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

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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

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12 Responses to “French Silk Pie”

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    1
    Debbi Does Dinner Healthy — July 12, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    I made one of these once and it was grainy because I screwed up on the butter or something, your looks perfect! Must give it a try, thanks!

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    newlywed — July 12, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    That looks SO good. French Silk pie is one of my favorites too, but I have never tried making it.

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    Evan B — July 12, 2010 at 2:21 pm

    French Silk Pie is one of my favorites.. and it’s also one of my favorite blizzard’s at Dairy Queen! I’m going to have to give this a try..

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    Memória — July 12, 2010 at 6:52 pm

    I think I’ve had only one French Silk Pie in my lifetime. I must change that statistic haha. Your photos look fantastic.

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    Becky — July 12, 2010 at 10:33 pm

    Wow, that looks delicious! I’ve never made it before either, but I’ll have to give it a shot! And I feel your pain about the “big” sister thing…my little bro calls me shorty which took some getting used to : )

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    Julie — July 13, 2010 at 12:00 am

    What a wonderful pie! It’s strange how I have no problem with the raw eggs in this pie, but they gross me out in spaghetti carbonara 🙂

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    brettb734 — July 13, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    I too love french silk pie, but have never made one. You did such a good job and made it sound simple, I will have to try making one.

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    Fun and Fearless in Beantown — July 13, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    This looks divine! I’m not much of a baker, which is why I love heading over to your site for inspiration!

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    We Are Not Martha — July 14, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    Awww that’s so nice you baked it together 🙂 It looks amazing and so, so beautiful!

    Sues

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    the twins — July 14, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    that looks so delicious!

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    toccara — November 5, 2010 at 3:02 am

    Ive tried this pie and it was perfect. I didn’t make the crust because I needed it in a hurry so I just baked off a pie shell instead. It was breath taking. I so love this recipe.

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    toccara — November 5, 2010 at 3:04 am

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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