The best, classic, easy Swiss meringue buttercream frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients without double boiler. Light, airy, creamy, not too sweet, holds its shape. Perfect for piping and cake decorating. Also known as mock SMBC.
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This icing is considered to be very temperamental. The traditional recipe requires separating eggs and then heating egg whites over a double boiler and then doing a lot of whisking and whipping. That's an insane amount of work. I have made things easier by using pasteurized egg whites, which requires no heating whatsoever!
It’s not super sweet like Classic American Buttercream Frosting or this Seven Minute Frosting. It’s lighter and fluffier and more airy. It also does not crust or become hard. You can color it, flavor it any way you like and use it for cake decorating and cupcake decorating.
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Key ingredients
- Egg whites- These should be pasteurized liquid egg whites in the carton and not liquid egg substitute.
- Powdered sugar- Sift it first to make it fluffy.
- Salt- This helps to cut the sweetness.
- Butter- Make sure it's unsalted and at room temperature.
- Vanilla- Please use clear extract to prevent an "off-white" color.
How to make easy Swiss meringue buttercream recipe without double boiler?
- Beat ingredients in mixing bowl- This includes egg whites, powdered sugar, salt until the sugar is dissolved.
- Mix in butter and vanilla- Do this gradually.
- Keep mixing- Until icing becomes smooth and fluffy and is not curdled any more.
- Chill-To firm it up even further.
Variations
- For chocolate flavor- Add some cocoa powder near the end.
- Add espresso powder- Use 2-3 teaspoon to create a subtle coffee flavor.
- For fruity flavor- Mix in 2-3 tablespoon jams and preserves of your choice.
- Add zests- From an orange, lemon or limes
- Try other extracts- Such as peppermint, mint, almond, coconut.
- Color it- Use gel food coloring instead of liquid.
How to use SMBC?
- Use it as a filling in cakes- It pairs great with this Easy Cotton Candy Cake and Guinness Beer Cake.
- Make a swirl on top of cupcakes- I have used it on these Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and Brownie Cupcakes for parties.
- Filling between two cookies to make sandwiches- Try it with these Champagne Cookies as well as these Chocolate Whoopie Pies.
- Use a spatula to spread it on brownies and bars- It tastes unbelievably delicious on these Pumpkin Bars.
Tips and Techniques
- Use it to decorate cupcakes- If you want to learn how to do this, check out my How to Decorate Cupcakes guide to help you.
- If your frosting is grainy- That's because the sugar was not dissolved fully. Rub the mixture between your index finger and thumb. If it's smooth, all the sugar has dissolved and icing is ready.
- Don't whip by hand- It is exhausting. You must use a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Use it to decorate a cake- Follow the tutorial and all my tips here in this post on How to Make Buttercream Flowers (Russian Piping Tips)
- You must use pasteurized egg whites- Please note that this is not the same as liquid egg substitute. This one comes in a small carton and you can find it in the dairy aisle near the egg cartons in grocery stores. It should say 100% pasteurized liquid egg whites on the box. This is safe to consume raw because of the pasteurization process.
- You are mixing for a long time- That's not a typo! In order for all the ingredients to incorporate with each other properly, it will take a lot of whipping. There is no shortcut here.
- All utensils and equipment must be squeaky clean- Because I have noticed that greasy reside can prevent the icing from whipping well and becoming fluffy. It's the same rule you have to follow when you are making Pavlova Cake or Mini Pavlova.
- This recipe will be enough- For piping high swirls on 24 cupcakes OR filling and frosting an 8 inch layer cake.
- Use this to fill cupcakes- Check out this post on How to Make Filled Cupcakes (Stuffed Cupcakes) for a quick tutorial and refresher on using a variety of Wilton tips.
Recipe FAQs
Mix in more powdered sugar until it's thickened to your desired consistency. You should also chill it in the fridge for longer to help it become firmer.
Mix in some water until desired consistency is achieved.
This icing can sometimes be off white. Just mix in white gel coloring to make it super white. Most importantly, use clear vanilla extract and not the typical brown one.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. When you are ready to use it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then whip it again.
- Room temperature- This can stay out without any issues for about 3 hours.
- Make ahead- This can easily be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
More frosting recipes
- Mint Frosting
- Easy Orange Frosting (Buttercream)
- Marshmallow Frosting
- Lemon Frosting (Buttercream)
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
Recipe
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting (SMBC)
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup Liquid egg whites Pasteurized
- 6 cups Powdered sugar Sifted
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 cups Butter Unsalted, Cut into cubes, Room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract Clear
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add egg whites, powdered sugar, salt and mix for 5 minutes on medium speed until sugar is dissolved. Be sure to scrape down the sides, halfway through.
- Start adding butter cubes gradually, while continuing to mix on low speed until all the butter is incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. The mixture will look very odd and crumbly.
- Increase the speed to medium again and mix for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth, fluffy and creamy.
- Chill in fridge for 20- 30 minutes to firm it up even further and then pipe on cakes and cupcakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- To change the flavor profile, you can add other extracts or cocoa powder or espresso powder or even zests.
- You must use room temperature butter so that it incorporates easily with the other ingredients.
- To color it, use gel food coloring.
- Use clear extract to prevent an "off-white" icing color.
- If icing is too grainy, continue whipping until the sugar has dissolved.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- It can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. When you are ready to use it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then whip it again.
- Read additional tips and variations above
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Jacqueline
About 6 large egg whites room temperature! Thank you for this and other excellent frosting recipes!
Jacqueline
About 6 large egg whites room temperature! Canadian. aabs USA eggs are not pasteurized, but are very clean. Weight lifted used to eat raw eggs, as did millions in egg nog. Thank you for this and other excellent frosting recipes!
Jacqueline
About 6 large egg whites room temperature! Canadian and USA eggs are not pasteurized, but are very clean. Weight lifters used to eat raw eggs, as did billions in egg nog. Thank you for this and other excellent frosting recipes!