My Favorite Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Swiss meringue buttercream is like heaven. It’s so light and fluffy and not at all overly sweet like some frosting. I definitely prefer it over any other kind of frosting.
Ever since I first tasted SMBC I have been searching for a fool proof recipe that I love. I have found that recipe. Trust me on this one. It’s amazing.
Most people seem intimidated by SMBC because of the fact that sometimes it curdles when you’re mixing it up. You have to be patient and know that it’ll come back together. Because of the technique used in this recipe, you won’t have to worry about that here. I was a bit skeptical when I first tried this recipe, but it works every time.
I prefer to refrigerate my cupcakes after frosting them with this SMBC. This will set the frosting. Then bring them to room temperature prior to serving.
One Year Ago: Rice and Beans
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This is my favorite Swiss meringue buttercream
Yield: Enough to frost 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
4 oz egg whites (3-4 large egg whites or about 1/2 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp lemon extract, almond extract, orange extract, or vanilla extract
Directions:
Lightly whisk egg whites and sugar together over simmering water until egg-white mixture is hot to touch or a candy thermometer reads 140°F (60°C).
Pour hot whites into a room-temperature bowl and whip with a wire whip until double in volume on MEDIUM-HIGH speed. When the mixer stops, the meringue should not move around in the bowl. Meanwhile cut up butter into 2-inch pieces. (The butter should be slightly moist on the outside but cold inside.)
On your mixer, remove the whip and attach the paddle. Add half the butter into the bowl immediately and pulsate the mixer several times until the meringue has covered the butter completely. To pulsate the mixer, turn it on and off in a jerky motion. This forces the butter on the top to the bottom of the bowl. Add the balance of the butter and pulsate mixer several times. Slowly increase the mixer's speed, starting with the lowest speed and increase the speed every 10 seconds until you reach a MEDIUM-HIGH speed.
Continue beating until the mixture begins to look light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl. Reduce speed to LOW. Add flavoring and continue to beat on LOW speed for 45 seconds. Then beat on MEDIUM-HIGH speed for an additional 45 to 60 seconds.
Leftover buttercream can be placed in plastic containers with lids and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost completely (several hours) and rewhip before using.
Storage: Store the icing in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe from epicurious
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
What a beautiful bundt cake!
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:47 pm
Thanks 🙂
I definitely don’t make bundt cakes enough given those attributes 🙂 this looks absolutely wonderful and I can imagine so many ways to change it up!
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:49 pm
Oh yea, you could definitely add some spices (i’m thinking cardamom or cinnamon), some extracts or oils, citrus zest, fresh fruit… You could really adapt this recipe however you want.
So I was just thinking I needed an easy bundt cake dessert to take along with a freezer meal I’m making for a new mom friend, and lo and behold, you post this. You just saved me an hour of searching through recipes (though now what will I do at work). I’m also excited to use the vanilla beans I bought and then never put in the vodka to make extract (hopefully they’re still usable).
I do have a question in all my rambling. You said to grease the bundt cake pan with butter, and I usually have the Pam for Baking on-hand. Do you think that butter works better in a bundt pan than the spray? Occasionally I have a heavier cake like this stick to the pan, and I’m wondering if it’s because I didn’t grease with butter.
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
I’m sure your vanilla beans would still be usable, although I do recommend making that vanilla extract some time. It’s definitely worth the (minimal) effort.
I have made bundts using both butter or Pam for Baking. Using Pam is definitely easier, especially with all the curves in the bundt pan. Although 9 times out of 10, I use butter and spread it with my hands. It’s kind of fun. For this bundt, I used butter and it popped right out. Let me know how it goes if you use Pam.
The the look of the frosting on the cake – bundt cakes are my go to when I need to make a cake for the exact reasons you say, nice and easy.
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:53 pm
The frosting tastes even better than it looks. Man I wish I had a piece of this guy today…
Your cake looks stunning, I love the look of the texture and the vanilla bean glaze. You’re making me sad I don’t have bundt pan!
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:54 pm
You should definitely get one! A friend of mine gave me my pan almost two years ago for my birthday and I had to make room for it in our tiny Boston kitchen. It was worth the effort. Now that I have a bigger kitchen, space isn’t an issue, but I’m still so glad I have that pan.
I’ve been looking for a bundt cake recipe recently and my husband has been asking for (another) pound cake. THANK YOU!
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:54 pm
Glad I could help 🙂
Yesterday I found vanilla beans for CHEAP at the grocery store–but they refused to let me buy them because they were expired!! It was the saddest day. This bundt looks amazing. My only tangle with a bundt cake was when I tried to do the Pinterest thing where you put two together to make a pumpkin… frosting disaster. Oh well.
beantownbaker — April 24th, 2013 @ 1:55 pm
WHAT?!? I’ve never heard of that. Oh I’ve seen that where you put two together to make a pumpkin. Never tried it myself though…
I understand your love for bundt cakes! i don’t own one and I’m so envious of all the wonderful looking bundt cakes out there. I pin all the recipes, yet I still haven’t bought myself a pan. That clearly needs to change soon!
beantownbaker — April 25th, 2013 @ 7:48 am
You should definitely get one! I got mine from a friend for my bday almost two years ago and I’m so happy she got it for me 🙂 A lot of people have commented that they don’t have a bundt pan. Maybe I should do a giveaway on here for one…
I love Bundt Cakes too. They are so easy and they end up looking fancy! With cream cheese it I bet it’s perfect!
beantownbaker — April 25th, 2013 @ 7:50 am
Aren’t bundts the best 🙂
Your bundt looks wonderful! I’m so glad you loved this recipe as much as I did! 🙂
beantownbaker — April 25th, 2013 @ 7:50 am
Me too! Thanks for posting it or I might not have found it!
I love bundt cakes 🙂 yours looks beautiful! I’ve got to try this recipe.
I have never made a bundt cake but this post makes me want to go out and by a bundt tin! A lovely and delicious looking cake 🙂
Update: I made this for my new mom friend and it turned out great. I used Pam on the bundt pan and the cake slid right out and was beautifully golden. Granted I sprayed GENEROUSLY, so that may have helped. The vanilla beans were also amazing in the glaze and I can’t wait to use them in more recipes!
beantownbaker — May 2nd, 2013 @ 9:03 am
Glad to hear it worked out for you!
I LOVE bundt cakes! This looks great!