provided details for my favorite buttercream recipe and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! May you all have the yummiest cakes with the smoothest buttercream! Happy baking!
EASY SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM RECIPE:
Recipe is good for filling and covering an 8 inch, 3 layers cake
235 grams of pasteurized egg whites
2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (454 grams)
2 tsp vanilla extract (8 grams)
Mix the egg whites and sugar in a large mixing bowl and microwave in increments of 20 seconds, whisking in between. Do this around 5 times and do the finger test to check if sugar has completely melted. (You should not feel any grains of sugar when you test)
Using the whisk attachment, whip on high (I do the highest level on my Kitchen-Aid) for around 10 minutes or just when you get stiff peaks.
Add room temperature butter, one at a time, on medium speed until fully incorporated.
Switch to the paddle attachment, add vanilla and mix on the lowest speed for around 10 more minutes or until you see a very smooth consistency.
Mix with a spatula by hand for a couple of minutes to get rid of all the air bubbles.
When the buttercream is done, it should be smooth and shiny.
*Can add any flavors or food coloring to this recipe
