Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a silky smooth buttercream perfect for any cupcake or cake recipe. Easy to color and decorate for any occasion!

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream on red velvet cupcakes with Valentine's sprinkles

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!  

I have wanted to try Swiss Meringue Buttercream for a long time. I have read about it in my America’s Test Kitchen. After seeing this buttercream featured on Annie’s Eats, I could tell from her pictures that it pipes beautifully. I took a major shortcut and used a boxed Red Velvet Cake mix so I could focus my time on the frosting. It was actually pretty simple to do, just took some time to cook the egg white mixture.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream on red velvet cupcakes with Valentine's sprinkles

So, how does it taste? Oh.my.gosh this frosting is amazing! It is velvety smooth and buttery, with just enough sweetness. The vanilla flavor really comes through. I made regular sized cupcakes and some mini’s as well.

Mini cupcakes:

mini cupcakes with buttercream

I also got to use my Valentine’s Day sprinkles! I plan to use this as my go-to frosting from now on!

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream on red velvet cupcakes with Valentine's sprinkles

Recipe Details

First, egg whites, sugar, and salt are placed in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set above simmering water. The mixture is heated to dissolve the sugar. Then it is beaten with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

meringue on a wire whisk

At this point, butter is added gradually while the mixture is beaten. It may look curdled at times, but keep mixing until it comes together. The finished buttercream can be tinted and piped as desired. I left mine plain and decorated with Valentine’s sprinkles.

heart sprinkles on a cupcake
lip sprinkles for Valentine's cupcakes
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream on red velvet cupcakes with Valentine's sprinkles
Valentine's cupcakes

Gluten Free Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This recipe is naturally gluten free!

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Pin

What to Do with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

You can use Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream to decorate any cake, as it is easy to pipe. My Cake Decorating page has many examples of how I use buttercream to decorate traditional cakes as well as cheesecakes! It can be used to decorate a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake or even as the filling for Banana Split Cake {No Bake}.

Looking for More Buttercream and Frosting Recipes?

Check out these recipes:
Easy Vanilla Buttercream
Easy Dulce de Leche Buttercream
Coffee Buttercream
Whipped Ganache Frosting
Blueberry Ganache Frosting
Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting
Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

Looking for More Valentine’s Day Dessert Ideas?

Check out these great dessert ideas for Valentine’s Day:
Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes
Nut Free Linzer Cookies
Mini New York Cheesecakes
Red Velvet Brownies with Cheesecake Swirl
Roasted Cherry Brownie Sundaes with Cherry Port Sauce
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Outrageous Brownies
Best Gooey French Brownies
Mini Hot Chocolate Cheesecakes
Bailey’s Irish Cream Mini Cheesecakes
Mini Mocha Cheesecakes
Homemade Ben & Jerry’s Hot Fudge Sauce
Red Velvet Cheesecake
Dark Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Meghan
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a silky smooth buttercream perfect for any cupcake or cake recipe. Easy to color and decorate for any occasion!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 5 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature (4 sticks)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar has dissolved.
  • Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3 – 5 minutes more – it will come together eventually.
  • Mix in the vanilla extract until just incorporated. Tint with gel icing color if desired.
  • Store buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

Notes

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats
You’re Gonna Bake It After All
bakeitafterall.com
Keyword cake, desserts, gluten free


8 thoughts on “Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream”

  • Hi Ana, this buttercream is super-smooth. I'm not sure it's much better tasting than regular buttercream (although that would mean comparing it to a very delicious buttercream of course), but the texture is incredibly light and smooth. Because of this perfectly creamy texture, it's a bit easier for decorating, in my opinion. Hope this helps!

  • Ana, I have never tried this, but it should work. I'd recommend using real chocolate that you have melted and cooled slightly and then mix it in well, or if you want to use cocoa powder, perhaps dissolve it in some vanilla extract before adding it to the buttercream. I tried adding cocoa powder to buttercream before (not this particular recipe) and it remained as little speckles – which can be cool if you're going for that effect (but I wasn't!) Let me know how it turns out if you try it 🙂

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