The details
Vanilla bean swiss meringue buttercream (AKA SMBC) is my favorite frosting on planet Earth. What sets it apart from regular American buttercream is its silky silky texture, gorgeous sheen, and amazing workability as this buttercream pipes and spreads SO beautifully. It may take a bit of extra work and about a million egg whites (save those yolks for curd), but it pays off in it’s luxuriousness which elevates any cake to decadence. Here’s how to make, store, and troubleshoot my favorite vanilla bean swiss meringue buttercream. You are welcome!!
The process
- Heat your egg whites + sugar until it becomes hot and whites are cooked. I use a double boiler process to do this to avoid over-cooking and scrambling the egg whites.
- Make meringue by whipping your egg white/sugar mixture until white, shiny, and fluffy as heck.
- Add softened butter slowly until it thickens and incorporates.
- Add flavorings, and make sure it is fully mixed and the right texture. Correct SMBC is silky, thick, smooth, and shiny (NOT curdled or runny, see troubleshooting below!)
- For fluffy, airy SMBC, stop mixing with the whisk here and use on your cake as you please. For ridiculously smooth and creamy SMBC, switch out your whisk attachment for the paddle, and paddle your finished SMBC on low for at least 5 minutes until utterly smooth and air bubbles are gone.
- Make your dang cake!
I say you need a stand mixer in all these instructions, and I do think it is the best and easiest way to make a buttercream like this. However, a good hand mixer with whisk attachments will do the trick as well!
TROUBLESHOOTING SWISS MERINGUE
Okay, time to discuss swiss meringue. I promise it is so doable! It’s actually hard to mess it up, but because swiss meringue buttercream is sooooo temperature specific, it likes to give you a good scare by just looking questionable (either thin and runny OR lumpy and curdled) if it’s not perfectly at 75 degrees F when mixing. Here’s how to deal with wonky swiss meringue and bring it back to life every. single. time.
It’s soupy!
Your swiss meringue ingredients were too hot when you added your butter, causing the butter to melt into the meringue rather that simply incorporating in its solid state. Pop your swiss meringue in the mixing bowl in in the fridge for 30 minutes, or freezer for 10 minutes. Take it out and beat for a minute, seeing if it thickens. If not, try chilling one more time. It will eventually come back together!
It’s curdled/lumpy!
This means the ingredients are too cold. Keep beating on medium-high speed for a few minutes and see if this warms it enough to becomes smooth and creamy. If this doesn’t work, run the bottom of the bowl under warm-to-hot water for just a minute or two. That should get you to that room temp you need.
How to make ahead and store SMBC
My personal preference is to make SMBC right before assembling your cake. This way, you don’t have to worry as much about bringing your buttercream back to that perfect 75 degree F temp. HOWEVER, sometimes time does not allow for this.
So, you can make your SMBC up to one week ahead of time. Once your SMBC is complete, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Before assembling your cake, allow the SMBC to come to perfect room temp for about 1-2 hours on the countertop. Spoon your buttercream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip it back together until it’s silky and smooth. You may encounter SMBC that is still a bit too cold (see solutions for curdled SMBC above), and use warm water/continuous mixing to get it that extra few degrees up to room temp. Once it’s at the right temp, you will see your SMBC come together in the right texture. Then, use on your cake!
I would recommend that once your cake is frosted with SMBC, store at room temp in an airtight cake dome or cake box. Storing in the fridge/freezer will result in hard buttercream and often unsightly cracks. As always, keep it at room temp and avoid warm temps, as buttercream could soften and melt.
SMBC Variations
The sky’s the limit when it comes to flavored SMBC! The recipe below is flavored with vanilla bean paste, a personal favorite of mine for its rich vanilla flavor and speckles of vanilla bean throughout. However, you can customize your SMBC by substituting another flavor for vanilla–try melted chocolate, salted caramel, or even fruit preserves.
A few other flavors you can try:
- Cherry-Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream (I pair it with red velvet cake)
- Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream (A personal favorite)
Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Silky, smooth, not too sweet, and utterly decadent, vanilla swiss meringue buttercream elevates any cake. Here’s my go-to, foolproof recipe!
Ingredients
- 10 egg whites
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or one vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Add several inches of water to a medium saucepan. Combine egg whites and sugar in a medium heatproof mixing bowl and place overtop the saucepan, creating a double boiler. Be sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisking constantly, heat egg whites and sugar over the double boiler on medium heat until the egg white mixture begins to warm. Continue to heat, whisking, until the mixture becomes the sugar granules dissolve, it becomes hot to the touch, thickened, and almost opaque. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, whip hot egg whites/sugar on medium-high for 5-10 minutes until the mixture doubles in size, turns white and shiny, and the bowl is completely cool to the touch. This may take a bit longer. The bowl being cool to the touch is key here to avoid runny buttercream!!
- Reduce mixer speed to medium and add room temperature butter one tbsp at a time, waiting to add the next chunk until the previous has been fully incorporated. This can take 5-10 minutes total. Once all butter has been added, the buttercream will look thickened and slightly more yellow in color.
- Add vanilla bean paste and salt and continue beating on medium-high until completely combined. The texture should be silky, smooth, and shiny. For even smoother SMBC, switch to the paddle attachment and beat on low speed for 5 additional minutes. Use immediately.
Notes
- This recipe makes enough SMBC to cover and fill a 3-layer 8-inch round cake or 4-layer 6-inch round cake. For additional piping on the cake, increase the recipe by 1/2, or increase to 12 egg whites, 3 cups sugar, and 3 cups unsalted butter.
- You can store finished SMBC in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Allow to come to room temp for 1-2 hours before using, and re-whip with the whisk attachment until smooth. Frosted cakes can be stored at room temp for 1-2 days.
- Category: cakes, buttercream
Itís difficult to find experienced people in this particular topic, but you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
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