How to Make Swiss Buttercream

Name: How to make Swiss Buttercream
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 batch
Ingredients: 5 egg whites (at room temperature); 2 cups unsalted butter (452g, at room temperature); 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g); 1 pinch kosher salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Last updated on October 26, 2018 by John 37 Comments

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When you want a creamy smooth buttercream there are two choices, Swiss or Italian buttercream. I love both but have to admit there is less less chance of burning myself when making the swiss variety as you’re gently heating the meringue over a double boiler. The other benefit of these buttercreams is the color; you can get a very bright white with them and not have to resort to covering your cake in fondant.

Lets talk about a couple potential problems. I think the most common issue is related to adding the butter when the meringue is still too warm. If you don’t wait long enough then the mixture will be soupy, which is a bummer. Luckily you can pop the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes, then give it a whip and it should be right as rain. If your start using the buttercream and it has lots of little bubbles and isn’t silky and pliable then it’s been sitting for a bit too long. All you need to do is give it a 5 second whisk and it will wake back up and regain it’s consistency.

Some things to avoid:

Don’t get fat in your bowl, make sure it’s clean (I actually give mine a quick rub with a lemon then wipe with a paper towel)

Don’t let any yolks get into your whites when you separate the eggs. The easiest avoid yolks is to separate the eggs one at a time into separate bowls and then pour the white in as you go along.

Don’t get scared when you add the butter in! if it’s a soup or if it’s looking wonky just chill is a few minutes then get back to mixing.

If your idea of warm is tepid then go ahead and use a thermometer to see when your egg white mixture has reached 160F.

Steps to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Carefully separate the egg whites into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then give the mixture a brief whisk to incorporate everything.
Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Whisk the egg whites occasionally while it warms up. When the mixture has warmed, whisk it constantly.
Heat the mixture until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F or until it’s not grainy between your fingers, then transfer it to a stand mixer.
Mix with a whisk attachment until you get room temperature glossy peaks. Once it gets to that point, switch to a paddle attachment.
While the mixture is running on low, add tablespoon sized dollops of room temperature butter. Make sure to let each piece of butter incorporate before you add the next.
When all the butter is mixed in, scrape the bottom of the bowl down; there is always some meringue hiding down below! Go ahead and add the vanilla extract and give it one last mix. You can transfer it to a piping bag or a ziplock bag to store in the freezer.

If you’ve tried this buttercream then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!