UPDATE 1/14/14:
I am amazed and humbled that this post continues to get hundreds, some days thousands of hits per day. Since I wrote this blog post, I have answered the same question a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean probably over a thousand times… “THIS TASTES LIKE BUTTER! I DON’T LIKE IT!.” I don’t want to put you off me and I especially don’t want you to NOT try and make SMBC, but this is the very first thing I want you to read about Swiss Meringue Buttercream even if this is the first time you have ever heard of it, the first time you tried to research it, or even the first time you made it:
IT TASTES LIKE BUTTER BECAUSE IT’S SWEETENED BUTTER. THE AMERICAN STYLE ICING YOU NORMALLY EAT IS EXTREMELY SWEET AND TASTES LIKE SUGAR BECAUSE IT’S SUGAR THAT HAS BUTTER/SHORTENING ADDED TO IT TO MAKE IT SMOOTH-ABLE. See the difference there? If you are used to eating icing made from the recipe off the back if the powdered sugar box, SMBC will take getting used to because it doesn’t even come close to having the same amount of sugar in it. I say in the below instructions to FLAVOR IT. A LOT. WITH A LOT OF FLAVOR. One batch of this holds 1/2 a pound of melted chocolate or 1/2 pound of strawberry puree and will still be a smooth-able, workable buttercream. You would never be able to add 1/2 pound of strawberries to flavor powered sugar type icing – it would be soup. That’s why things like artificial emulsions or flavorings were invented so you can use 1/2 of a teaspoon of that “flavoring”, add it to your powdered sugar icing and it will not change consistency. SMBC is the type of buttercream you use when you do not use artificial flavorings or emulsions and want to use the real thing.
If you’ve made this and didn’t add enough flavoring and though it was “too buttery”, I really encourage you to make this again. Then, once you properly flavor it, PUT IT ON A CAKE. Butter by itself is not something I can eat a teaspoon of. Put that teaspoon on some warm, fresh baked sourdough bread and it’s one of my favorite things in the universe. Unflavored SMBC is the same thing. It’s my favorite thing to put on red velvet cake, hands down. But ALL of my SMBC has a ton of real, natural, fresh flavoring in it.
Now with that, read on. See additional notes at the bottom of the tutorial. END UPDATE
I use Swiss meringue buttercream exclusively on my cakes unless a customer requests otherwise. Some of you may ask, what is it? Well, Swiss Meringue buttercream is simply… awesome. But let me explain, it’s NOT the super sugary-sweet frosting you’ve probably been eating most of your life. That’s called American Buttercream. It’s what most bakeries, supermarkets and most cupcake stores that I’ve been to (unless they advertise differently) ice their cakes with. American Buttercream is generally made out of shortening and powdered sugar, so don’t ask me how they get away with calling it “butter”cream, since most of the time it contains no butter whatsoever. Sometimes they will use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter, but especially the larger chain bakeries use what’s called high-ratio shortening (which can contain trans-fats, despite the recent California ban). Some bakeries don’t even use real cream cheese in their cream cheese icing, they use cream cheese flavor. American Buttercream does have several benefits, it is easy to handle because the outside dries to a “crust”. It has a much higher melting point because of the shortening so it can withstand being in warmer climates. It can hold all kinds of shapes like sharp petals on a piped rose and can be super white because Crisco is white and so is powdered sugar. Powdered sugar also dyes really well so it can be made into all kinds of colors using cheap food coloring and can be airbrushed on because of the crust. It has a year-long shelf life (if not made with any butter) so cakes can be made days in advance and sit on the bakery shelves waiting for you to buy it. But most of all, it’s cheap and super easy for the bakery to make, making it really easy on the decorator. But lets be honest, it’s super sweet, gritty from the powdered sugar, and leaves that weird film in your mouth (from the shortening). I mean, I like it on occasion since I was raised on it too, but ever since I tasted European buttercreams I’ve never looked back.
On the flip side, the Europeans have their own distinct meringue buttercreams that they have been making since the 1600’s, and it does not involve powdered sugar or Crisco. There are 3 basic types, Italian, French and Swiss. All three involve melting sugar adding it to eggs, whipping it into a meringue, then adding butter once the meringue is cooled. The result is a light and smooth and it’s not super sweet. It’s never gritty and it never dries out crusty. Top bakers and professionals use this gourmet buttercream exclusively, like Ron Ben-Israel, who is the IT decorator in NYC.
It does have some downsides: it has a very distinct finish to it when smoothed onto a cake, it will never be super white because I use organic sugar and real butter, and it has a lower melting point so if it’s warm out (75d+) it can melt. It takes patience and technique to make and it is also is meant to be eaten fresh. It does not have the year-long shelf life that American Buttercream can have. Personally, I don’t call that a “bad” thing. In fact, I think food that never spoils is not food I want to eat!
Today I want to share with the world my unique recipe and detailed way explaining how I make it, because again, if you are so inclined to make this yourself, then you deserve down-to-earth instructions on how you can do it! But if not, you have my number ;D.
Jennifer Bratko‘s Swiss Meringue Buttercream
6.25 oz egg whites (by weight, not liquid volume. Could be 5 eggs, could be 7, for best results always weigh if you can).
7 oz sugar (or 1 cup)
pinch of salt
1 lb of unsalted fine quality butter, 72 degrees or warmer
In a medium saucepan, put about an inch of water and bring to a boil. In the mixing bowl of your Kitchen Aid, put your egg whites, sugar and salt and lightly whisk. Then put your mixing bowl over your pot of boiling water. Like so:
You need to keep the eggs moving with your whisk to prevent scrambling them, but you want to get the temperature of the eggs up to 160 degrees. “But Wait!”, you say, “I don’t have a candy thermometer! How do I know the temperature?”” Well, the sugar will dissolve at 140 degrees, and your eggs will start to really steam and get foamy by 160. As long as you are in this range you are fine! It generally takes me about 3 minutes for one batch to get to temperature.
Remove your bowl from the pot of boiling water and pop it onto your Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until stiff peaks form and the bowl is cool to the touch. This may take 10 minutes or more. “Uh, Jen, I only have a hand mixer, can I still make this?” Why, yes you can! It just might take a little longer and you have to stand there. A stand mixer allows me to channel my inner Ronco and “Set it, and FORGET IT!”
This is important – you have to get STIFF PEAKS with your meringue. Sometimes I’ll even let my meringue (gasp!) deflate a bit. It IS possible to have a cool bowl and only medium peaks… If you can’t scoop your meringue to one side of the bowl and have it stay put, then it’s not stiff enough. So channel your inner Dore and “Just keep mixing, just keep mixing…”
OK, stiff peaks reached… now swap out to a paddle attachment and add your room temperature butter. Yeah, dump the whole pound in there, I won’t mind, and neither will your meringue. Mix on LOW. Yes, LOW. Not medium low, not #2, but the lowest setting your mixer has. “But wait!”, you say, “I’ve been mixing for 3 whole minutes and it looks weird!” Yes my friend, it’s gonna look curdled and soupy. That is exactly what it’s supposed to look like!
Science, baby. Science is happening. This step can take up to 15 minutes because you are creating an emulsion with eggs + sugar (which you did over the stove), then sugar/eggs + butter. But butter is generally 80% fat, 20% water, so the fat from your butter is going to emulsify FIRST with your sugar/eggs, leaving the water content to bond last. You can’t rush it, you just need to let those molecules bond and do their thing. DON’T crank your mixer up on high because you are impatient! It will eventually come together, but it’ll be mad at you. You broke it (the meringue) so it’ll give you the finger. When you allow science to do it’s thing, you should get about 5 cups of fluffy, silky, sexy buttercream. BUT, if you rush it, it’ll taste like sweetened gobs of butter, will be really yellow and opaque looking, and give you a full cup less in volume.
TIP! If you can pick your pieces of butter up with your fingers and it’s still firm-ish, your butter is too cold and will take much longer to emulsify. So for perfect results make sure that butter was pulled out the night before and is nice and soft.
“But wait!”, you say, “I forgot to pull it out the night before!” Try grating your cold butter with a cheese grater to maximize surface area to warm it up. Then let it sit to warm up for as long as possible before use.
Once you have light, fluffy smooth finished buttercream, you can add a whole variety of flavorings, spirits, purees, and chocolate to it.
So there you have it! I hope this makes it as clear as possible to get best results, please post your successes, failures, and feed back below.
ADDITIONAL UPDATE 1/14/14: I have made more sweetened versions of this by adding as much as 14 oz. of sugar for one batch. If you make as written and you want more sweet, you can tweak it a bit and in this case, add more sugar and come up with your own recipe!
Beyond Buttercream, formerly From Scratch, SF 
Thanks so much for this! Now I know what I did wrong with my SMBC today – no patience!
Not only did I crank the mixer up way too high, I also tried to microwave-defrost the butter that I’d just pulled out of the freezer. I’ll definitely be following your advice for tomorrow’s batch!
Thank you for this! I have never made smbc or imbc but really want to try it! I was wondering what the shelf-life is? Can this sit on a cake under fondant for 3 days or so? I use marshmallow fondant and have never had success with refrigeration so I use only shelf stable ingredients. Thank you!
SHELF LIFE! I knew I was gonna forget something in this post – great question. You should have no problem with this under fondant for 3 days assuming it’s not warmer then 75 degrees in your kitchen (actually, I’d probably not want to get warmer then 72). After I make this I rarely refrigerate except when trying to firm it up to scrape it smooth (it does not crust so the best way to get straight edges is to smooth as best you can, pop into freezer for 15 minutes, or until you touch the buttercream and you don’t leave a fingerprint, take it out and scrape the sides and top with a bench scraper) or if I’m covering in fondant.
I have eaten this after it’s been left out for 7 days and noticed only a slight flavor “staleness”, but that could have been from the cake, since the cake was probably at the end of it’s life.
This is pure magic, I’m honestly in shock! This has the most amazing texture I’ve ever experienced in a “frosting,” honestly it just takes the term buttercream to a whole new level for me! Now my only question is, how well does this hold up under fondant? I know you kind of addressed that above, but to me it just seems to soft and silky to maintain any kind of firmness under my cake! Especially if it doesn’t crust! You’ve never had it go lumpy underneath?
Thanks so much for the instructions, this is just a fantastic buttercream! 🙂
I am so glad!!! This is the only buttercream I use – so if you look at my portfolio any cake you see covered in fondant has this underneath. It seems like it’s too soft to use, but it’s not. With crusting icings, once you have your cake frosted you have to let the cake set up and crust over before putting on your fondant – with meringue buttercreams you pop the cake in the freezer to quick-chill the buttercream – and it gets HARD. So, I torte, fill, and smooth as best I can, pop the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes (or until I can touch the buttercream and not leave a finger print). Pull it out and scrape the sides and top with a bench scraper/ruler to get straight sides. Pop it back in the freezer while I get my fondant ready. Pull cake out, lightly brush cake with a pastry brush dipped in cold water or flavored simple syrup (to help fondant stick to the hard buttercream and prevent air bubbles), roll out fondant and cover. With the buttercream cold and hard, I can get pretty sharp corners with my fondant and really manhandle the cake while covering. I let it come back to room temperature then go over it again with my fondant smoother to fix any imperfections and get out any air bubbles.
Just remember to make sure you have good contact with the fondant to cake board and make sure it’s well sealed – I make sure it’s rounded under the bottom, know what I mean? SMBC can seep out of the bottom of your fondant when decorating or handling if you don’t have a good seal. It’s no big deal, but it IS annoying to clean up.
Also, SMBC is a horrible “glue” because it does not dry out, so if I’m stacking fondant covered, I use either royal icing between my tiers, I brush with simple syrup or use a small dab of piping gel. Same with attaching flowers or decorations, I use royal.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you tried this and how it worked for you!
aaarrgggghhh..i am so sad. this is my second attempt at SMBC and that’s 2 fails! I tried howtobakeacupcakes version first and now yours. both times my meringue was awesomely fluffy and stiff and cool. but immediatley when i add the butter….which is room temp and it’s a cool day here in okinawa….the meringue totally deflated, went through the stages and both times ended up not fluffy at all. it has been 45mins now on so low but it is a no go. i really do like SMBC and will try till i succeed!
Oh no! I sorry it’s not working! Are you in Japan? Few thoughts – are you using egg whites from the carton or fresh eggs? Egg whites in the carton make your meringue unstable, if you can get them whipped up at all. Not sure of Japan standards, but eggs here in the US also come pasteurized, and those also make unstable meringue. Always use fresh eggs. You can also try adding in Cream of Tartar (1/8 tsp) into your eggs when you take them off the stove and pop them into your mixer.
Let me know if any of this works for you!
I actually made your recipe with carton egg whites (Don’t know if the product is different in Canada!) And I didn’t even have a whisk attachment, just an sad old stand mixer with beaters (took 20 minutes and got very hot BUT it seemed to work for me!) I did actually heat my butter up in the microwave and it got a little runny lol but even so, it still worked well! I’m scared now that my lovely batch was just a terrible fluke 😦
Do you have any suggestions for making a chocolate SMBC? Would I be using real melted chocolate or cocoa powder? At what point should I be trying to add it in?
Thanks!! I love love loveee your website, I’m a MMF lover so I’m definitely going to try your buttercream fondant soon! I’ll let you know how everything goes!
For chocolate, I use 72% bittersweet chocolate. I melt 8oz in a double boiler, let cool to room temperature then fold in. It seems soft, but after the chocolate has some time to set up, it gets pretty firm, especially if you pop into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes (think ganache – after it sits the cocoa solidifies again). I’ve tried using semi-sweet and milk chocolate, but it makes the buttercream TOO sweet for my tastes.
I got the same problem , I tried this 3 time, 2 time it deflated and one time it gave a very nice result, I did the same steps in the 3 attempts, couldn’t figure what went wrong..
How do I use this as a base for other buttercreams? If i want to make a choc. hazlenut buttercream, before I would just add nutella to my american buttercream. Do I do the same with this? Do I just add strawberries for a strawberrie buttercream? Sorry lame questions, but I do agree with you after having made this I really do not want to go back to American Buttercream. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for your question! Once you have a base batch of SMBC made, you can add a whole bunch of stuff to get different flavors. Nutella is soft as a spread, so it remains a little soft after you add it in (by taste) so for a filling it’s awesome, but use another flavor for the outside of the cake and make sure you dam your layers. For strawberry, puree them and add again by taste, but I think for one batch of SMBC I add a cup or so of puree (which I think should be about 1 lb of strawberries). Sounds like a lot, but this buttercream can handle the extra liquid. Just remember, when using any berry you should also squirt some lemon juice in the puree to keep the color of the fruit nice and bright and prevent browining. Good luck!
What do you dam your layers with? It seems like the smbc would be too soft.
Nevermind…just saw you answered this question further down the thread.
Jen, I finally had an excuse to try your SMBC and it was fantastic!! I added some ganache to the finished product for a chocolate SMBC and it was soooo good. This has now become my go-to SMBC. I’m just curious, do you know what the recipe in it’s original form yields?
I am so glad you liked it!!! One batch of my SMBC will cover one 6″ (4 layer, 4″ high) cake, 1.5 x recipe for one 8″ 4 layer cake, etc. OR one batch will be enough to pipe 24 regular cupcakes.
Sorry, I meant to reply before. I’m surprised at your yield. I ended up with enough to cover two 6×3″ cakes plus about a dozen cupcakes (that’s all I made, I was testing cake recipes) and I’ve still got at least 2-3 cups in the freezer.
I’ve been hesitant to post my exact measurements because I normally make double and triple this recipe, but the last single batch I made weighed 1lb 10 oz. I have 2 different measuring cups, one filled with this weighs 6oz, the other 6.5, so that would mean anywhere from 4 to 4.5 cups buttercream per single batch. My 6″ cakes are 4 layers and have about 1/4 inch buttercream between layers and on the outside, when I’m done I do have left over for borders, writing, repairs etc. It makes exact enough for decent swirl on 24 regular cupcakes. If I make an 8″ cake I make 1.5 times this recipe otherwise I will run out.
Thanks for the update. 🙂 I should have measure out what I got when I made it, plus I have to admit, adding the ganache could have easily added another 1/2-3/4c of volume. I’m like you, I like to make sure I have enough. If that means extra goes in the freezer, then that’s okay. Thanks again Jen!
Thanks for the wonderful instruction on the buttercream, if I use this for a carrot cake I add like 1/4 cup of cream cheese? I hope this would hold up here in Dubai its summer already and humidity is really high this time.
No, the cream cheese version is tricky, I actually have the recipe posted here… http://cakecentral.com/recipes/17580/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream
Make sure you read all the comments and the discussion thread attached. I need to also do a blog post about it, I just have not gotten the chance 😀
The Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe is no longer on Cakecentral.com. Can you post it on your website please? I’ve tried to make my own based on your Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe, but have not been successful. Thank you!!
That’s strange, I just searched for it and it’s there – but here’s the link…http://cakecentral.com/recipe/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream Make sure you read all the comments because there is a typo in the posted recipe and check out the thread that bloomed to several pages.
I have tried another recipe last night before getting your recipe, but failed.. becoz i didnt know that have to beat the meringue till stiff form..but it’s a bit too sweet for me(60gm egg whites, 100gm sugar, 170gm butter) .
I’m gonna try your recipe for my daughter’s coming 4th birthday, but maybe i know how sweet is it? as i prefer a less sweet cream becoz it’s for kids. the birthday will be on 25th May, i’m soooo nervous..as i have promised my daughter to bake a princess cake and some cupcakes for her to bring to school..i scared i’ll spoil everything..gosh..
TQ Sooo muchhh for such a great recipe & instruction. I tried it last night, and it comes out great!not too sweet, not too buttery. i use the wilton gel to tint it into pink, and it blends well. will stick with this recipe next time.
Hi,
I am doing a cake with SMBC this week and I was wondering if you could give me some tips.
1. Do you put a SMBC dam around your cake when filling it with SMBC or do you use a traditional Buttercream or something else? I am asking because I made a cake this weekend with it and it seeped out. Not on the board, but I could see the bulges in the fondant.
2. Can a finished cake frosted and filled with SMBC be refrigerated until eaten or will it start to separate? I ask because I have a friend who I am making a cake for on Thursday and she will be serving it on Saturday. And it is hot here in Texas.
I appreciate your response in advance. Have a great day!
Hello! I do dam with this alone, you have to make sure that you don’t use too much filling otherwise it will seep no mater the buttercream recipe. If your filling is level with your dam you used too much filling.
It will not separate unless you try and whip it while cold.
In your case you will need to refrigerate since it’s really hot in TX! You’ll probably want to put it in a cake box, then wrap well with plastic to keep it from picking up funky food flavors.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I have one more quick question. I plan on making this cake tomorrow and I am frosting it in Strawberry SMBC and then attaching fondant polka dots all over the cake. Is there any special way I need to attach it or can I use water? What is your suggestion? Thank you.
This is an excellent tutorial, I benefited from it a lot. This was the 3rd time i made SMBT and it was perfect. My dislike towards american butter cream forced me to search for those delicious cream on cakes which i eat all my life in India. Only 1 year back i didn’t even know what SMBC is or American Buttercream or Italian Buttercream. It all started when i did Wilton classes.
Thankyou so much Jennifer. I browse net a lot for recipes , ideas ,information etc. So i made a search on SMBC and I found your site. You are the 1st person on internet who talks about taste & quality and budget as well. Not like rest of the people for whom only how the cake looks is impotant. I am a fan of yours.
From now i will use SMBT to frost my cakes.
Once again Thankyou Jennifer !!!!!!!!!!!!
I have the same problem as Charra from Okinawa but I’m in the states. I’ve used fresh eggs and followed all the steps. I get great stiff peaks on the meringue but as soon as I add any butter (it’s totally soft) it deflates. I seem to get half the frosting. Any ideas?
Hello Kecia! Just to make sure, you are using my recipe, right? It’s hard to say what your problem could be, or if there is a problem at all. The meringue does deflate somewhat when you add the butter and goes through a “soupy curdled” stage, but then everything comes together. When you are through you should get over 4 cups of buttercream. Do you get at least that much? If you do then you did it correct! If you’ve never had this before, maybe you were expecting something light like a whipped cream? Thanks for reading!
After seeing this tutorial I couldn’t wait to try it. Well I did tonight and it is amazing your instructions were very easy to understand. Thanks
I’m so glad! Thanks for reading!
Hi,
Thank you for posting such an amazing tutorial on SMB, I have a quick question:
I am living in Asia where the weather is hot and humid, I would love to use your buttercream recipe to frost cupcakes. I was wondering if the buttercream will lose its piped shape due to the humid temperature? thanks for the help.. Love your site very much…..
Hello! I deal with humidity in the 80’s and above regularly and don’t have problems, but heat and/or direct sun is a BIG problem. As long as you keep this indoors in air conditioning and the room is under 75 degrees, you should be fine.
Hi again :), should i recommend to put the iced cupcakes in the refrigerator? ( I am sending the frosted cupcakes to a friend for her baby’s birthday) and also I will be adding a fondant figurine on top of the piped buttercream. Thank you co much for your info…..
Yes, refrigerate them until you are ready to eat.
You said to just dump the pound of butter in all at once. I’ve noticed everywhere else I’ve read these instructions it says to slowly add one piece at a time. Does it really not matter which way it’s done?
Thanks so much!
Hello! My way works (dump it all in) because I say to take the butter out the night before and use it when its soft. This differs from many recipes out there, they all say use your butter when it’s still firm enough to pick up with your fingers. The biggest difference is the time it takes to come together (mine is faster because the butter does not need to warm up to the temperature of the meringue and there are no butter “chunks”, although your SMBC still gets cottage cheese like as it emulsifies) and how smooth your finished product is. Colder butter (or colder buttercream) means more air pockets in it making it harder to work with and harder to smooth. My way has very few, if any, air pockets.
Jen, this is absolutely amazing! Ever since just seeing your cakes, I’ve wanted to try SMBC, and I finally did- just now! Every time I make cakes I’ve always used normal American buttercream- I’ve never been a fan, but everyone I make cakes for loves it. Once I start making cakes with this frosting, I’m sure I won’t make a batch of that sugary crisco stuff again! Thank you for the amazing recipe and tutorial!
Wow Thank goodness for the internet! How did people bake before they could ask questions to anyone around the world!!! My SMBC was looking dreadful until I followed some helpful hints here and saved it!! Thanks so much!! My big problem was my butter was too cold so it looked like big chunks of butter in a grey liquid…I heated my mixture up just slightly on a double boiler and then started mixing again with the paddle attachment on low and it started coming together! The big big big thing is just having your butter the right temp!! Thanks again!
I’m glad that I stumbled upon this website/blog. I just discovered SMB this past year and I love it. I am doing a wedding cake, grooms cake and bday cake for my cousins wedding………you’ve been ever so helpful. Thank you!
“Beat on high until stiff peaks form and the bowl is cool to the touch. This may take 10 minutes or more… It IS possible to have a cool bowl and only medium peak.”
I consistently have the opposite problem — I have a lovely STIFF meringue by about three minutes when everything is still QUITE warm. I’m always afraid to keep beating after that point (since I don’t know if you can overbeat them), so should I just let it sit and cool off once that stage is reached or keep it beating? This is my go-to recipe, and it always turns out great, I’m just always very worried about it during that particular part.
Keep beating until cool. You really can’t overbeat!
Hi Jennifer, new reader am I and ready to try your version, even though I had success with an alternate technique, your results are sounding even better 🙂 So, I’m doing a wedding cake for next weekend and need to make several batches. My questions are:
a. how far in advance can I make this SMBC without compromising quality? (was thinking about making it today, if it will keep)
b. how should I store it?
c. when ready to frost the cake layers, what must I do to get the stored batches ready to pipe onto cake?
Your advice is most welcome; thank you in advance!
Great!
1. You can make this now, don’t add any flavoring and freeze your batches. Take them out the day before so they completely get to room temperature before using.
2. I use zip lock freezer bags. Let it completely defrost in the bag then just snip off a corner and squeeze out what you need.
3. All my previously frozen SMBC goes in a bowl and I give it a few stirs by hand. I never pop it back on the mixer to re-whip like other recipes suggest, but only because I’ve never had the need. But you could do that, especially if you are adding flavoring.
4. I stress again, if you freeze let it completely get back to room temperature on it’s own. Don’t try and mix it before it’s completely defrosted otherwise you will break it.
You are welcome 😀
Thank you so much for your detailed descriptions of what each stage looks like…I tried a SMBC out of the Martha Stewart baking guide and it was totally runny…after I read your instructions I understood that the icing had not been mixed for nearly enough time …so…I put it back in the mixer, watched it go through all the stages you described and voila…fluffy buttercream! Thank you for saving my buttercream…I loved your instructions so much I made a batch using your recipe! Thank you thank you yours will be the only SMBC recipe I use from now on!
First of all, thank you for this amazing tutorial! I have my first batch in the mixer right now, and just to make sure I didn’t butcher it, I put a timer on and walked away. Now I’m not in there stressing and watching every turn of the paddle thinking I messed up. I would have been panicking about this if I hadn’t seen your tutorial!
Secondly, amazing mention of Glados on the mixer head. That is all. 🙂
I’ve never chilled SMBC and then re-smoothed it but it sounds like it would be much easier that way. I was reading on Cake Central yesterday though that a couple people have tried doing that and when the cake warms up again little bubbles start surfacing (but don’t pop). Apparently there are no air bubbles before refrigerating it. I’d like to try this but I’m worried that it’s going to ruin the surface of the cake. Do you have any pointers for avoiding this pitfall or do you think it may be recipie-dependent?
I don’t have any idea what you are talking about! I’ve never gotten little bubbles as you’ve described. I’ll look for that thread. So I hope that answers your question!
Great tutorial! I only use SMBC! I am going to try your technique today, as I’ve always used the chilled butter, adding 1 TBS at a time. Can you easily double your recipe, or is it better to do in separate batches?
I make as much as the mixer I am using at the time can handle, or as much as I need with no problems. My home 6qt KA can handle a triple batch.
Hi,
Thanks for your great detailed instructions and feedback. If I am using the SMBC and covering with fondant 2 days before a wedding would I refrigerate the cake or leave out? Also, do you have a preferred fondant that you use?
Thanks kindly
WHen making SMB, it seems to take much longer for my bowl to become cooled to the touch. Most reciepes say this should take aobut 10 minutes, but mine seems to take almost 30. Do I have a problem? I do make this in a triple batch with 2 cups of egg white and 4 cups of sugar.
Thanks!
Your bowl may seem warm, but have you touched the actual meringue? It should be body temperature or cooler. If so, proceed with adding your butter.
Thanks for the great tutorial. I like how you explain the emulsion process and why the mixer needs to be on certain speeds. Being told WHY helps when temptation to hit the higher speed sets in 😉
My question is this: I’ve tried a few batches and I can’t figure out why my sugar won’t dissolve. I’ve whisked it with the egg whites, and sat it over the double boiler, whisking and whisking and waiting and waiting, and I use the fingers method and the thermometer and even leave it a few seconds extra and everything…but when I finally get it into a meringue with the peaks, I have all this grit in it! The sugar crystals seem to magically re-appear, enough so that I can’t use the whole batch. What’s the deal? I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong 😦 Any ideas?
Thanks!
Before you take your eggs off the stove dip the tip of your finger in then and rub your fingers together, if you feel grit then keep them over the flame until you don’t. Good luck!
Old sugar can be hard to melt. Try putting your sugar in a dry blender and whirling it to almost a powder. I do this for regular uncooked meringues and never have the problem with grit.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for posting such an amazing recipe. I have made both IMBC and SMBC before. But i liked your recipe for the SMBC. But a personally prefer the taste of IMBC. Guess that is my personal taste. And yes Slow is the key and mine too yielded about 5 cups.
Thanks a lot
From last few months I have been following your blog, your tutorial on SMBC is extremely helpful. Most of my cakes are done with SMBC . I found very tough to color my SMBC , does it happen with other people also ?
1.After getting little familiar with SMBC i found that color should be added to the batch the moment you add butter. Earlier i tried to color it after the icing is done completely, it took so long.
Adding color at the time you add butter have some drawbacks, you will have the entire batch in 1 single color, what if you are doing 2 different cakes in different color? Does anybody have a solution?
2.I cant pipe borders with this cream, it starts melting in my hand . So when i am doing a cake frosted with SMBC i make another batch of American Buttercream for borders and flowers.
3.I get lot of orders for eggfree cakes , again for eggfree cakes i can’t use SMBC .
I am dealing with these issues. Suggestion , ideas , workaround appreciated.
Thanks
Madhulika
Thank you Jennifer for an outstanding recipe and instructions. I’ve made SMB before and was pretty pleased with the results, BUT this recipe is so much lighter. A little more egg white and a bit more butter. YUM! I made a cake for my husband and he thinks I should use this recipe as my Go To icing. Hope you don’t mind 🙂
Hello. LOVE this tutorial.
When I have made SMBC or IMBC in the past, mixing until the bowl cools takes FOREVER! It takes MUCH longer than 10/15 mins. In fact, I was almost going on a half an hour!!!
My question is does it matter HOW long you whip it as long as you keep it on LOW? I think I’m understanding from what you are saying that the LENGTH of time doesn’t matter but the SPEED of the mixer is what’s important?
Length does not matter, actually the longer you mix the smoother it becomes. Good luck!
Jen … I am going to make a cupcake “cake” for my daughter’s 18th birthday party … my question is how far in advance can I make the frosting and how long do they last. I would like to make the cupcakes the day before and frost them if possible as well. Can I do this? Are they supposed to be kept in the fridge if I do them the day before ? I am not a baker so forgive the most likely very obvious questions. Thanks you!
You’ll be fine making it the day before (or two). It’s totally fine being left out for several days. All you really have to worry about is the cake drying out!
Good luck!
I posted this in the wrong section…reposting!
Jennifer. Seriously…you are a rock star.
I cook professionally but with savory…I am diving into pastry (a whole ‘nother world) for a project I have coming up.
First, let me say that I am in love with SMB. With that said, my first SMB ran into a lot of problems – but I fixed it nonetheless. By the way, the directions that I encountered issues with did not come from your site. I have pictures…you’ll get a good laugh. (Basically, i followed the other person’s directions to a T using cold butter as instructed…of course I should have listened to my inner cooks voice and said…”shouldn’t this be room temp”…Results were hard ass butter with a crap load of liquid at the bottom – yes I managed to fix it – that’s what cooks do).
Anywho…with your direction, my kitchenaid is going going going now in soupy stage part 2 and i could not be more pleased! I love the taste by the way…the butter isn’t too overwhelming. I pureed some asian pears and juiced some pomegranates so we’ll see how this turns out in the end.
You are providing valuable information. I heart you! Sorry for the long post but I had to share my SMB (mis)adventure and give you your props!
Now people…LISTEN UP! Especially with the colder months (and I live here in the west coast),
YOUR BUTTER MUST BE ROOM TEMP!
Thanks!
So, speaking of room temperature. I tend to keep my house on the cooler side, even during the winter months. The thermostat is set at 69 degrees F during the day. Is that too coool? If I leave the butter out overnight, when the themostat goes down to 62 degrees, I’m afraid my butter won’t get soft enough. What do you suggest in this instance? Shaving it so it has max potential at getting soft, but will this still be too cool? I want to give this a try soon. Thanks!
Quick question…on a KITCHENAID mixer, would STIR or the next knob up be the “lowest” setting for your SMB recipe?
? Whatever your lowest setting on your mixer is.
After adding the butter and beating the buttercream for 15 minutes, it hasnt broken down to the soupy stage. What might I be doing wrong? Is it a problem if it doesnt go through this process, but still seems creamy? Thanks kindly
Nope! You, my friend, managed to emulsify your buttercream at the perfect temperature! Congratulations, it’s like winning the lottery!
Seriously, pay close attention to the temperature in your kitchen, the temperature of your egg mixture and the temperature of your butter right now and aim to reproduce it in future batches, your buttercream will come together faster and perfectly without going thru all the waiting and mixing.
Thanks for reading 😀
HI Jen.
I am so happy I found this recipe. I am excited to try it!!! Tomorrow I am making a cake with chocolate mousse filling. I have a few questions.
1. Will this frosting go well with the mousse filling?
2. Does this frosting have a big buttery taste?
3. Can I add vanilla?
4. If I like crisco can I add a tbs or two?
5. Will the frosting hold firm for me to decorate on top of?
Hope to hear from you soon 🙂
I’m glad!
1. Yes.
2. Depends on your idea of “buttery”.
3. Yes, vanilla bean paste is my go-to.
4. I never have, but I know you can sub it out as a portion of the fat in this recipe.
5. Yes, all my cakes are SMBC.
Good luck!
I had to laugh at your Ghetto Double Boiler because I have the exact same model. lol
Made this recipe today and it was perfect.
Hi,
Can you help me, I am puzzled and frustrated.
I make SMBs all the time, vanilla, espresso, strawberry etc, but when I make a chocolate SMB, it ALWAYS separates, and I get liquid (like chocolate water) in the midst of my buttercream solids. I have tried beating slowly, I have tried chilling, adding more butter, slow folding by hand … beating for 10 minutes on low, or on high … I’ve never been able to save it.
I’m sure there is a science to it, and if you could explain, I would SO appreciate some light shed on this!
As goopy and yukky as it looks, it always tastes great, which is a pity that I never get to use it.
Some info:
I use 70% Valrhona melted chocolate, left to cool to room temperature.
I use a 6-egg white reduced-sugar SMB recipe which is always stable with other applications.
Should I use more butter than usual?
Thank you SO MUCH!
I’ll try – how much chocolate do you fold in? I use 8oz of melted and cooled chocolate to every 1 batch of SMBC (or, 1 lb of butter). I’m not sure what reduced sugar SMBC recipe you are using, what are the primary ingredients?
I appreciate your tutorial and I am really interested in trying to make SBC icing. I am a novice cake/cupcake decorator. I have a few questions.
1) Can it be made without the benefit or a whisk or paddle attachment for a mixer? I have a hand mixer and a stand mixer (only came with beaters and cookie dough hooks).
2) When making basic buttercreme recipes (in my wilton class) we adjust the consistency from stiff to thin textures depending on icing or decorating. Do you decorate and ice a cake/cupcakes with SBC using the same consistency?
3) Can you use the edible decorating papers to decorate on this icing?
I hope there are some options here. thanks
You are welcome!
1. No.
2. With this you manipulate consistency with temperature, NOT liquid, which is why this is awesome – you can add 1 cup of puree to it and the consistency will remain the same.
3. I don’t know what decorating papers are?
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for your response.
I am using Wilton Edible Decorating Paper (sugar sheets) to decorate the side of a cake with a Minnie Mouse head profile/bow on my granddaughters birthday cake. Never tried them before nor know of anyone who has so this will be a first.
I’m curious Donna how it turned out using sugar sheets. I am getting ready to make my daughter’s graduation cake using the zebra sugar sheets. I’m a little nervous. I made the frosting tonight and it turned out great minus I accidentally used salted butter and did not omitt the pinch of salt!
I love your recipe and use it all the time! I had one question about storage though–how long can I keep it in the fridge? I’ve seen different recipes say different things about storage (like 3-5 days in the fridge or 1-6 months in freezer). It’s been in the refrigerator for about 10-12 days (I forgot I still had some left!) in an airtight container…do you think it’s still good or should I make a new batch?
Taste it, if it has fridge funk then make a new batch, but it’s probably fine!
Okay, thanks! Its on the counter coming to room temperature right now…it’s still cold and the texture isn’t as smooth (I’ll stir it once its a room temp), but I tasted a little of it and it tasted like SMBC ;0) I saw your comment about it still tasting good after being out at room temp for 7 days…so I think I’m okay with it being in the fridge for about 10-12 ;0) I gotta remember to put any leftovers in the freezer in the future! Thanks again!
thank you so much for sharing this! i just finished my very first smbc, gosh i though my hand mixer will explode! it was so warm already. but it was so so worth it. my hubby loves it so much! im going to use this for my first birthday cake 🙂
thanks again for sharing unselfishly 🙂
Thank you for posting this tutorial and showing step by step photos. I wanted to ask you specifically about the stiff peaks photos. I have NEVER been able to get peaks like that when making swiss meringue buttercream. Could it be partly to using a hand held mixer? I also posted this question on CakeCentral and was hoping you’d also see it there 🙂
Hello! It could be because you are using a hand mixer, depending on brand and how old it is it might not have enough spin to it anymore. Also, the only time I have made this with a hand held mixer I used the whisk attachment, not the beaters. So maybe try that (if your have one?). And the one I used was, like, a $20 Hamilton Beech hand mixer, it was nothing fancy but I got stiff peaks.
TFR!
Thanks so much for this wonderful post! It’s the reason I’m trying SMBC for the first time tonight. When adding flavoring/purée/Nutella (for filling) do you use the paddle or whip attachment? Thanks!
I normally add my Nutella (and other flavorings) by hand with a spatula. Good luck!
Thanks for the tutorial!! I am new to the world of SMBC. I made a double batch last night for a cake I am doing this evening. Based on the recipe I had I refrigerated it after it was complete. I am kinda in a time crunch and was wondering if I need to wait until it reaches room temp. before I go ahead and ice my cake. Your insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Help! What did I do wrong?! I measured everything on digital scales, brought the egg whites, sugar, and salt up to 160*, whisked until I got really stiff peaks and the mixture was at body temp (could not feel a temp when touched), and then added my butter. My butter had been left out for a few hours…it was VERY soft (as in when I picked it up in the wrapper my fingers went half way through it and the whole thing bent in half). I switched to my paddle attachment and turned my mixer on low. It went through the soupy stage, but never hit the curdled stage. (And I was using grade AA unsalted butter). Instead I have been mixing for about an hour now and it just doesn’t seem ready yet. It definitely doesn’t look as thick as yours does. It still slides around in my bowl! Any ideas what I did wrong?
Oh no! Sounds like its too warm. Cool your bowl down by setting it on frozen peas, ice packs, or even put it on a larger bowl of ice and let your mixer go. Try and gradually bring the temperature down. If you don’t have any of that, put your bowl in the freezer for 5 minute bursts and stir stir stir. I hope it comes together!
How do you get a seal with your fondant and the cake board? I’m new to all of this…In the beginning I guess I lucked out and didn’t have any issues with icing leakage from underneath the fondant, but lately I’ve had issues with it all seeping out the bottom
Any tips or photos that could help me out with this issue? Thanks! And I’ve never tried SMBC before, but after this I can’t wait to attempt it!
Hello! When you put your fondant on, you seal it to the cake cardboard with your fondant smoother. I have been thinking of making my own video to demonstrate fondant tips that are too hard to describe in words but that would require having time to do that (and no baby crying in the background at home)! Sorry I’m not more help, there are lots of other videos online though. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I tried this recipe today and it is amazing. I was really scared but it actually came together quite quickly and easily.
I live on a small island where only one bakery makes this amazing chocolate butter rum cake and no one knows what kind of buttercream frosting he uses. Now I know he uses smbc. I’m so glad I got curious and came across your recipe. Once again, thanks!
I have been using SMBC for a couple of years now for my wedding cakes. I have had some turn out a little firm and some and little loose and was able to fix it. One time though as i was piping the frosting, after a while I noticed the buttercream changing colour in the bag more of a yellow look. What you mentioned in earlier posts, it can look like melted butter. So………..when I accidentally came across this website and read all the posts and your instructions how to create the perfect frosting, it all made sense. I made a batch exactly to specs and ended up with 4 cups and a bit of frosting. It is very creamy and satiny. I substituted half butter with hi-ratio shortening to get a more whiter appearance. Does this affect the consistency?. My frosting is very smooth, smoother than an other recipe i have used and worry if it is too soft,. To test it, I turn the bowl upside down and it does not move. ……………….i guess i just answered my own question LOL!
THANK YOU for this posting!! last time I tried SMBC it curdled and i just threw in a tonne of icing sugar as no one explained it would take time. You did and today I made a perfect bact and I am in love!!! it is smooth like a babies butt! thank you again
Thank You times a hundred! Your turorial was clear and my first effort for Swiss meringue turned out perfectly! Your times were spot on. I am going to use it tomorrow so I put it in the fridge. I’m guessing it has to come to room temp before using it. I prefer from scratch so I really appreciate your website. Thank You again.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I’ve been hunting all over the Internet for the answers that you provided here! I discovered SMBC in a cookbook from the library, and loved its taste so much I wanted to completely switch over from American buttercream. But I could never get it quite right, and wasn’t sure I could even use it under MMF. And now I have all the answers I was looking for! No questions, just sincere thanks!!
Brilliant!!! I make SMB for my cakes but have had to learn the hard way… why oh why don’t recipe books explain the processes. I hope everyone will have the confidence to use your recipe and tutorial. Stick with it when it looks as if all is lost… It will come good. Waiting for my butter to hit room temp then I’m off to make another batch of SMB for a 70th BD cake ordered for this weekend.
Love this recipe and use it often however we are already experiencing high temps and humidity (expected to continue) Do I need to add some type of stabilizer for hot/humid weather? Thanks
I have to thank you so much for this recipe. Not only did it assuage my fear of double boilers and cooking egg whites (“but my frosting will taste like an omelet” – oh, how wrong I was) but I now use this exclusively as my frosting. I’ve added booze, pureed fruit, lemon curd and all sorts of other things to make delicious flavors of smooth, silky, crowd-pleasing buttercream. Thank you, and thanks for adding all the reasons why the steps need to happen the way they do.
thank you so much for the tips! SMB is just the type of frosting i was looking for, but is there any way it could work with less butter?
I made this buttercream the night before i needed it which worked wonderfully but when i went to defrost it i didnt leave it out long enough to defrost and started beating it in the mixer whilst it was still partially frozen. The fat/butter separated and I had a big pool of white liquid in the bottom of the mixer bowl. I placed this on the double boiler again to bring it up to room temp and mixed it again and it eventually came together so I had something to work with but as you had mentioned before it lost nearly all the beautiful volume I had worked so hard on to achieve and tasted like super smooth sweet butter. I do have a question though. When I made the batch properly and added vanilla extract to flavour it, it tasted quite ‘fake’ and artificial and not velvety and vanillalike. Do I rectify this by using vanilla pods or paste? Thankyou
Bummer! Well, all it takes is one time and you’ll not do that again 😀 Vanilla extract is fine for enhancing the flavors of chocolate or carrot cake, but it doesn’t taste like vanilla if you use it to flavor a vanilla cake. It tastes like alcohol – and the more you add the more horrible it tastes. I use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean compound (basically pre-scraped beans) for all my vanilla-flavored confections.
TFR!
Words could never explain just how grateful i am to you for this recepie and demonstration, i have perfected it the first time! I had tried so many times and had given up! Now because of you I can make this and every time I have made it, it is absolutely perfect thank you! thank you so so very much 🙂
Hi, thank you for this recipe! I had a few questions…. Once I added the butter my buttercream came together fast – almost instantly. However, it is a grayish color and the taste seems a bit off – almost like baby powderish?? Any guesses as to what would cause this?
That’s a new one – no idea. Sorry!
Confectioners sugar perhaps?
Is there a problem if the butter is too soft? We’re not talking melted but soft enough is doesn’t hold it’s form in your hand.
I dont have a paddle attachment 😦
Just made smbc with your method. It was great!
Made this today and it turned out very well (not using it to actually top cupcakes until Saturday but I don’t have time to do it all in one day).
One thing I will say is this; while a 6qt Kitchen Aid mixer WILL hold a triple batch of this recipe, it does so just barely. Once my egg whites were whipped and I started adding the butter (I had to add it about a quarter lb at a time so as to not overflow things) I had REAL doubts that it was all really going to fit!
I flavored my buttercream with creme de menthe oil flavoring and a little vanilla extract (I make my own). It will top a dark chocolate cupcake and will have a grasshopper cookie garnish, I think they are going to be perfect little black and white dreams!
I just did it and it came out wonderfully creamy and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Hi!
This is a wonderfully detailed recipe for a beginner!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Can i please know how much of the ingredients i would need to decorate 6 cup cakes?
Thanks XOXO
Jennifer, thanks for both the great recipe and the awesome tutorial! I made this today and it came together very well. Flavored it with a combination of vanilla bean paste and creme de cocoa. It went on your yellow cake, and filled it with a mix of homemade strawberry jam and the SMBC. It smoothed like a dream with just my bench scraper, no need to even refrigerate to get a smooth surface. I used the last bit to pipe some 1M borders on top and bottom of my 8″ round. Can’t wait to bite into the finished cake and see my entire family’s reaction. Thanks again!!
Approximately how long after the curdled stage is finished should be stop the mixer?
Thanks
Hi
I made the SMBC first time and passed all the stages and the end result was great! The second time however I made a mistake and forgot to change from whisk to paddle attachment. I passed the stages very quickly and reached a texture and taste very similar to SMBC. How different is the end result? Do you think I can still use it?
Many many thanks
The whisk adds air pockets. You can get rid of them, but it takes longer to do then if you just used the paddle to mix.
Hi, I’m so bummed I didn’t find your recipe first – the one I used just said “butter” so I didn’t use unsalted and now by SMBC is too salty 😦 But I just wanted to share because I don’t have a stand mixer but the stick mixer I bought recently has a whisk attachment and I used that. I think it worked really well and is an inexpensive alternative to a KA for those of us who aren’t so blessed.
I whisked my egg whites and sugar until it had peaks that held their own shape. I thought they were stiff but wasn’t keen to push too far…. would have been great to know there’s no such thing!
I added my butter (very soft) and it seemed to slump/deflate and I thought there was something wrong, however after adding the butter the texture was very smooth and silky and I thought it looked quite beautiful, even if the volume was not quite as much as it should be. Tastes a bit like sweet butter with an amazing texture, but the ‘buttery’ flavour has a lot to do with the saltiness I think.
Do you think I’m right that I didn’t get the meringue stiff enough?
Also, I didn’t go through the soupy and curdled stages, but the SMBC came together very nicely. Would this be because of the meringue or did I somehow just get it right? – I’ve never made it before so I don’t really know what it’s supposed to be like. The pictures of “successful” SMBC I’ve seen online look a lot more like whipped cream. My SMBC looks more like very smooth and glossy butter or ganache, but stable.
Very interested to get your thoughts but if not, I thought someone might be interested in the whisk info.
Hello, yes your meringue probably wasn’t stiff enough. But that’s OK – if you keep whipping it it should fluff up. And if you skipped the curdled stages that’s great – it just means all your temperatures were spot on for a quick emulsion.
Thanks for reading!
thank you for this great tutorial…but I had the same thing happen that another person had, when I beat the egg whites and sugar and yes I used a candy thermometer and got it up to 160… I got sugar crystals on my beater when the stiff peak was formed?? it was really strange, can you tell me why that happened..
Hello, after I mix my egg whites and sugar in the double broiler, and keep mixing until the sugar is dissolved in the egg whites. It become sugared egg whites. My question is, Can I hand whisk my sugared egg whites to bring it to normal temperature THEN whisk it into meringue? And then add butter.
I would like to make this butter cream. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
I could not explain to you my question properly in my first comment, my apology. Can I hand whisk my sugared egg whites to bring it to normal temperature THEN put the sugared egg white in my ELECTRIC mixer and whisk it into meringue? And then add soft room temperature butter.
I am a beginner in baking and your suggestions will help me a lot, just like your recipe above 🙂
How can I make it sweeter? Without screwing it up…
Thank you so much, I probably would’ve given up if I hadn’t your tutorial since I was following someone else’s recipe. I did have one question, I was making a strawberry smbc and the “other” recipe said to put in 1/2 cup unsweetened puree hand blending it in 1tbls at a time, would it be better to do it in the mixer? I noticed it lost some of it’s volume, and wasn’t sweet or tasty so I added sugar to the puree and added about 1cup. Any suggestions?
Very informative! Can’t wait to try this!
you answered most of my smbc questions.very helpful post.thanks!
I have used the basics of this recipe to make SO many frostings that I wanted to come back and just say thank you one more time! I’ve made strawberry, peppermint, lemon, vanilla bean, peanut butter, and creme de menthe…seriously I think I could make ANY flavor using this base and it always comes out great. Your tutorial took all of the mystery out of SBC and it’s made me look like a rockstar on more than one occasion, thanks again!
Q. Powdered sugar or sugar ?
Swiss meringue buttercream is great to frost on cakes but I can’t seem to pipe into flowers as it’s too soft. Can you please advice on how to make hard to enable to pipe flowers?
Just tried your recipe, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! your instructions were very clear and it came out beautifully 😀
All the best,
Lina
Thank you so much for this detailed and insightful tutorial, I am going to try your recipe as the first time I made it with Gretchen Price (Woodland Bakery’s) recipe it tasted, as you said, ‘sweetened gobs of butter’ but I have compared your ingredients ratio to two other recipes (Sweetapolita’s and the Well Dressed Cake recipe) and you seem to have a lot more butter than theirs do: All the same amount of eggs, your recipe says 16oz of butter while theirs have 12 oz of butter. Is your buttercream really buttery or does it not really make a difference in the taste? Or could I reduce the amount of butter in your recipe as I don’t like the taste of butter particularly?
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging
on blogs I stumbleupon every day. It’s always helpful to read through content from other authors and practice something from their websites.
I love your blog! I made the SMBC for the first time and it turned out perfect! What I would like to ask is how to decorate with it? I have used Sweetex until now and as you know, it crusts which makes it possible to make BC roses, borders, etc. How can I do that with SMBC?
When you add vanilla paste do you mix it in by hand with a spatula after it is a fluffy cloud of goodness? Or can you add vanilla paste during the mixing stage? Also, do you use 3 fold vanilla paste? Cause i am looking at vanilla paste and wondering if you would have to use less vanilla since it is stronger. How much vanilla paste do you use? This recipe looks amazing and I am trying it this weekend along with your cake recipe 🙂
Very clear and concise tutorial. My SMBC turned out PERFECT. Thank you so much
Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog
with my zynga group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
Well I’ve been beating (I can’t get a paddle for my mixer) my batch on 1 of an hr and it hasn’t processed through stage 3
Any suggestions?
After the double boiler part, all I get is marshmallow 😫 I stead of peaks. What am I doing wrong?
When you say beat on high….what setting are you referring to on a KitchenAid Mixer? I thought 10 but most other bakers say that is too high? Am I doing it wrong?
Huh? What other bakers? Yes, make meringue on high, the highest setting your mixer goes to. If those other bakers are trying to make meringue without setting the mixer on high, they aren’t getting a very stiff meringue. It’s probably more like soup. 🙂
It’s now my go to recipe, seriously, it’s been a revelation !!! I will never go back to american buttercream 😉 I was wondering if you could pipe this frosting tough with a grass tip let’s say… Will it hold good ? I’ve got to make a fur tier for a monter inc cake….thanks in advance !!!!
Heeelp, I have made this recipe 4 times now the first time i didn’t mix it for long enough and the whole thing just… didn’t work. The second time it worked like a treat. However the third and fourth times I have made it the mixture just doesn’t thicken, I have my lovely meringue then I add the butter and it goes lovely and thick. Keep mixing and it goes sort of runny and then it stays runny and stays runny, what have I done wrong. It looks lovely but is just too runny to pipe or do anything with.
Hi. If I don’t have kitchen air, is it still possible to make this? I just use hand mixer, so I can’t change to paddle attachment. Thank you
Thank you for such a fantastic and comprehensive tutorial! Quick question on making a sweeter version of this buttercream: I believe you wrote somewhere that you have added as much as 12 oz sugar to your base recipe and the texture comes out the same. I’m finding that with that higher sugar ratio, I get glossier (and less stiff) peaks during the whipping stage. Do you find that to be the case? Do you have to whip the higher sugar version longer or is the texture at the whipping stage just inherently different with the larger amount of sugar?
Hi jennifer! Love the post but i have made smb before with the full amount of butter and for me it tastes like pure butter, can i reduce the butter ratio? I make mine with 3/4 cup of egg whites, 1 cup of sugar and only 250 g of butter (this is a bit over half a lb) It goes through all the stages and comes together but i find it unsatable since it breaks appart even at room temp and it drives me crazy!. I do make the emmulsion on a meduim high speed. Do tou think the reason it breaks appart is the mixer speed, the little amount of butter or both? Thanks!
Ratios for SMBC are different recipe to recipe, but there is a minimum fat/sugar/egg ratio in order for it to hold together. I don’t want to answer your question direct because I don’t want you to think I am singling just you out, I am writing an update to the post so check back in 10 minutes and refresh your screen.
I am sorry my comment was the last straw for you, but I read the update and though I thank you for it, I wanted to let you know my problem was mixer speed. I made it with my low butter ratio, mixed it on low and voila! Came out awsome AND it did not taste like butter even without flavorings. Thanks again for the post.
No No NO! I was SO trying to word my update to make anyone feel bad, least of all you. It was an update I meant to do earlier but haven’t had a chance. I’m glad it worked for you and thanks for reading.
oh my goodness! made the cake and the smbc today and both worked!!!! i let the buttercream stir for 40+minutes, but finally, finally it came to and it is buttery and delicious!!! I am so excited to see what the fondant looks like on top. Also the cake is the most delicious, sugar cookie like, white cake I have ever had!! I am looking for a chocolate cake and carrot if you have anything like that. Truly, thank you for sharing!
Hallo! I definitely need to try this for a party coming up this weekend. Just wondered, I’ll be doing the cupcakes (5 doz) the night before. Our weather is very warm and humid. Do you think I should add a bit of gelatin to it- just to be on the safe side?
NO! I have no idea what adding gelatin would do but this is not like stabilized whipped cream. It is temperature sensitive, but I have never had humidity problems. Best of luck!
This is quite awesome! Thanks dear, for the tutorial:* Will be giving this a try real soon.
Thank you! What an amazing tutorial! I attempted this frosting about a year ago & when it got to the soupy and/or curdled stage, I chucked it..thought for sure I had screwed up somewhere! But I just made this today, followed your instructions to a T , (except I added 1/2 c. extra sugar prior to heating) and I am proud to say my SMBC came out PERFECT!!! Even my husband, who really does not care for frosting at all, was licking the beater, spatula, spoons..anything that had the frosting on it..lol…PATIENCE IS KEY!!! You are soooo right! I busied myself with other things while it whipped, so I wouldn’t keep watching it! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!
IT WORKED!!! IT REALLY WORKED!!! Lol I was so afraid it wouldn’t work but it did! I even microwaved the butter and did NOT go through the curdling stage!! Thank you so much!
Okay question I know you said use temperature for piping.. do you have any good links for info on this?? I did notice that right after mixing it is pretty thin and wont do great detailed work.. any advice or tips? thanks!
I don’t get very many calls for traditional Wilton-style piping so I’m useless there, but I know that it’s done. Just keep 2 bags going, while you use one put one on the fridge (take your metal tip OFF otherwise you’ll have a mess!) and just keep rotating them. The colder your icing is the “stiffer” it will pipe and it will hold the shape. It just takes practice. When in doubt, you can always just se ABC for your detail piping, or make a hybrid by adding in ABC to your SMBC.
HELP!!! This is only my 2nd batch of SMBC, and the first time it was beautiful! This time, although it is nice & fluffy, it not only tastes just like butter, it also feels greasy on the tongue like butter. I don’t recall that being the case with my first batch. Any suggestions?
Add flavoring and put it on a cake! Add a LOT of flavoring!!!
I should add, I’m not concerned about the butter flavor..i like that & I can add flavorings..afterall, it is BUTTER cream..lol…anyway, it’s the texture that I’m concerned with. Thank you for any advice you can give!!
I have been making SMBC for years now, and followed the standard of having my butter at soft, but cool temperature, and dumping my butter in piece, by painstakingly piece. It never occurred to me to dump it in all at once and let science handle the rest. Well, I just finished making up a batch of buttercream, after letting my butter sit out overnight, and dumping it all in after the meringue was made. Perfection. And I agree, beating on the lowest speed possible is the best way to ensure that the mixture comes together properly, and prevents annoying little air pockets that just ruin the overall effect.
I’m glad!!! Thank you for reading!
Hi! I’m an inspiring baker going off what my grandma taught me learning everything on my own little by little and this was my first time making a meringue And buttercream! I’ve only ever used the frosting my she taught me to make with Crisco and powdered sugar so trying this tonight was new territory to me…. and I absolutely loved it! Your personality in the blog and all!
I love this recipe! For those of your readers who do not like the overwhelming butter flavor, try cutting back 1 stick of butter. I did this & the flavor is buttery, but not all you can taste. My husband told me to keep making it that way! But if you like butter to be the star, then don’t change a thing…this recipe is awesome!!
I made a cake and iced it with smc, it was a beautiful off white color the first day but a day later its turned to a weird shade of green…Is this common? And why would this happen?
I have no idea. I’ve never had my SMBC turn green and never heard of that!
Hello! I just saw your recipe and will have to try it out. I know this is for SMBC but since it’s fairly similar to IMBC, I thought the answer might be the same. I made a coffee IMBC but want to add stronger flavoring; can I do this when I’m re-mixing the frosting before icing my cake? (I made the frosting ahead of time and have already refrigerated it). Thank you!
Is SMBC suppose to have a whip cream like texture?
This is the first time that I have tried to make SMBC and I am in love : ) I have always used American buttercream under my fondant and it is always a bit sweet for my taste, but now that I have discovered this I will use this always…and added benefit of no confectioners sugar all over the place!! I am going to make a rustic style bridal shower cake for this Saturday and I made some strawberry puree to add to the SMBC…crossing my fingers this works well, I thought it would make a beautiful blush color since that is the color of the bridal party and then going to add a burlap flower : ) Thank you so much for the tutorial…so easy to follow and the icing just comes out perfect!
Hi, thank you for the great recipe.
I have some questions too, i just made my first SMBC… Everything happened exactly how you described it, step by step. The colur turn out a little ivory, my question is..is thee any way to make it bright white? And one more thing, there is a little air bubbles, is there any way to get rid of those bubbles? Can I add some extra sugar if its not sweet enouhg?
Thank you in advance
It might be worth trying clear vanilla extract and white icing color (Wilton makes one). I am told you can also buy “white butter” online, though I’m not sure of the quality.
I just tried to make my first SMBC for mothers day. It did not turn out. I made a thread of CakeCentral.com to ask people what I had done wrong and a lot of them told me to read your blog. I am SOOOOOO thank full that I did. I had watched and read a lot of tutorials on SMBC and I don’t think any of them explained it as well as you. Thank you So MUCH! I have been wanting to make it for so long and was almost in tears when it didn’t turn out the way it was suppose to. The cake was for my Mom so it was speshial to me. My husband said it was still better then the Amarican buttercream that I usually use so I still iced my cake. But I can not wait to try it again, and GET IT RIGHT! I know its going to be 100 times better.
Thank you so much for this recipe and tutorial. I did have to go buy a new stand mixer since my old Braun (from the 70s) does not have a paddle beater. My new Breville mixed up the meringue perfectly and once I added the butter it was about five minutes of mixing to get it to the beautiful consistency, with barely any curdling in the process. One batch made enough for me to cover a three layer six inch cake plus a three layer ten inch cake. I will be covering them with fondant so I was able to get away with not too thick of a layer of buttercream.
Additional notes. I really appreciated the recipe being expressed in weights, since my egg whites were somewhere between six and seven eggs to get the correct amount. I used one pound of Meyenberg unsalted goat butter in place of cow’s butter. I also added two teaspoons of vanilla paste at the very end of mixing.
Beautiful! Yummy! So easy to work with. I found that icing a chilled cake gave me a nice set up, which was perfect for smoothing the sides.
Can’t wait to play with flavorings and try your cream cheese SMBC recipe using chevre in place of the cream cheese. Thanks again!
OH MY! I just made a triple batch for a double barrel 10in by 8 high and thought i’d say thank you and i’m in love while it chills in the fridge.
ZOMG i’m never using buttercream ever again, like not in a million years ever *tee hee* although whisking the meringue took 40 mins every part of me was like no this has never worked before you’ve bitten off far to much. BAH its to die for i’m honestly in LOVE. I have to figure out the chocolate one as i did a test amount (thankfully) and it just ended up like i have shaved chocolate although it taste great to me the consistency for others may not be great. Next time i will make a small batch of ganache and test that.
You, my friend, are a frosting genius. Turned out spectacularly. The degree of directional detail is MUCH appreciated.
I have googled this to death with answers. I need a buttercream for under fondant for an outside wedding reception. I have read that SMBC was the way to go but now I read thats a no. My usual is an all butter American buttercream but here in FL lately my cupcakes left at room temp have become tempormental. As the egg white factor of SMBC has always freaked me our I never tried it. Made a batch last night and was amazed at the flavor without cloying sweetness. Please tell me it will survive on my wedding cake. I intend to chill it in my fridge after crumb coating, and before applying fondant. After the fondant, I will just keep it in my cool home (I crank the AC when decorating) the cake is due SATURDAY OCT 11TH!
Thanks, freaking out.
It will be fine as long as it’s not in direct sunlight or in a room over 72 degrees.
Hi. Have you ever tried mixing in dried fruit? I had wanted to add freeze dried raspberries to my cake batter and forgot. I’m wondering if I can add them to the mango smbc I was already planning. Thinking they’ll end up like little chips/flecks but not sure if it could be a disaster or end up in it breaking.