Swiss meringue buttercream
Silky, creamy, melt in your mouth Swiss meringue buttercream icing.
Equipment
- 1 Double broiler
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 Large egg whites
- 1 ¼ Cups white sugar
- 1 ½ Cups room temperature butter (cut into cubes)
- 1 Splash vanilla
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- In your stand mixer bowl, set over a saucepan of boiling water. Combine egg whites, pinch of salt and sugar and whisk together until combined. Cook the egg white and sugar combination until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is at 160 degrees.4 Large egg whites, Pinch salt, 1 1/4 Cups white sugar
- Attach the bowl to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on a medium speed until you reach a soft peak. This ensures the egg whites are made up of small air bubbles instead of large ones. One you are at soft peak, turn it up to high until you reach stiff peaks. This takes about 10 minutes.
- While this is mixing up, cut your butter into cubes and put on a plate. Place the plate over the double broiler water to soften if it is not at room temperature.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium speed, add butter in small cubes at a home. Beat well between chunks of butter. Once all the butter is incorporated turn it up to a medium/high speed until it is smooth around 5 minutes.1 1/2 Cups room temperature butter
- Beat in vanilla (I prefer to use vanilla bean in this as it makes the taste even more amazing)1 Splash vanilla
- You are ready to use!
Notes
If you would like to colour the Swiss meringue buttercream, you can do so after you have reached a soft peak. I use powdered colouring, so i put in 1/4 tsp of a mixture of colours to create my desired colour.
If you would like to flavour the icing with a fruit such as strawberry, puréed 1 1/2 cups of jam in a food processor. Pour this into the icing once you have finished the Swiss meringue buttercream and turn on the mixing on slow until combined.