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Home » Frosting » How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

By Olivia, 542 Comments

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This tutorial on how to make Swiss Meringue buttercream is the only resource you’ll need to make the smoothest, silkiest frosting!

Swiss meringue buttercream on a stand mixer whisk.

The topic of Swiss meringue buttercream comes up regularly in my Baking group on Facebook and in comments on some of my recipes here — how to make it, but more often how to deal with it when it’s just not cooperating.

Meringue buttercreams can be a bit temperamental, but whatever state you’ve got it in (provided you started with a stiff peak meringue) is totally saveable.

If you love Swiss meringue buttercream as much as I do, hopefully, you’ll find these tips useful.

If you’ve never tried it and are intimidated by it, I hope this tutorial will give you the confidence to give it a shot.

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Swiss meringue buttercream on a whisk different angle.

What is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

Though more involved than an American buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) is the easiest of the meringue buttercreams. It involves cooking eggs and sugar over a double boiler, whipping them into a meringue, then adding butter and flavourings.

The other two meringue buttercreams (Italian and French) both involve pouring boiling sugar into a partially whipped egg and sugar mixture.

They are equally delicious and known to be a bit more stable, but I find boiling sugar to be stressful and intimidating, so generally stay away from it as much as possible.

If you’re feeling adventurous though and you’ve tried SMBC before, I encourage you to give those a go and see how you like them.

Swiss meringue buttercream consists of 3 very simple ingredients:

  1. Egg whites
  2. Sugar
  3. Unsalted butter 

Swiss Meringue buttercream ingredients - butter, eggs, sugar.

From there, you can flavour to your heart’s content. A simple and standard recipe will include vanilla, but the flavour possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

You can add melted chocolate for a milk, white, or dark chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, freeze-dried berries for fruit flavour and color, peanut butter/peanut butter powder (preferred), or choose from a variety of flavourings to add in.

How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I’m going to take you through each step of the process here and call out tips or issues you may run into.

I recommend using a stand mixer for this buttercream. You likely could do it with a hand mixer, but it would be a more painful process — you’d be holding that hand mixer for a good 20+mins. As such, the steps I describe are for a stand mixer, but you can adapt to a hand mixer if that’s all you have to work with.

The very first thing you must do, this is NOT optional, is: 

Step #1 – Wipe down all tools with lemon juice or vinegar

To help ensure a stable and stiff meringue, you must make sure that everything that will come in contact with the egg whites is completely grease-free. This includes things like your:

  • mixer bowl
  • whisk attachment
  • hand whisk
  • measuring cup (that will be used to scoop sugar)
  • small bowl(s) (to crack eggs into when separating whites)

Tools to make Swiss Meringue buttercream shown with lemon juice

Grease is meringue’s enemy.

Even the tiniest speck of grease (or egg yolk) will cause the meringue to not whip to a stiff peak and result in a less-than-perfect (aka dense and greasy) Swiss meringue buttercream.

Another important tip here is to not use plastic tools, especially bowls, when making Swiss meringue. Plastic has a tendency to retain grease no matter how thoroughly it’s cleaned.

Best to be safe and stick to metal (preferred) or glass bowls.

Step #2 – Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer (1-2 inches of water)

You’ll want a pot that’s big enough to comfortably place your mixer bowl onto, but not so big that the bottom of the bowl touches the water.

You want a maximum of 1-2 inches of water in the pot. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

Pot with simmering water.

Step #3 – Separate your egg whites

Separate each egg white into a small bowl, then transfer into your mixer bowl.

Do not separate the egg whites directly into your mixer bowl. If you do that and have even one cracked yolk, you will ruin the whole batch of whites.

Egg white in a small bowl.

It’s best to separate each egg individually.

Even a speck of yolk will cause the meringue to not whip up properly. Do not attempt to make a meringue if your egg whites are not completely yolk-free.

Broken yolk

Note that the eggs do not need to be room temperature, since you’ll be cooking them anyhow. 

Some people have had success with carton egg whites but, at this time, I cannot recommend them myself.

The carton whites I have tried have caused my meringue to stay flat and never stiffen. If you do want to experiment with carton whites, make sure the carton says something like “egg whites only” or similar.

Step #4 – Cook your egg whites & sugar

Once you’ve separated all your eggs, add them and your sugar into your mixer bowl and place it over the pot of simmering water.

I stir constantly at this point, with a clean hand whisk, to make sure the egg whites cook evenly. This process will take 2-3 mins depending on the number of egg whites you’re working with.

Whisking egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a simmering pot of water.

You’ll know the egg whites are done when the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch.

I dip a (clean) finger into the mixture and rub it between my thumb and forefinger. If there is any graininess at all, I keep cooking them.

Finger test for graininess

You want to make sure the mixture is hot to the touch too. Ideally, you’d use a candy thermometer to check that it has reached 160F. This is the most accurate way to make sure your whites are cooked fully. 

I am too lazy to whip out a thermometer, and not concerned about eating raw eggs, so I do the touch test. If this is a concern for you, I recommend using a thermometer.

Step #5 – Whip your meringue

Remove your mixer bowl from the pot, wipe the bottom of the bowl, and place it on your stand mixer. Attach the whisk attachment and begin whipping.

I usually crank it right up to high speed (about 8-9 on my KitchenAid). You’ll want to whip this until the bowl is completely cool to the touch — this can take anywhere from 5-10mins. 

Meringue whipping in a stand mixer.

You’ll know if your meringue was successful if it holds a stiff peak. This is what it should look like – no droopy peaks!

Picture of a stiff peak meringue on a stand mixer whisk.

If your meringue is droopy, it was likely affected by either grease, yolk, or carton whites. See step #1. Unfortunately, if this happens, you will need to start over. There is no way to save the meringue at this point.

Step #6 – Cube your butter

While the meringue is whipping, cube your softened but still slightly cold butter. I roughly do 1″ or so cubes. It’s not an exact science, about 1 Tbsp or so each. 

You will know your butter is the right consistency when you can press it with your finger and leave a bit of a dent in it.

Cubed butter

It’s important to note that your butter should not be too soft. If it’s so soft that you can press your finger through it easily, it will be too soft for your buttercream.

You can still use it, but you may need to chill your buttercream for a bit if it becomes soupy (see Troubleshooting section below). I find it easier to deal with an SMBC that has used butter that’s too cold vs too soft.

Step #7 – Add the butter

When your meringue is completely cooled, stop your mixer and switch to the paddle attachment.

This isn’t critical, you can leave it on the whisk, but I like to switch to the paddle as I find that the whisk can incorporate too much air into the buttercream.

I also like that my paddle scrapes the sides of the bowl for me, which is a time saver.

Adding butter while meringue continues to whip.

Set your mixer to medium speed (4 or so on a KitchenAid) and slowly start to add your butter cube by cube. Once all of the butter has been added, crank the mixer back up to high to beat the buttercream.

The buttercream can go through a few undesirable stages while it mixes. It can become soupy:

Soupy buttercream

And it often curdles: 

Curdled buttercream

I find it best to walk away and come back after 5 mins to a (hopefully) perfect SMBC. See Troubleshooting section below if this is not the case.

Perfect Swiss meringue buttercream

Once the buttercream is completely smooth, fluffy, and creamy, you can add in your flavourings (see below for a list of recipes).

How do I make my buttercream white?

This is a bit off topic, but also comes up often. SMBC can turn out a bit yellow depending on how much butter you use. This is not always a desirable effect, especially if you’re going for an all white cake.

The trick is to neutralize the yellow color by adding a bit of blue/violet to it.

Toothpick with violet color gel to help make the buttercream white.

And I mean a bit. The amount on the toothpick above is more than I added. I basically swiped the toothpick over the buttercream on the whisk, so really only used one side of it.

I’d recommend starting with less and adding more as needed, or you’ll end up with a grey or bluish looking buttercream.

Once the gel has been added (I used Americolor Violet), give the buttercream a good whip and you’ll see the yellow tint fade away. Add more color gel as needed.

Side by side of yellow and white buttercream.

Troubleshooting Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss meringue buttercream can be finicky. It’s temperamental and can cause a whole lot of unnecessary stress. The good news is that as long as your meringue was stiff before the butter was added, whatever issue you encounter after that is fixable.

Here are some common issues you may run into while making Swiss meringue buttercream, as well as my tips and suggestions on how to avoid/fix them:

  1. My meringue won’t whip up. This is either due to grease or egg yolks or both. See Step #1 of tutorial above.
  2. My buttercream looks curdled. This is a common step when making SMBC. Once all the butter is added, it often goes through a phase where it looks curdled. If you keep whipping it, it will come together.
  3. My buttercream still looks curdled. If the temperature of the butter is too cold, it can be harder to get it to come together. You can either put it over a double boiler again like in Step #2, or warm the sides of the bowl with a hair dryer. One time, I had thawed some frozen SMBC and I didn’t completely bring it to room temperature before rewhipping. It looked like cottage cheese soup in my mixer. I thought it was a lost cause, but I heated the bowl a bit with a hair dryer and walked away for a few mins. When I came back it had come together perfectly! If you use the double boiler method, warm the buttercream just until the very edges start to melt, and then rewhip. You can also try to microwave 1/4 cup of the buttercream for a few seconds then drizzle it back into the buttercream with the mixer on low speed until it comes together.
  4. My buttercream is soupy. This is the opposite problem of a curdled buttercream. This occurs because either the meringue was too warm when you added the butter or your butter was too soft, or both. Pop the whole bowl and whisk into the fridge for 20mins and then rewhip. Depending on how warm it was, you may need a couple sessions in the fridge.
  5. My buttercream is grainy. This is due to the sugar not being dissolved properly in Step #4 above. Once the meringue is whipped, there is nothing you can do to fix this. It’s best to start over.
  6. My buttercream is greasy. SMBC is more buttery than an American buttercream, but it should not feel greasy. If you haven’t added more butter than the recipe calls for and your meringue was stiff, then the greasiness is likely due to the buttercream not being whipped for long enough. It’s also good practice to rewhip the SMBC if it’s been sitting out on the counter for a while.
  7. The buttercream gets hard in the fridge. This is normal. Just like the butter it’s made from, it will firm up to the consistency of butter in the fridge. When you let it come to room temperature it will soften again.
  8. It tastes too buttery. Some people just don’t like meringue buttercreams — they’re not for everyone! But the buttercream should be light and fluffy, not thick and greasy. If yours tastes like you’re eating a stick of butter, perhaps your meringue wasn’t whipped to stiff peaks before adding butter, or the butter was too cold, in which case it just needs some more whipping. Or you added too much butter. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Can I make Swiss meringue buttercream in advance? Yes! You can leave it at room temperature for a day or two, refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Be sure to store it in an airtight container. You must bring the buttercream completely to room temperature and rewhip before use. If the buttercream separates, it was still a bit too cold. See Step #3 above in the Troubleshooting section.
  2. How do I thaw my buttercream? Thaw it on the counter. It will be too hard if you thaw it in the fridge. I thaw mine overnight. Rewhip before use. See above.
  3. How long does Swiss meringue buttercream last? It will last for a day or two at room temperature, 2 weeks in the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer. Be sure it is properly stored in an airtight container or a freezer bag.
  4. Is Swiss meringue buttercream safe to eat? Yes. If you cook the eggs to 160F the buttercream will be safe to eat.
  5. Can I flavour Swiss meringue buttercream? Yes. Once the buttercream has come together, you can add any kinds of flavourings, extracts, powders, or chocolate — see list below for a list of recipes.
  6. Can I color Swiss meringue buttercream? Yes. Though SMBC is more difficult to color than an American buttercream. The color doesn’t take as well, so you may need more color gel. Be careful not to add too much, as the buttercream may split. You may want to look into powdered food coloring if you’re wanting to do very vibrant colors.
  7. I don’t have a stand mixer. Can I use my hand mixer to make Swiss meringue buttercream? You probably can, but I do not recommend it. You’d be whipping forever! First to cool the meringue, and then when the butter is added. It can be a 10-15min process with a stand mixer, so I imagine it could take twice as long. So… doable if that’s all that you have at your disposal, but just know you’re in for a long haul.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

The recipe I’m including below is the standard SMBC recipe that I use, though I tend to experiment a lot with it and sometimes add an extra egg white or use a bit less butter, depending on the amount of frosting I need.

I haven’t run into any issues doing this, but it’s important not to add more butter than the recipe calls for unless you’re also increasing the egg whites & sugar.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Variations

  • Blueberry (or any kind of berry)
  • Brown Butter
  • Brown Sugar
  • Caramel
  • Chocolate
  • Cinnamon
  • Coconut
  • Dulce de Leche
  • Espresso
  • Honey
  • Maple
  • Mint
  • Mocha
  • Peanut Butter
  • Vanilla
  • White Chocolate

I hope you’ve found this guide helpful and that it’s given you the courage to give Swiss Meringue Buttercream a try! It truly is one of the most delicious buttercreams out there.

Buttercream on a whisk with a blue tea towel behind.
Print Pin Rate
4.93 from 94 votes

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

This tutorial on how to make Swiss Meringue buttercream is the only resource you'll need to make the smoothest, silkiest frosting!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Buttercream
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Calories 817kcal
Author Olivia

Ingredients

  • 6 large egg whites
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups unsalted butter softened but still a bit firm, cubed
  • flavouring
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.
  • Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins)
  • Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
  • Switch to paddle attachment (optional). Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
  • Add flavourings as desired whip until smooth.

Recipes You May Like

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    Chocolate Chip Cake With Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
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    Chocolate Truffle Cake

Notes

  • This recipe makes enough to frost a two layer 8" cake or a three layer 6" cake.
  • The recipe can be made with 3 cups of butter instead, if you need more frosting. 
  • See blog post for tips and troubleshooting.
Calories: 817kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 4gFat: 61gSaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 63mgPotassium: 71mgSugar: 66gVitamin A: 1890IUCalcium: 20mg
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.

Originally published Jan 2, 2019

Swiss meringue buttercream photo collage.

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December 1, 2020

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    Recipe Rating




  1. sam moro says

    February 19, 2021 at 11:57 AM

    Hi thanx so much for this recipe. Mine came out perfect. Can I add melted chocolate to this recipe or not.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 19, 2021 at 4:51 PM

      Hi Sam! Yes, you can add melted, cooled chocolate to it. I have a recipe for that here: https://livforcake.com/chocolate-cake-recipe/

      Reply
  2. Christine says

    February 18, 2021 at 7:02 AM

    I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s my frigid hands, but my meringue NEVER seems to cool down. Every recipe online says 5-10 mins to cool. I am talking 20 mins, mixer struggling…still warm. I tried to use bagged frozen peas, but it was a huge pain. I saw a recipe that said once the sugar/egg mixture is cooked, let it sit for 20 mins then start whipping. I hadn’t tried it, but I was curious on your opinion of that? Thank you! Love your blog!!! Also – do you find Natrel is the brand of butter you use most? Maybe it was the brand I was using that made it difficult….I think in Ontario we have the same brands. Thank you!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 19, 2021 at 9:59 AM

      Hi Christine! Thank you!! Strange that it takes so long but it could be due to the size of the mixer or the type of bowl too. What size is your mixer and do you use a glass bowl? I think you can try using slightly colder butter and see if that works. And if the meringue is too warm and the buttercream turns soupy the frozen peas should work well then! I’ve never tried letting the mixture sit for 20mins but I don’t see an issue with that.

      Natrel is what I use most because I can get it at Costco and it’s less expensive than other places. What were the issues you had after you added the butter?

      Reply
  3. Hannah says

    February 15, 2021 at 8:08 AM

    Hi,

    Do you have a tutorial on how to get your SMBC perfectly smooth? I always seem to have air bubbles no matter how long I try to smooth with my pallet knife or bench scraper 🙁

    Thank you!
    H

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 15, 2021 at 3:42 PM

      Hi Hannah! I always run my mixer on low for a couple mins at the end to knock out the air bubbles and then knock some more out by hand with a spatula. Also, it’s important to use very light pressure with the bench scraper as pressing too hard will create a ton of bubbles. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. Manasa says

    February 14, 2021 at 11:08 AM

    5 stars
    Hi Olivia,

    Thank you so much for this super detailed recipe! I finally got the courage to try Swiss meringue buttercream after reading this post and I haven’t gone back to any other type of buttercream ever since !

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 15, 2021 at 3:33 PM

      Hi Manasa! I am so happy you tried it and loved it 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sammy says

    February 4, 2021 at 8:57 AM

    Hello!

    Have you ever painted SMBC with gold lustre dust? I am curious if it will work on this frosting. I want to make a gold painted cake. Do you have another frosting recipe you can recommend for painting if SMBC wouldn’t work?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 4, 2021 at 4:19 PM

      Hi Sammy! I haven’t tried that myself but I think it should be fine on SMBC, but I would do it when the cake is cold. I believe you’ll need to mix the lustre dust with alcohol or similar first to get it to the right consistency.

      Reply
  6. Kayla says

    February 3, 2021 at 8:34 PM

    5 stars
    I have used this recipe twice following each step and tip to the T. Both times my frosting has come out perfectly. I am so thankful for this in depth post!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 4, 2021 at 4:16 PM

      So happy you found it helpful!

      Reply
  7. Ashlie says

    February 1, 2021 at 9:29 AM

    Hi! I’m been tying to make SMBC and my marange won’t come to stiff peeks. It’s glossy and a bit like marshmello. I’ve been whipping it on high for about 20 minutes. And it’s still the same. Will it still work out ok?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 1, 2021 at 10:41 AM

      Hi Ashlie! Is it super soft and droopy? See my post for details on why this happens. If you use it this way the buttercream won’t be as fluffy and will be a bit thicker and taste more buttery.

      Reply
  8. Lisa says

    January 26, 2021 at 2:24 PM

    Thank you so much! This is easily the most well written set of instructions for the process from start to finish! I’ve read so many that just, well, just make it seem terrifying!!! Can’t wait to try this now!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 27, 2021 at 9:30 AM

      Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback! Please let me know how it turns out 🙂

      Reply
  9. Nicole says

    January 17, 2021 at 5:16 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, used it today for my son’s bday cake and I didn’t know this was the frosting I’ve been long looking for! Loved how stable it is yet silky smooth and not too sweet. It was Perfect!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 18, 2021 at 9:50 AM

      Hi Nicole! I’m so happy you tried it and loved it 🙂 Be sure to try different flavours! The mocha version is my all time favourite.

      Reply
  10. Erika says

    January 14, 2021 at 6:33 PM

    Hi There!
    I make your swiss meringue frosting all the time! Any guess on how many cups to make if I just want to use it as a filling on a 3 layer cake?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 15, 2021 at 3:44 PM

      Hi Erika! If just using as a filling I would cut the recipe in half 🙂

      Reply
      • Erika says

        January 16, 2021 at 6:48 AM

        Ok! Thank you!!

        Reply
  11. Anne Small says

    January 6, 2021 at 9:19 AM

    hi, I have a stand mixer, but not Kitchen Aid, and no whip attachment. Has anyone had any luck using just beaters?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 6, 2021 at 11:00 AM

      Hi Anne! If it has two metal beaters I think it should work fine! It might take a bit longer to whip up (just guessing) but otherwise should be fine. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  12. Andrea says

    December 31, 2020 at 3:58 PM

    5 stars
    Hi! I just wanted to ask if it was possible to make this into a cream cheese Swiss meringue frosting by switching out half of the butter for cream cheese?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 2, 2021 at 2:25 PM

      Hi Andrea! I haven’t yet experimented with that myself but haven’t heard good things. Cream cheese does not play well with SBMC apparently. What I would maybe try is making a normal cream cheese frosting with powdered sugar and then try adding some of that to this one.

      Reply
  13. Diana says

    December 24, 2020 at 3:07 AM

    Hi, wanna ask, I made this Swiss maringue buttercream more than a week ago, is it safe to eat still? Cause I saw a lot of information in the internet to only allow it up to 5 days, but u have allowed it for 2 weeks, so which is safer can I know?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 24, 2020 at 9:38 AM

      Hi Diana! It should be fine in the fridge for about two weeks. Otherwise I would freeze it.

      Reply
  14. Amanda Suchecki says

    December 22, 2020 at 11:09 PM

    Hi,

    I am planning on making this tomorrow for 2 three tier 8′ cakes. Can I triple this recipe or is it better to make it in batches (I have the same kitchen aid stand mixer as in your pictures)

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 23, 2020 at 9:10 AM

      Hi Amanda! I don’t think the mixer could handle a triple batch. I’m not even sure it could handle a double! It possibly could, so it just depends on if you want to risk it 🙂

      Reply
  15. Max says

    December 22, 2020 at 1:31 AM

    3 stars
    I don’t know what sent wrong but while heating it over the water it just stayed grainy. I did it for almost half an hour and all it did was build up a sugary crust on the bowl. Do you know what’s going on and how I could avoid this if I were to try this again?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 22, 2020 at 9:06 AM

      Hi Max! Weird that it stayed grainy so long. Were you using a metal bowl? Perhaps the water wasn’t simmering enough to give enough heat. I try to scrape the sugar off the sides into the mixture so it all dissolves.

      Reply
  16. Michelle White says

    December 19, 2020 at 9:52 AM

    When heating the mixer bowl over heated water on the stove, should the water touch the bottom of the mixing bowl or be below it? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 19, 2020 at 6:14 PM

      Hi Michell! It should not touch the water. There should be a decent gap between the bowl and the water so that the bowl is only heated by the steam.

      Reply
  17. Tia says

    December 18, 2020 at 4:06 PM

    how little butter can be used to yield a stable icing? Trying to achieve a lighter frosting that is still buttercream but not quite 7 minute icing.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 18, 2020 at 5:54 PM

      Hi Tia! I would try it with 1 cup butter and see if you can get it to a consistency you like.

      Reply
  18. nia says

    December 17, 2020 at 11:57 PM

    is this buttercream good for decorating cakes?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 18, 2020 at 2:27 PM

      Hi Nia! Yes, it’s what I use to decorate almost all of my cakes.

      Reply
  19. Rhonda Mesnick says

    December 15, 2020 at 2:37 PM

    5 stars
    I had a problem both times I made this. It was during the whipping stage. I must have whipped for 15 minutes. Still had soft peaks. I place bowl and beater in refrigerator for 10 minutes. I whipped again for maybe 5 more minutes and still no stiff peaks. I went ahead and added the butter anyway. It came out but how long do i have to beat those egg whites and sugar?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 16, 2020 at 9:23 AM

      Hi Rhonda! It sounds like there was either some egg yolk or grease that got into your whites. Or did you use carton whites? The merignue should get stiff fairly quickly, it just takes some time to cool down after.

      Reply
  20. Winnie says

    December 11, 2020 at 12:08 PM

    5 stars
    Hi Olivia, do you have the quantities for a lemon Swiss meringue buttercream by any chance? Many thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 11, 2020 at 3:29 PM

      Hi Winnie! You have a couple options when it comes to lemon SMBC. You could add lemon curd to it — 1 Tbsp at a time or so, up to 1/2 cup. Or you could add the zest of 1 lemon and 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice.

      Reply
      • Winnie says

        December 11, 2020 at 3:43 PM

        5 stars
        Thanks Olivia x

        Reply
  21. Gaby says

    December 8, 2020 at 3:45 PM

    Can I replaced the butter with margarine?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 9, 2020 at 3:27 PM

      Hi Gaby! No, margarine is too soft and too oily to work for this recipe.

      Reply
  22. Orit says

    December 7, 2020 at 8:28 AM

    5 stars
    Oh this sound so delish!! however, afraid to make as this is raw eggs with potential for salmonella . Any advice??

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 7, 2020 at 11:26 AM

      Hi Orit! Cooking the sugar mixture to 160F should kill any bacteria.

      Reply
  23. Catherine says

    December 5, 2020 at 4:53 PM

    5 stars
    Hi! Will be making this SMBC tomorrow, it’s not my first time, but I do have a question , can you over whipping it?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 7, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      Hi Catherine! I’ve never had an issue with that. I let mine whip for a good 10mins sometimes on med-high!

      Reply
  24. Fiz says

    December 1, 2020 at 3:09 PM

    Hi. Please I need you HELPPPPP!!! I made the Swiss buttercream cream. Came out nice and smooth. But while I was frosting the cake it started to curdle again!!! Is that possible that a well whipped SMBC can curdle up again. And I used it almost straight away and it wasn’t even too hot. What am I doing wrong!!!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 3, 2020 at 4:16 PM

      Hi Fiz! Was the cake super cold when you were frosting it? Once it’s smooth it shouldn’t curdle again unless it’s been refrigerated and not brought back to room temperature properly before rewhipping.

      Reply
  25. Sanah says

    November 8, 2020 at 5:23 PM

    Hi, I need to fill frost and pipe some buttercream on top of 3, 6 inch cakes how much will I need? Thnx

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 9, 2020 at 9:25 AM

      Hi Sanah! The recipe as is is enough to frost one three layer 6″ cake.

      Reply
  26. Heather McNulty says

    November 6, 2020 at 7:32 AM

    5 stars
    Hi! I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and my bowl never seems to cool down. Today when I made it I had it going for about 30 mins and it was still very hot. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 6, 2020 at 10:54 AM

      Hi Heather! That does seem like a really long time! I would try placing a bag of frozen peas under the bowl to see if you can help cool it down faster. I sometimes do that if I’m in a rush.

      Reply
    • Terra says

      November 7, 2020 at 8:34 PM

      What I do is transfer the hot mixture into a different metal bowl and whip it. Doesn’t take very long that way.

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        November 9, 2020 at 9:14 AM

        Great tip! Thank you Terra.

        Reply
    • Winnie says

      December 11, 2020 at 1:11 PM

      I put mine in the fridge for 10 mins

      Reply
  27. Samara Scheckman says

    October 29, 2020 at 4:54 PM

    5 stars
    I love this recipe and it’s my new “go-to”. But….I need to make a dairy free cake and I’m wondering if you have tried Earth Balance spread as a butter replacement. I’ve found plenty of American Buttercream recipes that make the swap, but I’m too big a SMBC fan! Thoughts??

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 30, 2020 at 4:06 PM

      Hi Samara! I haven’t tried it myself — is it more of a margarine texture or does it get as firm as butter in the fridge? I worry that the buttercream would be too soft with it and/or not emulsify properly. You could always try it with a smaller batch of buttercream to see if it will work 🙂

      Reply
      • Samara Scheckman says

        October 31, 2020 at 10:43 AM

        5 stars
        After a bunch of research, including an old post here, I found that Spectrum Culinary Shortening (purchased at Whole Foods for anyone US based) would be the best bet to make this diary free. And it worked beautifully! My husband said he couldn’t tell the difference. I made an Oreo flavored and peanut butter flavored. Honestly, it came together better than when I use butter because this shortening is 100% fat. Anyone needing a dairy free frosting, this is it!

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          November 2, 2020 at 3:30 PM

          Oh yay! Thanks so much for that feedback, that’s great to know!! I’ll have to see if I can find that anywhere here in Canada to try it out. I’ll update my post to include a note about that too. Thanks again!

          Reply
  28. Heather Reinbolt says

    October 26, 2020 at 10:37 AM

    5 stars
    Hi Liv!

    I have made this buttercream with your sticky toffee pudding recipe, and can’t wait to eat the cake!

    I made the buttercream ahead of time, and had to warm it up to make it not look curdled, and it worked!

    My question is, now that I have iced the cake, is it best for me to leave it on the counter till tonight? I’m worried the beautiful icing job may be affected by the fridge. Just don’t want the buttercream to curdle on the cake! HELP!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 26, 2020 at 4:29 PM

      Hi Heather! Once the buttercream is on the cake you’re totally safe to refrigerate it or even freeze it. If it’s just until tonight though you can leave it at room temperature too and it will be just fine! Let me know how you like the cake 🙂

      Reply
  29. Saad says

    October 26, 2020 at 5:38 AM

    Hi! So I haven’t tried this recipe yet but i have made smbc before and as far as I could tell it turned out right but…I JUST CANT GET MYSELF TO LIKE IT! Which funnily enough makes me so confused and I can’t stop thinking about it bc almost everyone says they love it but I don’t…it’s never been sweet enough and also it just has this kinda…greasy shiny look and feel that I can’t get behind. But you say your recipe is sweet so I’m wondering do you add more sugar than most peoples recipes? I love the matte look of abc and I do love sweets (way too much lol) but I feel like I would love something that’s matte in feel and look but not as sweet…but also sweet enough that it tastes like frosting!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 26, 2020 at 9:48 AM

      Hi Saad! SMBC is not for everyone. It is definitely less sweet than an American buttercream and a lot of people find it buttery. It shouldn’t taste too buttery though, and if it does it just needs more whipping. It should be light and fluffy and delicious. There is nothing wrong if you don’t like it though! I find it delicious and easiest to work with compared to other buttercreams.

      Reply
  30. Caroline says

    October 14, 2020 at 7:41 AM

    5 stars
    This recipe is wonderful. Ever since I tried this,
    I read everything, I’ve never made a powdered sugar (American style) buttercream again. I’m a total convert. Thank you so very much Liv. It’s ace. Perfect results every time. Though I do really miss your upper butter limits.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 14, 2020 at 9:24 AM

      Hi Caroline! I am so happy you love this one! And funny because I tend to use the higher butter limits too, but it confused people so I took it out. You can use up to 3 cups of butter with this recipe here.

      Reply
  31. Mira says

    October 8, 2020 at 5:18 PM

    Hi, my buttercream turned soupy and tastes buttery. I read your suggestions but can I add powdered sugar to bring out the sweetness before I whisk it again?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 9, 2020 at 10:35 AM

      Hi Mira! I would follow my tips first until the buttercream comes together. Then taste it and see if you’d like to add more sugar. You can add powdered sugar at the end if you like but it will give it a little bit of a grainier texture.

      Reply
  32. Meredith says

    October 7, 2020 at 5:42 PM

    5 stars
    I LOVE this frosting. The details int his post are so helpful! Thank you! I’m using this for a 2 tiered cake so I want to double the recipe. I assume this shouldn’t be an issue but figured I’d ask to make sure. Is there anything I need to be aware of to double this?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 8, 2020 at 9:45 AM

      Hi Meredith! Thanks so much, I’m so glad you found it helpful! You can double the recipe as long as your mixer can handle the volume.

      Reply
  33. Lacy says

    September 30, 2020 at 9:22 AM

    Tried the full recipe, and it was wonderful! I split the recipe in half, and it was not as sweet at all. Not sure if I should decrease the amount of butter only, and keep the # of egg whites.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 30, 2020 at 11:38 AM

      Hi Lacy! So happy to hear you loved it. Cutting the recipe in half should have no effect on flavour. Strange that it wasn’t sweet at all. You could keep the same amount of whites and sugar though and decrease the butter a bit.

      Reply
  34. mona says

    September 29, 2020 at 1:18 PM

    5 stars
    I love every bit of your recipe tutorial. I shall try it this weekend’

    I will post a you a picture if it all goes well 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 30, 2020 at 10:47 AM

      Hi Mona! Yay! So exciting. Please let me know how it turns out!!

      Reply
  35. Hannah says

    September 27, 2020 at 7:47 AM

    I tried this yesterday and it worked flawlessly! I was so worried because I’ve tried other SM recipes and failed and this one just worked perfectly. I put ice packs around the bowl while it was whipping to cool it faster and it still took like 20-30 minutes to cool in my warm kitchen but it’s okay. Putting it in my recipe box this morning. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 28, 2020 at 9:35 AM

      Hi Hannah! Yay! So happy to hear you loved it 🙂

      Reply
  36. Annie says

    September 22, 2020 at 11:18 PM

    This is now my go to buttercream recipe. I’ve made it a dozen time, following the instructions to the dot. My heart still stops when I add the butter, but every time, I walk away and come back 5 minutes later to a perfectly smooth and silky buttercream. Thanks for the detailed instructions!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 23, 2020 at 5:14 PM

      Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂

      Reply
  37. Julianne Luong says

    September 20, 2020 at 3:41 PM

    I made a lot of lemon SMBC for a cake, and have a bunch leftover. My mom suggested I use it for cream puffs or eclairs, but I’m not sure if it has the flavor or consistency I need.

    Do you know what I could do to it (maybe add some whipped heavy cream) to make it suitable to replace a normal creme patissiere?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 21, 2020 at 10:26 AM

      Hi Julianne! I’ve never tried that myself and am not sure how well the two would incorporate together. I would try whipping the frosting until it’s light and fluffy and then fold in a bit of whipped cream to it to lighten it up, then fold in more whipped cream. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  38. Oksaba says

    September 20, 2020 at 7:29 AM

    4 stars
    Very easy to follow instructions. It wasn’t hard to do. If it turned grainy I warmed up a bowl with a hair dryer and then mixed again.
    The only thing I didn’t like about this recipe – it was extremely sweet (way too sweet for my liking).

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 21, 2020 at 10:24 AM

      Hi Oksaba! So glad you found the recipe easy to follow. You can add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness 🙂

      Reply
  39. Julia says

    September 18, 2020 at 8:10 AM

    4 stars
    Hi Olivia,
    I prefer to use less sugar and butter and would like to make a large batch. However, I am not sure if it is possible to reduce the amount of sugar and butter used. Will this affect the end result? If so, what is the maximum amount I can reduce it to? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 21, 2020 at 10:11 AM

      Hi Julia! Reducing both will affect the end result. It would require some experimentation to see how far you can go. If you’d like a less sweet buttercream you could give ermine a try! https://livforcake.com/ermine-frosting/

      Reply
  40. Amy says

    September 13, 2020 at 1:37 PM

    Hi do you have a sizing chart for number of grams preferably Swiss meringue buttercream needed to cover 6, 8 , 10 inch cakes please? Am uk based and don’t work in cups. It’s really hard finding a chart for Swiss meringue as there are ganache and buttercream charts?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 14, 2020 at 11:19 AM

      Hi Amy! I have a metric converter below the list of ingredients that will give you the amounts in grams. This is enough for a two layer 8″ cake or a three layer 6″ cake.

      Reply
  41. Jennifer Casarella says

    September 11, 2020 at 7:19 PM

    5 stars
    This turned out great! I made a half recipe for a 9 x 13 cake. I only had salted butter. Although I can see where unsalted would be preferable, was loved by the whole family. It did go through a curdled phase, but as you said… keep going and it will come together. I will make this over regular American buttercream from now on. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 14, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      Hi Jennifer! Yay! So happy you loved it 🙂 Definitely try it with unsalted butter and see how you like it 🙂

      Reply
  42. Aliya says

    September 7, 2020 at 9:30 AM

    HI Oliva et al,

    I’m a little bit gutted, as I’ve made this 3 times and I’ve failed 3 times 🙁

    I get the most gorgeous, and thick meringues but after I add the butter it turns into a soupy mess (like melted ice-cream) and I just can’t recover it.

    I’ve tried putting everything in the fridge and re-whipping but I don’t get the buttercream thick enough that looks like it will stick to a cake.

    Do you have any more suggestions… 18 eggs down!!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 8, 2020 at 5:11 PM

      Hi Aliya! I completely understand your frustration. I really do think it needs more time in the fridge. If your meringue is stiff, some fridge time will save it. It might just take a few sessions. You can try starting with colder butter too and/or placing an icepack (or frozen peas) under the mixer bowl to help cool the buttercream. Please let me know if you try it again!

      Reply
  43. Ashley says

    September 5, 2020 at 8:22 AM

    Hi Olivia!

    I am making your Key Lime Pie cake for my infant sons birthday. I want to ice and decorate the outside and was thinking of making a lime Swiss Meringue for the outside and dam for the curd. What would you suggest to make the Swiss Meringue lime flavoured? Would adding Lime juice ruin it?

    Reply
    • Jan Claire says

      September 7, 2020 at 7:12 PM

      Add up to 5 Tbsp of lime juice for this batch but add in 3 Tbsp first and taste and add in again if necessary. Keep some confectioners sugar on hand in case the liquid begins to break the SMBC. But all should be fine.

      Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 8, 2020 at 4:54 PM

      Hi Ashley! Personally I would leave the buttercream vanilla flavoured so the curd stands out 🙂 If you do want to flavour it though, I would suggest lime zest and only a bit of juice (2 Tbsp max).

      Reply
  44. Erica says

    September 3, 2020 at 12:11 PM

    Help! I’m a professional pastry chef and I am just at a loss. I’m hoping you can help.

    I recently switched to SMBC. However, I’ve only successfully made it a handful of times. The problem is that my bowl is taking an extremely long time to cool down. Last week it took an hour! By the time I add my butter, the meringue has deflated and my SMBC turns out soupy. I use a thermometer so I know my meringue is just right. I have tried whipping it on high continuously until it cools, whipping to stiff peaks and then turning the speed down until it cools. I have even tried chill my bowl in an ice bath. I’ve literally tried everything.

    I know my bowls are spotlessly clean and there is no fat or egg yolk (first thing they teach you in pastry school). I cannot figure out why my bowl is taking so long to cool. I am using an Artisan KA mixer with the steel bowl and whisk attachment. Please help!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 3, 2020 at 6:07 PM

      Hi Erica! Thanks for all the details, it helps troubleshoot for sure!! Strange that it’s taking so long. I assume you use the thermometer to test that the whites are at 160F? I wonder if the friction of the whipping is keeping the bowl warm. Is the meringue itself still warm after an hour? I’ve put frozen peas around the bottom of mine to help cool it while it’s whipping, but it often doesn’t need much.

      How large is your mixer bowl (I’m not sure if there are size variations in the artisan model) and how large a batch of buttercream are you making? If 5quart and just a standard amount (6 whites or less), that shouldn’t be the problem.

      Reply
  45. Ramona Maynard says

    September 3, 2020 at 9:57 AM

    5 stars
    Second time making SMBC, first time with this recipe. It didn’t turn out well the first time but came out perfectly with your recipe!! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 3, 2020 at 5:56 PM

      Hi Ramona! So glad to hear that it worked out for you! 🙂

      Reply
  46. Kim says

    September 1, 2020 at 9:42 PM

    Can this be stored in fridge then pulled out to ice a cake a couple days later?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 2, 2020 at 4:45 PM

      Hi Kim! Yes, but you’ll need to bring it to room temp and rewhip it. All of the details and tips are in the post.

      Reply
  47. Alice Greer says

    September 1, 2020 at 8:49 PM

    5 stars
    Works perfectly everytime

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 2, 2020 at 4:42 PM

      Yay! So happy you love it Alice 🙂

      Reply
  48. Blessing Precious says

    August 31, 2020 at 4:08 PM

    Hello plz does the Swiss buttercream dry on the cake after covering if left out in room temperature

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 1, 2020 at 9:14 AM

      Hi Blessing! It doesn’t dry or develop a crust like an American buttercream.

      Reply
  49. Poppy says

    August 25, 2020 at 1:34 PM

    5 stars
    I made it and came out beautifully. And it’s way more delicious than the American buttecream, soft, fluffy, it doesn’t taste too buttery and too sweet. I just loved it. Though I’m not sure if I was going to be able to make it so well without all those tips, so thanks a lot for the tips and the recipe!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 26, 2020 at 4:45 PM

      Thanks so much Poppy, I’m so happy you loved it! 🙂

      Reply
  50. Shai says

    August 17, 2020 at 3:52 AM

    5 stars
    Recipe is superb.i had some leftover swiss meringue buttercream and refrigerated it.after thawing and re whipping it tastes sugar less.how can I fix it?any reason

    Reply
  51. Shai says

    August 17, 2020 at 3:48 AM

    5 stars
    Recipe is superb.i had some leftover swiss buttercream and I refrigerated. But after thawing and whipping up it tastes sugarless. Any reason?or how can I fix it.pls help

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 17, 2020 at 9:45 AM

      Hi Shai! So happy you loved it. Freezing and thawing should not affect the flavour. Was the buttercream completely at room temperature when you rewhipped it? Is it the same consistency as before? You can always add a bit of powdered sugar to it to sweeten it up if you like.

      Reply
  52. Aalisha says

    August 16, 2020 at 8:32 AM

    5 stars
    Is this recipe enough for a 8 inch 3 layer cake

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 17, 2020 at 9:38 AM

      Hi Aalisha! I would use 3 cups of butter instead of two for that.

      Reply
  53. Sara says

    August 13, 2020 at 1:59 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you for this! I almost gave up with my buttercream was soupy, 5 minutes whipping and it was perfect!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 14, 2020 at 11:58 AM

      Yay! So happy to hear that 😀

      Reply
  54. Toni says

    August 9, 2020 at 2:57 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for the detailed instructions and the fixes at the end. It did give me the courage to try this for the first time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a complete success. It wasn’t soupy, it just stayed too soft to use. I put it in the fridge twice and have whipped it for many minutes. Could the speed of the mixer make a difference? I have a KitchenAid, but noticed that the highest setting isn’t a lot faster than the speed one step down. Anyway, I’ll be putting my not-quite-buttercream in the freezer for now and taking a step back from it for a while.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 11, 2020 at 9:39 AM

      Hi Toni! It does sound like maybe it just needed a bit more time in the fridge. Was you butter super soft when you used it? I bet a couple more sessions in the fridge would have saved it 🙂

      Reply
  55. GOAIA says

    August 9, 2020 at 12:41 AM

    4 stars
    After I took the bowl of the heat, I mixed until fluffy for 7 min then the meringue turned into a liquid.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 11, 2020 at 9:36 AM

      Hi Goaia! It sounds like maybe some grease got into the bowl? Have a read through the post for tips and troubleshooting.

      Reply
  56. Kimberly A Snowden says

    August 8, 2020 at 5:23 AM

    5 stars
    The recipe itself, was easy to follow, and I had no problems. It turned out perfect! (I did use a candy thermometer and highly recommend it!!) Unfortunately I just didnt like it. Way too buttery tasting. So I used it as a base, and added alot of powdered sugar and touch of milk- whipped til smooth- and got a very rich, delicious, buttercream!!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 11, 2020 at 9:21 AM

      Hi Kimberly! Thanks so much for your feedback! It’s definitely not for everyone. It shouldn’t taste overly buttery — if so it might just need a good whipping to lighten it up. But it is more buttery than a typical American buttercream for sure.

      Reply
  57. Ashlee says

    August 6, 2020 at 1:35 PM

    Can you frost and decorate a cake with this buttercream and then freeze the cake? Will it unthaw and look the same as when you put the cake in the freezer? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 11, 2020 at 9:09 AM

      Hi Ashlee! Yes, that will be totally fine 🙂

      Reply
  58. Sharlotte says

    August 4, 2020 at 4:56 PM

    5 stars
    So yummy! Really great tips. It was my first time and the frosting came out delicious!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 5, 2020 at 11:03 AM

      Hi Sharlotte! So happy to hear that. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂

      Reply
  59. Dian says

    August 2, 2020 at 7:52 AM

    My swiss meringue buttercream was all nice and stiff until I added coffee syrup, it has now split and got all runny.I re heated the mixture and on cooling whisked it again but it’s still soft and not stiff. Can it be salvaged?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 5, 2020 at 10:37 AM

      Hi Dian! Did you add it all at once? How much of it was there?

      Reply
  60. Leah says

    August 1, 2020 at 3:49 PM

    5 stars
    Help please! I made the meringue and it came out beautifully with nice stiff peaks but when I added in my butter (I actually used butter substitute and hope it didn’t ruin it) it ended up looking both curdled and soupy. Is there any saving it?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 5, 2020 at 10:32 AM

      Hi Leah! I’ve never made this with a butter substitute but suspect that would cause issues. Did you try my troubleshooting tips to save it? If it didn’t work it would be the substitute 🙁

      Reply
  61. Katelyn says

    July 29, 2020 at 2:05 PM

    5 stars
    Thanks for your awesome tutorial that helped me make my first successful batch of SMB!
    I have one question: When you switch from the whisk to the paddle, how do you get all the super sticky meringue off the whisk and into the bowl?? That was tricky, but I didn’t want to lose any of the meringue since so much butter was about to go in.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 29, 2020 at 3:27 PM

      So happy to hear that Katelyn! I actually just use my fingers. I grab each tine and pull down. It’s messy and not perfect, but it’s what I do. Otherwise, you can use the whisk once you start adding the butter. It will help get more of that meringue off 🙂

      Reply
  62. Zeba says

    July 26, 2020 at 4:33 AM

    5 stars
    wow fantastic recipe! im only 12 years old and i pulled it off,
    dont forget to grease ALL of ur utensils with vinegar, and i aged my egg whites first but because i didnt have time i put it in the micorwave which is a quicker alternative. And i reduced the sugar by 50 grams and it was a great change as it was not too sweet, i also reduced the butter by 10 grams and it worked great too. Amazing recipe overall

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 27, 2020 at 1:58 PM

      Hi Zeba! Great job!! I am so happy to hear you loved it 🙂

      Reply
  63. Hamid says

    July 25, 2020 at 11:56 AM

    Tried making this for the first time. It tastes amazing and I found the recipe details perfect. I just found my favorite cake icing!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 25, 2020 at 2:36 PM

      Hi Hamid! Yay, I’m so happy you tried it and loved it 🙂

      Reply
  64. Angela says

    July 24, 2020 at 8:19 AM

    5 stars
    It was my first time making SMBC and your recipe worked out perfectly! I’ve always been afraid of “cooking” the eggs and messing it up.
    The only thing I would change is the sugar content because it is a little too sweet for me. Will that affect the outcome and maybe cause the buttercream to not whip up smoothly?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 24, 2020 at 10:22 AM

      Hi Angela! So glad you loved it 🙂 You can reduce the sugar slightly, but not too much as it will affect the structure of the meringue. It should work fine with 1 1/2 cups though. You can also add a bit of salt to cut the sweetness.

      Reply
  65. Mel says

    July 20, 2020 at 8:39 AM

    Hello, have you ever tried cream cheese SMBC? It’s so much easier to work with than ABC but I worry the cream cheese will be too soft or will split it somehow? I’m in the UK so we only have cream cheese in a pot not a brick.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 20, 2020 at 9:43 AM

      Hi Mel! I haven’t yet and I’ve heard people run into trouble with the buttercream splitting. Honestly, if I were to try it I would try the pot one instead because of the consistency. It’s smoother and I wonder if it would incorporate better into the buttercream. It does have more water in it though so that could cause problems. The other thing I would try is whipping the cream cheese first to fluff it up before adding it to the buttercream. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  66. Sharon says

    July 18, 2020 at 5:55 PM

    I have a 7 quart mixer, how large of a batch can I make at one time?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 20, 2020 at 9:26 AM

      Hi Sharon! You could try a double batch, but probably not more.

      Reply
  67. Cyrusel says

    July 13, 2020 at 3:50 AM

    I used magnolia unsalted butter and I mixed it for for 20 minutes but it didn’t look fluppy and stiff.Can u give me the brand name of butter to use?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 13, 2020 at 10:22 AM

      Hi Cyrusel! The brand of butter shouldn’t matter as long as it’s real butter. I use Natrel but have used others with success. If your was too soft it might have been too warm. See the tips in the post about that.

      Reply
  68. Dianne says

    July 11, 2020 at 2:33 PM

    5 stars
    This is by far the best swiss meringue recipie I have ever made.
    Thank you for the clear step by step instructions. I had no issues whatsoever and I think that’s all down to proper prepararation of all ingredients and tools.
    I finished by adding freeze dried strawberries and topped with a chocolate drip and fruit topping for my birthday cake!. I have buttercream left over from a 6 inch 4 layer cake. Thanks again 😃

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 11, 2020 at 3:55 PM

      Hi Dianne! Thanks so much for the amazing feedback. I’m so happy it worked out well for you!

      Reply
  69. Kania says

    July 2, 2020 at 11:45 PM

    Hi! I would love to try this recipe. A quick question though.

    It says that the butter can be 2 cups or 3 cups. So you mean that with same amount of eggs & sugar, the butter itself is more flexible? If I want to make with 3 cups of butter, do you recommend using the same amount of eggs & sugar as in recipe, or would it be better if I adjust the amount also, to make the ratio the same?

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 3, 2020 at 9:58 AM

      Hi Kania! Same amount of eggs and sugar but you can use either 2 or 3 cups butter. The 3 cups butter will make for a more buttery frosting.

      Reply
  70. Silvia says

    June 30, 2020 at 1:55 PM

    Hello, I have noticed that the recipe calls for 2-3 cups of butter. I wonder, what is the texture like if using only 2 cups rather than 3? Less stable and firm?

    I am looking for a nice frosting for a cake and this one caught my attention…

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 1, 2020 at 10:05 AM

      Hi Silvia! The texture is honestly very similar. The one with 1 cup of butter will be a bit more buttery, but both should be fluffy and delicious.

      Reply
  71. K says

    June 28, 2020 at 10:32 AM

    5 stars
    I’ve used your recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream on all my cakes and always works perfectly! I’m just wondering how much would I need to add to make a 8inch 4 layered cake?

    Xx

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 29, 2020 at 9:24 AM

      Hi K! I’m so happy you love it! I would change the Servings to 8 and try those amounts.

      Reply
  72. Edna says

    June 27, 2020 at 6:52 AM

    Hi,
    Please I chilled my SMBC overnight
    When I wanted to drip it, the drip wouldn’t say because the cake was sweating. Is that how SMBC behaves?
    Thank you! Nice recipe

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 29, 2020 at 9:00 AM

      Hi Edna! Did it sweat in the fridge or after you took it out? Is your kitchen quite warm? I haven’t had SMBC sweat on me. Did you do the drip right away?

      Reply
  73. Samundi Eswari says

    June 21, 2020 at 7:28 AM

    Hello Ma’am,
    Thank You for your recipes and tutorials above.
    I enjoy bakin cakes now.

    I would like to ask ,
    How to make Oreo biscuits Swiss meringue without black cocoa.

    Thank you again.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 21, 2020 at 10:29 AM

      Hi Samundi! You can take a look at my Oreo Cake recipe here: https://livforcake.com/oreo-cake/

      Reply
  74. Lisa says

    June 20, 2020 at 12:23 PM

    I am going to try this recipe this weekend. Can I frost the cake then freeze it? I want to do a chocolate mirror glaze over it. Will the Swiss freeze as hard as the American?
    thanks so much

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 20, 2020 at 8:20 PM

      Hi Lisa! Swiss freezes very firm (like butter would). So yes, that should be fine! 🙂

      Reply
  75. Lily says

    June 19, 2020 at 1:43 PM

    5 stars
    I’m making a cupcake bouquet with 7 cupcakes. I don’t want extra SWBC left over. How much should I cut down the recipe to cover enough for 7 cupcakes? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 19, 2020 at 4:09 PM

      Hi Lily! It’s hard to say exactly, it depends on how much frosting you use on each. I also don’t know how well a really small quantity of this frosting would turn out. You can halve the recipe and use that without issue (change the Servings to 3 cups). Or you can give it a try with the Servings set to 2 cups and see if that works out. You can also use the lower amount of butter with either.

      Reply
  76. Nancy says

    June 19, 2020 at 10:24 AM

    I used a thermometer, cooking to 160 and cooked the egg whites for at least 3 min. It didn’t feel grainy but when I whipped it up it was grainy. It seems that baking is totally luck. I do everything as it should be done and it’s 50/50 chance it will turn out.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 19, 2020 at 3:56 PM

      Hi Nancy! Strange that it didn’t feel grainy but was grainy when it was whipped! Usually, the finger test doesn’t fail. I wonder if there were some sugar crystals on the sides that didn’t get dissolved? And don’t get discouraged! Baking is hard and Swiss merinuge buttercream is challenging! I think the fact that you tried it is a huge win and I hope you give it another go <3

      Reply
  77. Olivia says

    June 19, 2020 at 5:53 AM

    Hi! I love the recipe and it’s worked out perfectly for me. However I have run into a problem where when I chill my cakes in the fridge for a bit in order for the buttercream to harden a bit + when I need a cold cake for a ganache drip, the what was once a white buttercream has turned yellow and lumpy on the cake. How do you avoid this? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 19, 2020 at 9:45 AM

      Hi Olivia! I’ve actually never had that happen 😮 I would say to make sure your buttercream is very well whipped, light and fluffy, before using it on the cake. That’s the only thing I can think of!

      Reply
  78. Marisa says

    June 18, 2020 at 8:54 PM

    Hi! I love your Swiss meringue recipe I’ve used about every flavor and I use all of your cake recipes! I noticed there isn’t a lemon flavored. Could I fold in lemon curd? Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 19, 2020 at 9:42 AM

      Hi Marisa! You can definitely do that! It will be delicious. I would add it in at the very end. Add it about 1 Tbsp at a time, and add until you get the flavour you like. I would think at least 1/4 cup would work.

      Reply
  79. Nozipho says

    June 18, 2020 at 2:26 AM

    Thank you so much.
    I struggled with going past the grainy stage. The sugar kept on sticking to sides of my dish.
    Then the color really failed me. I used the toothpick but it means it was too much. Ended up with a pinkish buttercream.
    I love the taste though.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 19, 2020 at 9:36 AM

      Sorry to hear you had trouble with this! I have to scrape the sugar off the sides with my whisk too. I hope you try it again!

      Reply
  80. Nozipho says

    June 17, 2020 at 10:00 AM

    Hi Liv
    Thanks for such detailed recipe

    Can I use icing sugar for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 17, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      Hi Nozipho! Not in place of the granulated sugar, but you can add some powdered sugar at the end if you like (though I don’t think it’s necessary).

      Reply
  81. Aanchal Gupta says

    June 16, 2020 at 6:55 AM

    5 stars
    hi, can i microwave the egg and sugar mix? at 1 minute intervals, since i don’t have candy thermometer and no double boiler!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 16, 2020 at 10:24 AM

      Hi Aanchal! No, it’s best to do this over the stove. You don’t need a double boiler — just a bowl over a pot with about 1-2″ of simmering water 🙂

      Reply
      • Aanchal Gupta says

        June 16, 2020 at 11:04 AM

        ok , 🙂

        Reply
  82. KG says

    June 14, 2020 at 3:53 PM

    Hi there! I used this recipe and everything was going really well until I tried it at the end and felt it tasted too much like butter. I know it’s a buttercream but it tasted like I was eating spreadable butter made for bagels. Did I do something wrong?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 15, 2020 at 9:59 AM

      Hi KG! It sounds like it needed a bit more whipping. I talk about that in the Troubleshooting section of the post 🙂

      Reply
  83. Andrea says

    June 13, 2020 at 8:40 AM

    4 stars
    Amazing, perfect first time!. My youngest daughter and I were scared to death as we were making a birthday cake for my older daughter and we followed the steps to the letter. The photos on the website helped a lot in making sure we had the right consistency.

    We would do this recipe again using SMBC but probably not a while. It wasn’t easy and It took up most of the day but we are truly delighted with the result. Bring on Monday 15th June for my daughter to see and taste it.

    Thank you x

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 13, 2020 at 4:44 PM

      Hi Andrea! So happy you guys loved it and I’m glad the photos and tutorial helped :). The more you make it and get the hang of it, the faster it gets. I hope your daughter loves it!

      Reply
  84. Shelly says

    June 12, 2020 at 1:40 PM

    5 stars
    So good! Perfect consistency and not overly sweet

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 12, 2020 at 1:56 PM

      Thanks Shelly! So happy you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  85. Carolynn says

    June 11, 2020 at 9:58 AM

    5 stars
    Wonderful! It was really creamy.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 11, 2020 at 10:11 AM

      So glad you liked it, Carolynn!

      Reply
  86. Mikayla Sinnott says

    June 11, 2020 at 7:54 AM

    Hello! I have always had a lot of trouble with making SMBC and I look forward to trying the recipe. I appreciate how detailed each of the steps are. When incorporating the butter, should you wait until a couple cubes are fully combined before adding more? or just gradually pop a cube in every 5 ish seconds?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 11, 2020 at 9:54 AM

      Hi Mikayla! I gradually pop them in every 5 seconds or so 🙂

      Reply
  87. Sana says

    June 10, 2020 at 5:09 PM

    Hi. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I plan to try it for my kid’s birthday cake. However, traditionally my luck with buttercream has been terrible. I am scared I am going to mess this up as well. I live in a country with temperatures topping 4o degrees right now. Any helpful tips before I start?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 11, 2020 at 9:42 AM

      Hi Sana! Those are really high temps! Do you have air conditioning in your place? Will the cake be outside for a long time? My best advice is to read through all of the steps, tips, and troubleshooting in this post. If it’s really warm where you are, you may need to chill and rewhip the buttercream a few times for it to come together. And I recommend that your butter is still slightly cool before adding it to the meringue. Also, be sure to chill the cake so that the frosting is firm. Take it out 2-3 hours before serving.

      Reply
    • Nozy says

      September 24, 2020 at 1:37 AM

      Hellow
      Am so glad that I finally tried SMBC.
      Was so scared by people’s comments on how difficult it is to do this but amazingly I nailed it for the first time. I ddnt use butter,I used white wooden spoon magarine( it’s for baking and icing)

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        September 24, 2020 at 9:27 AM

        Hi Nozy! So happy it turned out for you and that you loved it 🙂

        Reply
  88. Rebecca says

    June 6, 2020 at 1:11 PM

    Hi there. I’m trying this out for the very first time next week and planning a three layer 8inch cake. When you say the quantity is for frosting, is that between layers as well as external? And do you do jam as well as SMB? Your page is so helpful I’m feeling better equipped to at least given it a go!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 8, 2020 at 10:48 AM

      Hi Rebecca! It’s for the inside as well as the outside. And thank you! I haven’t made jam since pastry school so no recipes for that yet :\ Let me know how it turns out for you!

      Reply
  89. Mai says

    June 5, 2020 at 3:48 AM

    Hi i mad your recipe and it was just perfect, we loved it. However i was wondering if it can be sweeter than that, i don’t like the sickly sweetness of American BC but i would still like more sweetness to the Swiss meringue BC.
    Any helpful tips?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 5, 2020 at 9:54 AM

      Hi Mai! I’m so happy you loved it. You can try adding a bit of salt to help cut the sweetness. Just add a little at a time until you get the flavour you like 🙂

      Reply
  90. Maddy says

    June 4, 2020 at 3:58 PM

    Hi there!
    I have a kitchen Aid, however my bowl is the frosted glass type and not metal, do you think I can use it over the boiling water? Or could I use a metal bowl and then transfer to glass for the whipping process? Scared my glass bowl will crack, also worried the whipping process in the glass bowl will ruin the eggs because it’s not hot??!!
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 5, 2020 at 9:42 AM

      Hi Maddy! I would use a metal bowl and then transfer, but not because the glass would crack (I don’t think it would, but I’m not sure), but because metal conducts heat much better and it won’t take as long to heat your egg & sugar mixture. Be sure to wipe down both bowls with lemon juice or vinegar. Whipping the eggs in the glass bowl will be totally fine.

      Reply
  91. Sayedeh Shirazie says

    June 3, 2020 at 8:08 PM

    Hi!! I am excited to try your recipe! It has always been a hit or miss with SWMBC for me. Your recipe says 2 cups to 3 cups of butter. Does the sugar (2 cups) and 6 egg whites remain unchanged – if I use 2 cups vs 3 cups butter?
    Looking forward to hearing from you
    Sayedeh

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 4, 2020 at 9:46 AM

      Hi Sayedeh! Yes, it remains unchanged. It just depends on how much buttercream you need 🙂

      Reply
  92. Danielle says

    May 31, 2020 at 4:20 AM

    5 stars
    Hi Olivia,

    I made your SMBC for the very first time and it was delicious. Whilst I love traditional ABC I sometimes find it too sweet and was looking for an alternative. I wondered though can you overbeat the meringue? It took 15+ minutes to get the bowl to feel ‘not too warm’ anymore. Also, it did feel very soft and I wondered if it could actually support a heavy cake or hold soft/compote fillings? Is there any way to make it a bit more sturdy? Would love to hear your thoughts.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 1, 2020 at 9:25 AM

      Hi Danielle! I think it’s difficult to overwhip a meringue. If the bowl still feels warm, sometimes I place a bag of frozen peas around it to help cool it down (only once the meringue is stiff though). It shouldn’t be overly soft, but should be light and fluffy. I’ve had no problems holding in fillings and frosting cakes. The buttercream sets very firm in the fridge, so you could always do a buttercream dam, add the filling, and then chill before placing the next layer on top 🙂

      Reply
  93. Elmira says

    May 30, 2020 at 12:31 PM

    Will this hold its shape? I want to decorate a cake using this icing. I wonder if it looses the shape when out of the fridge for an hour or so.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 30, 2020 at 3:03 PM

      Hi Elmira! Yes, it should hold it’s shape fine unless it’s too hot where you are. I often pipe with this buttercream and in the fridge it will get very firm (like butter), so I think it will be fine!

      Reply
  94. Liz says

    May 28, 2020 at 9:52 PM

    Hi thanks for the beautiful website – my family members all request the banana chocolate PB cake for every birthday now. So delicious! Question – the SMB is so delicious before adding the butter – can I use that as a”meringue” frosting or will it not stay a good texture? Thank you and thanks for being such a great baking resource!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 29, 2020 at 9:34 AM

      Hi Liz! So happy you guys love that cake! 😀 You can totally use the meringue as a frosting on it’s own. It’s known as 7 minute frosting 🙂

      Reply
  95. Pam says

    May 22, 2020 at 4:35 AM

    I have been making SMBC as well as IMBC for a while. I would like to know if you can refreeze these buttercream? I always make my buttercream in advance and freeze to have it ready. I thaw in the refrigerator over night. I live in a warm climate so I never let it stand out more than two hours or so while I am frosting/decorating cakes. Recently after taking a cake in and out of refrigerator I realized I had way too much leftover buttercream. I wasn’t sure after working with it for 5 hours in and out of fridge if it could be refrozen. I ended up throwing it out to be safe but still think about whether I could have put it back in the freezer. Could you clear up this question?

    Many thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 22, 2020 at 2:28 PM

      Hi Pam! You can definitely re-freeze them. The buttercream itself is fine at room temperature for a couple of days, so freezing it again will be fine.

      Reply
    • Candace says

      May 24, 2020 at 10:07 AM

      5 stars
      Wow! Great recipe and step by step instructions! This was my first time making SMBC! So glad i didnt have to use any of the many troubleshooting tips! I used a meat thermo on the whites/sugar only got to 120F but it didnt feel grainy so i whipped it up just fine! Got a question, i found using all butter and then fridging the cake a few hours makes the icing hard cause its butter vs eating the cake the same day its iced (no refrigeration). Would this recipe still work with 1 cup shortening and 1 cup butter or any variation thereof? Thanks

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        May 25, 2020 at 10:25 AM

        Hi Candace! So happy you love it! I’m not sure it would work well with shortening. I haven’t tried it, but my gut says it won’t work great. The frosting can be left at room temperature for a couple days but should also be totally fine if you chill the cake but then bring it back to room temp. It will soften again 🙂

        Reply
  96. Tallulah says

    May 18, 2020 at 9:22 PM

    Thanks – discovered this after I found instructions in another recipe sub-par for a newbie (no indication of what egg whites should look like after cooking??). That one says 10-12 minutes cooking the egg whites not 2 or three but imma go with your hot and not grainy guide and go from there 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 19, 2020 at 10:17 AM

      Hi Tallulah! 10-12mins does seem like a long time! But stoves differ 🙂 The hot and no grainy thing is what you’re looking for. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  97. Marquise London says

    May 16, 2020 at 10:38 AM

    5 stars
    easy to follow and simple ingredients. love the taste of it and it went well with the emulsifier that I added. Easy peasy!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 16, 2020 at 3:53 PM

      Hi Marquise! So glad you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
      • Traci says

        May 17, 2020 at 4:12 PM

        I have made this for the 8th time, 1 successfully. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t be using brown eggs? My meringue just won’t whip up properly. I’m sure it’s operator error, as my DIL makes it perfectly every single time.

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          May 19, 2020 at 10:09 AM

          Hi Traci! The color of eggs shouldn’t matter at all. The only thing I know to affect meringue is fat — either grease on the tools or fat from the yolk. Do you wipe everything down with lemon juice or vinegar? Be sure to wipe the under side of the mixer too.

          Reply
  98. maya says

    May 16, 2020 at 9:42 AM

    I’m so excited I found this and your website! I have a question though, as a beginner baker it might sound silly, but do eggs need to be room temperature? How long do you take out eggs before using? And how long do you take out butter before using?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 16, 2020 at 3:52 PM

      Hi Maya! Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here 😀 Not a silly question at all! The eggs do not need to be at room temp since you heat them up with the sugar anyhow. The butter — depends how large your sticks are, mine are 1 lb blocks so I take it out 2-3 hours before. You want the butter just slightly cold still, but soft.

      Reply
  99. sarah peach says

    May 16, 2020 at 4:12 AM

    5 stars
    So easy and less scary to understand so I can’t wait to give it a go. This recipe and the wording makes it less daunting to have a go compared to other recipes I’ve looked at. Thank you so much

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 16, 2020 at 3:41 PM

      Hi Sarah! Thank you so much, I’m so glad my recipe and instructions were easy to follow 🙂

      Reply
  100. Rebecca says

    May 11, 2020 at 7:06 PM

    5 stars
    This is fantastic! Your post and recipe were so clear and helpful, they definitely made me feel prepared to attempt this for the first time and it went so well! It’s so delicious and 6 days later still tastes great. It’s definitely going to be my new go to. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 12, 2020 at 5:01 PM

      Hi Rebecca! So happy to hear it went off without a hitch! Thanks for the feedback 🙂

      Reply
  101. Marisa says

    May 8, 2020 at 4:22 PM

    Hi!

    This is my second time making this and it was a total bust, my peaks were perfect before I added the butter. The butter was maybe too warm as I left it out overnight to come to room temperature, but once it added it all the butter it became a curdled watery mess. I tried mixing it on high, on low, put the hair dryer to the bowl, it’s now I’m the fridge for the third to try to salvage it. Is there anything I should be doing?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 8, 2020 at 4:44 PM

      Hi Marisa! If your peaks were stiff then we can save it for sure! It’s weird though because it usually only curdles if the butter is too cold, not too warm, but leaving the butter out overnight would probably make it too soft. If it’s soupy then some time in the fridge will help. Chill for 20mins and rewhip, chill more if needed.

      Reply
  102. Annie Osborne says

    May 5, 2020 at 3:07 PM

    Hi there
    I’m in the UK and aware that there are sometimes differences in certain ingredients. The recipe calls for granulated sugar would that be castor sugar here or still granulated?
    Thanks
    X

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 5, 2020 at 3:27 PM

      Hi Annie! Castor sugar is a little finer than granulated but it should work just fine 🙂

      Reply
  103. Mariam says

    May 5, 2020 at 6:33 AM

    Amazing Job Liv!!!! Really amazing recipe and method! Love from Nigeria. ❤️🥰

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 5, 2020 at 9:51 AM

      Thank you Mariam! 😀

      Reply
  104. Naomi says

    May 4, 2020 at 3:49 PM

    Hello love all these tips! I’ve been making smb for a long time now but the one thing I can’t get right is the amount of air bubbles in it. I’ve tried keeping the paddle attachment on the lowest setting for 20 mins and stirring by hand against the bowl to pop more bubbles and they still don’t go away! I don’t know what to do

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 5, 2020 at 9:49 AM

      Hi Naomi! Those were the tips I was going to suggest. The only other thing I’ve found is that you want to use very light pressure when using your cake scraper to smooth the sides of the cake. I find pressing too hard creates a ton of bubbles.

      Reply
  105. I LOVE BAKING!! says

    May 3, 2020 at 10:13 AM

    5 stars
    I loved this it was so delicious and super easy!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 4, 2020 at 9:59 AM

      Hi there! So glad you loved it and found it easy 😀

      Reply
  106. Melissa says

    April 28, 2020 at 10:23 AM

    Hi,
    I’m so glad I stumbled upon your web page.

    I mainly decorate with fondant, and am so afraid of buttercream bulging underneath the fondant. I’ve been using an American buttercream containing shortening because I’m so afraid it won’t hold up after sitting out before cutting the cake.

    SMBC sounds great bc it’s not as sweet as the other bc’ s. Is that your preferred bc until fondant?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 29, 2020 at 2:14 PM

      Hi Melissa! I don’t use fondant on my cakes so can’t speak specifically to that, but I know a lot of people use this buttercream under fondant on their cakes without issue 🙂

      Reply
  107. Shani Rebecca says

    April 26, 2020 at 4:17 PM

    I don’t have a stand mixer I only have a hand mixer am I still able to make this buttercream

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 26, 2020 at 4:27 PM

      Hi Shani! I talk about that in the post.

      Reply
  108. Nimz says

    April 23, 2020 at 8:50 AM

    Hi i want to try this one out but the amount of butter us confusing fr me can u plz tell how much butter exactly do u use fr this recipe??

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:35 AM

      Hi Nimz! It depends on the size of cake you’re making: This recipe makes enough to frost a two layer 8″ cake or 3 layer 6″ cake (using 2 cups butter) or a three layer 8″ cake (using 3 cups butter).

      Reply
      • Alice says

        May 20, 2020 at 8:44 PM

        Hi’ya!
        Question on butter please. If using 3 cups butter, does the sugar & egg white quantity stay the same? And if so, will it taste more buttery?

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          May 21, 2020 at 3:25 PM

          Hi Alice! The egg and sugar stays the same and it will taste more buttery, but should be totally fine if you whip it well enough.

          Reply
  109. Mavis says

    April 22, 2020 at 12:50 AM

    Hey Liv

    I made it and the buttercream was perfect bliss 😊
    First time ever to bake and I started with this marvelous cake.

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 22, 2020 at 11:04 AM

      Hi Mavis! Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂

      Reply
  110. Patrícia says

    April 20, 2020 at 9:55 AM

    hi olivia how are you? i live in brazil and my city has temperatures above 32 degrees. do you have any tips for my cream to be heat resistant? I thought of bread for meringue or cream of tartar. Does it work ?? thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 20, 2020 at 10:21 AM

      Hi Patrícia! It’s challenging in those warmer temperatures! The most stable in heat would probably be a meringue frosting (like this one but just don’t add any butter). Or an American frosting made with shortenting since that stays more stable :\

      Reply
    • Denisse says

      May 6, 2020 at 1:48 PM

      5 stars
      Hi! do you know how many grams are in a cup of butter? it’s easier for me to measure it in weight

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        May 6, 2020 at 4:02 PM

        Hi Denisse! There is a metric conversion option below the list of ingredients 🙂

        Reply
    • Caroline says

      May 26, 2020 at 12:47 AM

      5 stars
      Hie Liv,

      Easy recipe to follow for a first time baking family…and amazing results.
      Me and my daughter’s aged 10 & 9 were amazed that we could bake.

      Thank you
      Caroline

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        May 26, 2020 at 8:44 AM

        Hi Caroline! So happy you all loved it! 🙂

        Reply
  111. Kristy Dever says

    April 17, 2020 at 3:44 AM

    Hi Olivia

    I’ve made this recipe numerous times and it has always turned out perfect. My problem has been trying to make it white! I’ve tried so many different things including adding the tinge of purple (I ended up with blue buttercream), adding white gel colouring which seemed to change it a bit. Whipping it to bits! But it still was yellow. My next thought was changing the butter I buy. I usually use Western Star. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 17, 2020 at 10:25 AM

      Hi Kristy! Ugh, I hear you. What brand of white gel did you use? I like Americolor, but do find you have to use a lot of it. I would try to find the palest butter you can (I’m not sure what brand this would be). Or you could try whipping the butter first on it’s own to lighten it and fluff it up. I haven’t tried this myself but keep meaning to. Let me know if you give it a go 🙂

      Reply
  112. Linda Register says

    April 16, 2020 at 12:27 PM

    5 stars
    Liv, I have failed multiple times with other SMBC recipes. I am not new to baking, so the multiple failures was disappointing. Your recipe worked PERFECTLY the first time. I am so thrilled to have a “go to” SMBC recipe in my baking repertoire. Your troubleshooting guide (although I did not need it for this batch) and the step by step tutorial were such a huge help! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 17, 2020 at 10:22 AM

      Hi Linda! I am so happy to hear that!! Thanks for the feedback 🙂

      Reply
  113. Luce says

    April 13, 2020 at 8:43 PM

    Hi Olivia! Um quick question, is it possible to use meringue powder as a substitution for the egg whites? Also what alterations to the recipe would be needed? Thank you so much!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 14, 2020 at 10:01 AM

      Hi Luce! I haven’t tried it with meringue powder myself and don’t think it would give exactly the same results.

      Reply
  114. Colette says

    April 13, 2020 at 7:19 PM

    Hello Olivia! Can you please clarify how many egg whites and exactly how much sugar I should use if I’m planning on using 3 cups of butter? I want to make sure I am measuring correctly and to make more icing so I’m sure to have enough.
    Also, have you ever used powder sugar instead of granulated sugar?
    Thank you 😊

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 14, 2020 at 10:00 AM

      Hi Colette! Use the recipe as written but with 3 cups of butter. Powdered sugar won’t work well to make the meringue, I would stick to granulated 🙂

      Reply
  115. Sigrid says

    April 10, 2020 at 12:35 AM

    Hi Liv,

    do you use the buttercream as a filling or just on the outside? I’m trying to figure out how much to make for my cake 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 10, 2020 at 5:44 PM

      Hi Sigrid! I use it as a filling as well 🙂

      Reply
  116. Tobi Ogundipe says

    April 9, 2020 at 10:14 PM

    Trying to figure out how to convert this SMBC recipe for 2 x 10×2 cake pans that will be made in into a 4 layer cake. Birthday is Saturday. Making my vanilla cakes tonight. Trying to decorate the cake tomorrow. Please help!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 10, 2020 at 5:44 PM

      Hi Tobi! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html 10″ pans are almost twice as big as 8″ and if you’re doing 4 layers I would double the recipe. You may want to do two batches depending on the size of your mixer.

      Reply
  117. Bethany says

    March 22, 2020 at 10:14 AM

    Hey, Liv! Am I able to use salted butter for the SMBC rather than unsalted?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 23, 2020 at 1:44 PM

      Hi Bethany! Some people prefer to use salted butter but it’s too salty for me. I wouldn’t recommend it, but if it’s all you have you can give it a try.

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        March 24, 2020 at 2:28 PM

        Let me know what happens if you end up using salted butter. The only one I have on hand is salted

        Reply
  118. Heather says

    March 18, 2020 at 4:56 PM

    Hi your recipe calls for 2-3 cups of butter. At the 2 cup mark how would you be able to tell if it needed that extra cup?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 20, 2020 at 3:53 PM

      Hi Heather! It just depends on if you want/need more buttercream.

      Reply
      • Chrisy Jackson says

        April 14, 2020 at 11:44 AM

        So adding 2 or 3 cups of butter don’t change the flavor or consistency?

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          April 14, 2020 at 4:05 PM

          Hi Chrisy! From personal experience, not a ton. It will be more buttery but should still be light and fluffy as long as it’s whipped up well. I tend to be very flexible on the amount of butter I put in depending on how much buttercream I need. I would not exceed 3 cups though for this amount of whites/sugar.

          Reply
  119. Tayley says

    March 16, 2020 at 2:06 PM

    Hey so I made this recipe yesterday and it looked great up until I added the butter. It got soupy but I didn’t worry cause of the section about soupiness. So I followed the directions and re whipped. It did not work and I was disappointed because I had no icing. Do you know what I did wrong?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 18, 2020 at 10:12 AM

      Hi Tayley! If the meringue was stiff when you added the butter it sounds like everything was just a bit too warm — either the meringue too warm or the butter too soft. A few 20mins sessions in the fridge, whipping in between, should have had it come together. It might take longer depending on how warm it is. You can also try placing a bag of frozen peas or similar under the bowl while whipping.

      Reply
  120. JB says

    March 13, 2020 at 9:06 AM

    5 stars
    Most successful SMB recipe I have tried. Superb result, and the extra tips for ‘saving’ it if having problems are very reassuring.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 13, 2020 at 11:44 AM

      Hi JB! Thanks for the awesome feedback. I’m so glad you loved it and found the tips helpful! 🙂

      Reply
      • Nicolas says

        April 9, 2020 at 7:01 AM

        Hi Liv. Tried your recipe picked it up through sweetoothgirl. Everything came out superb considering I never made a chocolate cake before and I only made two pound cakes before that. That is it. The only thing that I could not get was the color of the icing.i was going for that contrast in color. I added a little chocolate amount at a time but the icing turned dark from the onset. I was wondering why I did not get that light color. Any help. Thanks

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          April 9, 2020 at 2:40 PM

          Hi Nicolas! I’m so happy you liked it and that it turned out for you! Strange that the frosting turned dark. Swiss merinuge buttercream is usually harder to color than an American buttercream. Did you use cocoa powder or melted chocolate? Any color gels?

          Reply
  121. Elli Abreu says

    February 18, 2020 at 8:46 AM

    Hi Liv,
    Not sure if anyone’s asked, but can we use meringue powder instead of egg whites?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 18, 2020 at 9:48 PM

      Hi Elli! I haven’t tried it myself. Can you get a stiff peak with meringue powder? I’m not sure if it would give exactly the same results.

      Reply
      • Elli says

        March 5, 2020 at 8:48 PM

        5 stars
        Hi again Liv! I finally mustered up the courage to do this recipe! I did the vanilla cake and omg is it good!!! Then I decided to do the Swiss meringue buttercream with meringue powder!
        So I was completely nervous but figured I had nothing to lose but the powder! Lol
        I used wiltons meringue powder and I think their label has a typo error for the equivalency of one eggwhite to powder.
        Anyhow I ended up adding quite a bit more water as it was extra thick while mixing. That’s even with using 1 1/4 sugar instead of the 2 cups in your recipe.
        Anyhow long story short it whipped up beautifully. It perhaps could have used a little more water as it took a really long time to feel less to no grain. But my end result was light and fluffy and super yummy! Yet another perfect recipe from you! This will be my second birthday cake I’ve made from your recipes!
        I thank you again and my kids thank you! <3

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          March 7, 2020 at 2:45 AM

          Hi Elli! I am so happy to hear it worked out for you! Thanks for the great feedback and sweet comment. I hope you try many more of my recipes! 🙂 xo

          Reply
  122. Carolina says

    February 13, 2020 at 3:21 PM

    HELP? This is my second or third time making SMBC, and the first two tries were a complete failure. I would consider myself a good baker, but I’ve always felt like this buttercream is too difficult to make. I’m getting a hint of that fear again.

    First, like told, I cleaned everything with lime juice (I was too lazy to look for my lemons?), including my measuring cup (which was plastic but hasn’t been used in more than a year and a half) and teaspoon.

    The egg and sugar mixture wasn’t that hot when I took it off the heat (I used the touch test), but there was no graininess at all. I started whipping it, and by 5 minutes, it looked like a success! But when 10 minutes passed, I checked it and very droopy peaks! I let it run for another 5 minutes, checked it again, and it was still droopy. By the time I reached the 20-minute mark, I said, whatever, and added my butter. It was nice and chilled but still left a small dent when I dipped my finger in.

    In the end, it didn’t go through a curdle phase, but did go through a runny phase for a few minutes (about 2-3 minutes). I added vanilla extract and let it run for another minute or 2.

    In the end, it tastes delicious and melts in my mouth. But since this is the first (half?) success I’ve had with SMBC, I’m not sure if it is right or not. Any tips are suggested.

    P.S, the bowl was only a tiny bit warm when I put the butter in. Maybe the kitchen aid mixer (not the tilt mixer but the one with arms on the side?) was hot and adding heat to the SMBC? It was running for 20 minutes on a speed of 9 when whipping the meringue. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 14, 2020 at 9:51 AM

      Hi Carolina! Firstly, I would definitely make sure the egg mixture is hot to the touch — this is to help cook the eggs enough so that it kills any potential bacteria. Not a huge deal, but I always recommend it just to be safe. Strange that it got droopy after 10mins but was fine at 5. Was it cool enough at 5mins to add the butter? If so, I would have just done it then. It does sound like it was a bit warm still though since it went soupy rather than curdled. Honestly, it sounds like it was a success overall! I have that same kind of mixer and only whip my meringue for 5-10 mins. Sometimes I use a bag of frozen peas on the outside of the bowl to help cool the meringue if it’s stiff but still warm.

      Reply
      • Carolina says

        February 14, 2020 at 11:32 AM

        Hi, Liv! No, it was still warm at five minutes. It tastes amazing now, though, and holds very well. It was a strange experience, but I will definitely use your tip for frozen peas next time! Thanks for this amazing tutorial. It was pretty easy to follow (except for my little strange experience).

        Reply
  123. Grace says

    February 13, 2020 at 1:20 AM

    Hello! I have made SM before and always, my bowl doesnt completely cool down. The meringue is stiff and usually takes about 10mins. Do you think I should keep whisking the meringue until the bowl cools? I’m worried that would seperate the meringue or something!! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 13, 2020 at 9:58 AM

      Hi Grace! Do you use a glass bowl by chance? I would definitely not add butter until it cools, you can try placing a bag of frozen peas around the bottom to help cool it a bit.

      Reply
    • Caroline says

      February 14, 2020 at 8:10 AM

      5 stars
      If my bowl hasn’t cooled down, I fill my sink with cold water and let the bowl sit in there for a few mins. Works a treat!

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        February 14, 2020 at 9:18 AM

        Great tip! Thank you!

        Reply
  124. Clarissa says

    February 9, 2020 at 7:43 PM

    I may have done something wrong but mine came out somewhat greasy. I used very high quality butter and vanilla to flavor but the texture wasn’t right. Would like it to be a little smoother. Anything I can do to correct this?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 10, 2020 at 5:14 PM

      Hi Clarissa! Was your meringue stiff before you added the butter? It should not feel greasy, I suspect it just needed a bit more whipping time. It will often need to be rewhipped if sitting out for a bit too.

      Reply
  125. Mervat says

    February 8, 2020 at 1:55 PM

    I made the cream and it is excellent. Thank you, but I have a question of why it cracked in some places when placed on the cake.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 9, 2020 at 2:59 PM

      Hi Mervat! Did it crack after you chilled it or while you were frosting? If the latter I suspect it was maybe a bit too cold and needed some more whipping.

      Reply
  126. Kat says

    January 31, 2020 at 10:31 AM

    Hi,
    I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe. Does Swiss meringue buttercream go well with macarons? Or is French or Italian better for that?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:34 AM

      Hi Kat! Swiss is very similar to Italian. I think any of those buttercreams would work great!

      Reply
      • Adeola says

        February 17, 2020 at 8:59 AM

        Hi Liv, can’t I just use the meringue without the butter?
        Thanks

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          February 18, 2020 at 9:15 PM

          Hi Adeola! You totally can if you’d just like to use a meringue frosting.

          Reply
          • Adeola says

            February 20, 2020 at 11:56 AM

            Thank you. You’re the best!

  127. Lauren says

    January 19, 2020 at 5:13 PM

    Hi Liv- I have been an active member of your FB group for years and consider myself a skilled baker but have failed at this recipe three times tonight!
    I thoroughly de-greased everything and once I put my egg white/sugar mixture over a double boiler and stir constantly. After 30 minutes of stirring, my mixture is hot, but SO grainy. I proceed with the recipe but my meringue isn’t satisfactory and the end product is grainy.

    Do you know why I might be struggling to get my sugar to melt in the egg white mixture? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 20, 2020 at 9:19 AM

      Hi Lauren! Ugh, so sorry to hear that! 30mins of stirring seems like a lot! Are you creating your own double boiler and placing the mixer bowl with the whites directly over a pot with simmering water? Is the water simmering lightly? It should be barely simmering so that the mixture gets to the right temp and the graininess disappears at the same time. I’ve tried whipping a grainy meringue before thinking the sugar would dissolve and it does not 🙁

      Reply
  128. Isabelle says

    January 17, 2020 at 5:35 AM

    5 stars
    Amazing frosting! I do not like frosting but I have made this one twice, no leftovers. Only comment I could have, is that when piping it melts fairly quickly, so may want to have some note about putting it in the fridge before piping.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 17, 2020 at 5:44 PM

      Hi Isabelle! Thanks for the awesome feedback, I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  129. Tammy B Weaver says

    January 2, 2020 at 6:32 PM

    5 stars
    My Step-daughter and I used this recipe to frost her wedding cake. We baked 2 layers each of a 2″x6″, 2×8″ and 2×10″ pan and we doubled this recipe. It was both delicious and easy to work with. Thank you for a most helpful tutorial!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 4, 2020 at 11:38 AM

      Hi Tammy! So happy to hear that! Thanks for the great feedback 🙂

      Reply
      • Kristin Koss says

        January 16, 2020 at 9:24 PM

        I can’t wait to try this recipe. Usually butter is yellow. I’m from Wisconsin what is the best butter brand you would recommend. I prefer the Land O Lakes unsalted. And I always use the Ameri gel colors. Can I use bright white to get whiter frosting thanks Kristin Koss

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          January 17, 2020 at 5:43 PM

          Hi Kristin! I get my butter from Costco. I would just use any brand you like, just not the super cheap stuff 🙂

          Reply
          • D says

            February 7, 2020 at 3:25 AM

            Hi Liv
            How many cupcakes would the above recipe frost?
            thanks

          • Olivia says

            February 7, 2020 at 9:14 AM

            Hi D! It should frost 18-24 depending on the size if you use 2 cups of butter.

  130. Freda says

    December 26, 2019 at 8:31 AM

    HELP! Does it make a difference if I accidentally whisked the butter rather than beating it? It is runny right now

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 26, 2019 at 10:14 AM

      Hi Freda! No, the whisk should be ok to use. Please refer to the section about soupy buttercream on how to fix it.

      Reply
  131. Cassandra says

    December 22, 2019 at 7:47 AM

    5 stars
    Easy to make and not overly sweet. This is now going to be my go-to recipe for all cakes! Thank you and God bless! Wish I could show you a picture of a chicken cake I made using this.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 22, 2019 at 11:12 AM

      Hi Cassandra! So happy you love this recipe too. I’d love to see a photo! You can email it to me at [email protected] or send it to me via Instagram 🙂

      Reply
  132. Johanna Van Lakerveld says

    December 17, 2019 at 9:06 AM

    5 stars
    Really great! My first time and it worked out nice thanks to the good instructions.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 17, 2019 at 9:58 AM

      Yay! So happy to hear that Johanna 🙂

      Reply
  133. Yali says

    November 21, 2019 at 5:27 AM

    Quick question, can I color SMBC? I’m trying to make an umbrella effect in a cake, but I don’t like American Buttercream. Do you think this one would color without problems?

    Reply
    • Yali says

      November 21, 2019 at 5:29 AM

      I meant ombre effect, but my autocorrect made the change lol

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        November 21, 2019 at 3:20 PM

        Hi Yali! You can color it for sure, but it doesn’t take color AS well as American buttercream — especially if you’re going for a dark color. Here’s an example of an ombre cake I did with SMBC: https://livforcake.com/ombre-peach-layer-cake/

        Reply
        • Yali says

          November 22, 2019 at 5:40 AM

          Thank you for your response, sadly I use more color than I usually do, and the colors where very dark (It was for a baby shower oops!). My friend said, this baby boy is going to be a strong one hahaha

          Reply
        • Rochard says

          February 6, 2020 at 1:28 AM

          Bonjour
          Merci beaucoup pour ce blog super bien fait. Cependant j’ai une question je ne connais pas les mesures américaines et quand je fais la convention en métrique pour le beurre ça me met 445 ou 681g alors je ne sais pas sur laquelle je dois me baser. Merci

          Reply
          • Olivia says

            February 6, 2020 at 10:35 AM

            Bonjour Rochard! I use both depending on how much buttercream I need. This recipe makes enough to frost a two-layer 8″ cake or 3 layer 6″ cake (using 454g butter) or a three-layer 8″ cake (using 681g butter). I would start with 454g. Let me know how you like it!

  134. Michelle says

    November 16, 2019 at 6:11 PM

    I need urgent help! Made the first batch perfectly and iced the first tier of a cake that’s due tomorrow! Did things the same way and I think my egg white sugar mixture deflated while trying to cool. Are you supposed to stop whipping once it’s good even though it’s not cooled yet? I heated till 160 degrees and immediately put frozen fruit bags around the mixer and put it in the freezer for a quick minute to help. And would go off and on with the whipping while trying to cool. I noticed them deflate a bit and I hesitated to put the butter in. I think it’s ruined. Not sure what happened or what to do differently next time ☹️

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 18, 2019 at 9:30 AM

      Hi Michelle! I keep whipping until it’s cooled usually. I don’t speed up the cooling process though until the very end once it’s whipped and stiff though (if I need to at all). I think if it was properly stiff it should be fine once you add the butter. Just give it a really good whip!

      Reply
  135. Carol says

    November 13, 2019 at 3:44 PM

    Love the recipe. Could I add less sugar in the SMBC ?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 14, 2019 at 9:39 AM

      Hi Carol! You could try it with a bit less but it can affect the structure of the meringue.

      Reply
      • Jamie says

        November 15, 2019 at 7:10 AM

        Omg! Made this today and it’s the first time I’ve ever had success with SMBC! Thank you so much for sharing your very detailed recipe/instructions. The cream was perfectly light and smooth with a great colour to it even without adding the violet.

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          November 15, 2019 at 5:18 PM

          Hi Jamie! Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. I hope I’ve converted you to it!

          Reply
  136. Amy says

    November 8, 2019 at 2:13 PM

    How much fresh lemon juice would you recommend using?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 12, 2019 at 9:19 AM

      Hi Amy! I just squeeze some into the mixer bowl and/or on a paper towel. Just enough to wipe everything down.

      Reply
      • Amy says

        November 15, 2019 at 8:44 AM

        I’m sorry, I wasn’t very clear. I meant how much lemon would I need to use to make lemon Swiss meringue butter cream??

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          November 15, 2019 at 5:20 PM

          OH! I thought you meant to wipe everything down 🙂 I would use a combination of lemon zest and juice and just add it to taste. Maybe 1-2 Tbsp of each and then add more as needed. I wouldn’t add more than 3 Tbsp of juice though as it can start to affect the texture of the buttercream. I hope that helps!

          Reply
  137. Ummulkiram says

    October 30, 2019 at 10:47 PM

    Hi. I’ve made your recipe a lot of times before and its perfect. Thank you!
    Although today when I added butter it became liquidy. Why did that happen? Is there a way to make it right again? Please help!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 31, 2019 at 9:19 AM

      Hi Ummulkiram! Have a read through the troubleshooting section of this post.

      Reply
  138. Charlotte says

    October 28, 2019 at 2:44 AM

    5 stars
    This was amazing! And so easy to make for a total novice. Wondered if you could up the eggs and sugar for the 3rd cup of butter so not quite so buttery? Would that work?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 28, 2019 at 9:57 AM

      Hi Charlotte! I’m so happy to hear that! Did you use the full three cups of butter or two? I often use less butter in mine, but you could increase the eggs and sugar instead (as long as your mixer can handle the volume). Also, be sure to really whip that buttercream once the butter is added. It should be light and fluffy, not thick, and not overly buttery tasting.

      Reply
  139. demi says

    October 13, 2019 at 10:58 PM

    hi..i want to make smbc with rosewater inside to smell liek that and not like butter..how much should i add?no to overpower the taste..just little.also i want to make multicolor doll skirt.should i use 2 or 3 cups butter?i want it firm so it will pipe and hold well.thnks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 15, 2019 at 9:58 AM

      Hi Demi! I would start with adding 1/2 tsp of rosewater and see if that gives you the flavour you want. Add more as needed. I would use 3 cups butter.

      Reply
  140. Molly says

    October 6, 2019 at 7:31 PM

    5 stars
    I am a convert!! This is such a delicious icing. My only complaint is that it takes FOREVER to whip up (like 30-40 minutes at least). Maybe it is because I cooked it to 160 when I made it (I wanted to make sure the eggs were cooked). Even though it took forever, each batch turned out and I made 3 batches last week.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 7, 2019 at 9:21 AM

      Hi Molly! That is crazy that it takes so long!! 😮 What size mixer are you using and is it a stand mixer or a hand mixer? I want to help you save some time because that is seriously forevvvver. You can try placing a bag of frozen peas around the bowl, once the meringue is stiff, to help the cooling process.

      Reply
      • Anita says

        October 11, 2019 at 9:52 PM

        It always takes me minimum half an hour, because of the heat, I now heat in one bowl then transfer to another, it still takes forever to cool. If I didn’t whisk for this time, I end up with soup every time

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          October 15, 2019 at 9:45 AM

          That is a crazy long time! 😮 Do you use a glass bowl or metal?

          Reply
          • Brittany says

            December 23, 2019 at 12:49 PM

            I should have done the same thing (heat in one bowl and transfer to another) but didn’t even think of it until now…I have the same exact problem. And then my Kitchenaid gets hot which doesn’t help. It’s so hit and miss, the first time I ever made SMBC it went totally fine, but now (even with a new mixer) it takes sooo long for my bowl to cool. I’m currently making a batch with droopy peaks and letting the mixer cool off a bit so I can try to whip it to stiff peaks.

    • Olivia says

      October 7, 2019 at 9:21 AM

      Oh, but I’m so glad you love it enough to spend that much time making it!!

      Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      October 13, 2019 at 9:35 AM

      5 stars
      I agree, this was great icing!
      I was afraid I was going to burn up the mixer motor while waiting for the eggs to cool. I took a kitchen towel, put ice in it, rolled it up and wrapped around the base of the mixer.

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        October 15, 2019 at 9:51 AM

        So glad you love it Elizabeth!

        Reply
      • judy says

        November 11, 2019 at 2:11 AM

        Hey, I use cold frozen bags of peas or vegetables that I put around the bowl as it is whipping (that’s if you have a tilt mixer) If you have a lift mixture then you can put a big bowl of ice below the bowl and it will help cool it down. It only has to get below 90 degrees. The bowl will feel cool to your skin because it is below your body temperature. So if it feels warm at all, it is not ready. It should take 10-15 minutes (about 10 if you use ice or frozen packs to cool it down. It’s what I call collateral time. You don’t have to do anything but let it whip, while you sit and relax.

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          November 12, 2019 at 9:27 AM

          Hi Judy! Thanks so much for your tips 🙂

          Reply
  141. Andrea says

    October 2, 2019 at 5:59 PM

    Hi Liv,
    I’m finding that my meringue is taking a lot longer than suggested for it to cool down? Is it possible that my machine is transferring heat back in? I use a KitchenAid tilt mixer. The meringue whips to stiff peaks but this often takes up to 20 mins? Or longer.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 7, 2019 at 9:03 AM

      Hi Andrea! Strange that it takes so long!! Once the meringue is stiff, you can try placing a bag of frozen peas against the bowl to help the cooling process.

      Reply
  142. Jennie says

    October 2, 2019 at 4:18 PM

    How many cupcakes will this frost? I like to do a good amount, usually 2 or 3 swirls ..

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 7, 2019 at 9:03 AM

      Hi Jennie! I think someone answered this in one of the comments below.

      Reply
  143. Nicole says

    September 30, 2019 at 2:44 AM

    5 stars
    Hello Olivia!

    I tried this recipe and taste is really good! However, when I frost my cake and pop it on the fridge, next day when we are about to eat it, it became sweaty like water are coming out from it. Can you please advice? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 30, 2019 at 10:27 AM

      Hi Nicole! Does it get condensation in the fridge or after you take it out? Is it really warm where you live?

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        September 30, 2019 at 12:02 PM

        Yeah, it does in the fridge and more after taking it out 🙁 Its currently around 32-34 celsius here in my place. So its really hot 🥵

        Ps. Wanna say sorry for posting 2 comments! Didn’t know how this thing works as it was my first time to post comment 😅

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          October 1, 2019 at 1:46 PM

          I think it’s due to the drastic temperature changes :\ You can try storing it in a cake box (cardboard ones) to see if that will help absorb some of the moisture. And no worries about the comments! 🙂

          Reply
          • Luz Baeza says

            October 5, 2019 at 9:10 AM

            This comments helps all
            Thank you💓

          • Olivia says

            October 7, 2019 at 9:08 AM

            Thank you Luz!

  144. Kat says

    September 21, 2019 at 12:55 PM

    5 stars
    Never made swiss icing before but by following your instructions it worked out very well the first time!!
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 23, 2019 at 10:36 AM

      Yay! So happy to hear that Kat 😀

      Reply
  145. Michelle says

    September 15, 2019 at 9:57 PM

    Hi. Could I add less butter?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 16, 2019 at 9:32 AM

      Hi Michelle! Yes, you could give it a try with less.

      Reply
      • Gi says

        September 22, 2019 at 3:25 PM

        Hi Olivia, when you say “walk away and come back after 5 mins”, does it mean whip it for 5 mins?

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          September 23, 2019 at 10:41 AM

          Hi Gi! Yes, set it to whip on high and walk away 🙂

          Reply
  146. Lianne byrne says

    September 12, 2019 at 12:42 PM

    I was wondering how far in advance could I make the sugar/egg white part?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 16, 2019 at 9:21 AM

      Hi Lianne! I wouldn’t make just that part in advance, but you can store the buttercream once it’s made. See post for details.

      Reply
  147. Melanie says

    September 3, 2019 at 8:30 AM

    5 stars
    Hi there! Do you think it would be a bad idea putting melted Kinder chocolate on the SMBC? I’m afraid the cream will melt or go runny.
    Thanks for the lovely recipe!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 3, 2019 at 9:49 AM

      Hi Melanie! I use melted chocolate in my SMBC all the time. Be sure it’s cooled (not warm at all) and add it slowly with the mixer going on low. Check out my Chocolate Cake recipe to see the proportions I use.

      Reply
  148. Frances says

    September 1, 2019 at 3:23 AM

    Hi Liv,

    Made your cinnamon version today and it was great. Thanks for the detailed instructions!

    I always find with SMBC that I need to add a greater amount of flavoring than I would compared to American Buttercream. Was wondering if this is just me or if this is a known thing? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 2, 2019 at 10:34 AM

      Hi Frances! I don’t make ABC often anymore, but I know I have to add more vanilla to get the flavour to come through with SMBC. It also doesn’t take color as well as ABC, so maybe a similar issue.

      Reply
  149. Kay says

    August 29, 2019 at 12:03 PM

    Hi, I was wondering if this Swiss Meringue Buttercream would work to fill macarons because I’m out of powdered sugar. Would I burn my finger if I do the touch test when cooking the eggs and sugar?
    -Thanks

    Reply
    • Kay says

      August 29, 2019 at 12:09 PM

      Oh and How much vanilla extract would you recommend when using 2 cups butter.

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        August 30, 2019 at 8:57 AM

        I recommend about 2tsp, but just add more to taste. I find a vanilla SMBC can be a bit… boring? Vanilla bean paste does a much better job of getting that flavour to shine through 🙂

        Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 30, 2019 at 8:56 AM

      Hi Kay! It will work great to fill macarons! And no, the mixture should just feel hot but it shouldn’t burn unless it’s been overcooked.

      Reply
      • Kay says

        August 30, 2019 at 6:12 PM

        Thanks everyone one loved them! I made root beer macarons and vanilla SMBC to fill them and made what I call a root beer float macaron!

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          August 31, 2019 at 9:50 AM

          Awesome! 😀

          Reply
        • Alison says

          October 8, 2019 at 6:26 AM

          Can I use vegan butter?

          Reply
          • Olivia says

            October 8, 2019 at 4:09 PM

            I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure, but you can give it a go!

  150. Jemma says

    August 24, 2019 at 10:57 AM

    5 stars
    This was my first time making SMBC and although I (thankfully) didn’t run into any of the issues in the troubleshoot guide, it did give me the confidence to try it out 😅 I also added strawberry flavour and pink food colouring. It was surprisingly enough to frost about 56 cupcakes

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 26, 2019 at 3:08 PM

      Awesome! So glad it worked on your first go 😀 Thanks for the tip re: cupcakes!

      Reply
  151. Hannah Sawyer says

    August 22, 2019 at 1:20 PM

    I love this recipe!

    If I were to make the bigger batch with 3 cups of butter, does the amount of sugar and eggs stay the same. If so, does the cake taste more buttery?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 23, 2019 at 10:31 AM

      Hi Hanna! I most often make the larger batch — eggs and sugar stay the same. It will have more of a buttery flavour, but should still be perfectly fine provided you whip it enough 🙂

      Reply
  152. Kristina Park says

    August 20, 2019 at 7:19 PM

    So I have tried multiple Swiss meringue buttercream recipes and can never get the peaks to stiffen before adding butter. I heat it to 160 and everything, cleaned everything well beforehand, but only the bowls with lemon juice. Do you think it’s because I didn’t clean everything that touched the ingredients with lemon juice or vinegar? Could it have to do with my Bosch mixer having a plastic bowl? Or could I be over mixing? I have gone up to like 25 mins mixing on pretty high speed.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 22, 2019 at 9:39 AM

      Hi Kristina! The plastic bowl could definitely be the culprit. Plastic tends to retain grease no matter how much it’s cleaned, but you should definitely wipe the whisks with lemon juice too. Any residual soap, etc can also affect the meringue. Best practice is to wipe everything the egg whites will be in contact with.

      Reply
  153. Vivien says

    August 16, 2019 at 9:54 PM

    Thank you Olivia for sharing your recipe and the excellent tutorial. My question is about storing a frosted/decorated cake. I will be hosting a ladies lunch and birthday party and will need to frost the cake the day before, will the SMBC hold up well on the cake in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to serving? Will the SMBC look/become dry? Should it be covered, if so, do you having any tips on the best way to cover the cake. The cake will be a 3 layer, 7″ round.

    Also, I live in Texas and it is very hot and very humid at the moment, can this effect the SMBC?

    Thank you for any help you can give.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 19, 2019 at 9:49 AM

      Hi Vivien! The SMBC will be perfect in the fridge — that’s how I store all my cakes. The frosting will become quite firm (like butter does) once chilled, so it’s best to leave the cake at room temp for 2-3 hours before serving so it softens again. You don’t “need” to cover it, but if you have any particularly potent smelling things in your fridge (onions, etc), you may want to so that the buttercream doesn’t take on any of those flavours. The humidity might affect the whipping of the meringue, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Just be sure it’s not soupy before you add the butter. I hope that helps. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  154. Sharon Casey says

    August 16, 2019 at 2:30 PM

    5 stars
    Loved the result. Thanks for a detailed and well-written tutorial.

    Mine took forever to cool down. But it got so stiff that it actually slowed the motor on my KitchenAid. I think next time I will do the touch test instead of heating to 160. Mine would have passed the touch test at a cooler temp.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 19, 2019 at 9:46 AM

      Hi Sharon! I always just go by the touch test, but the temp is for people who are worried about eating “uncooked” eggs. So glad you loved it, I hope it doesn’t take as long next time!

      Reply
  155. Amy says

    August 15, 2019 at 6:55 PM

    5 stars
    I just made this and could not get the sugar to melt. 6 egg whites, 2 cups sugar over, not in, simmering water. I stirred for half an hour. I did get the temp up to 160 degrees F, but it turned out very grainy. I had nothing but grainy sugar at the 3 minute mark that you noted in the recipe. What did I do wrong? I eventually gave up and just made it with the grainy sugar.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 16, 2019 at 1:27 PM

      Hi Amy! So strange, that is a LONG time of stirring. Was the water simmering the whole time? How big was the pot & bowl you were using? I wonder if a larger bowl (more surface area) and a larger pot (so it covers a lot of the bottom of the bowl, but the bowl doesn’t touch the water) would help. Did you use regular granulated sugar? You can also try a finer sugar like caster sugar (not powdered sugar). Let me know if you try again!

      Reply
  156. Sally says

    August 12, 2019 at 1:05 PM

    Hi Liv! I had a question about the amount of butter to add. the ingredients say to add 2-3 cups of unsalted butter but how do I know if I add 2 or 3 cups or a little in between?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 12, 2019 at 1:54 PM

      Hi Sally! I talk about that in the recipe notes:

      This recipe makes enough to frost a two layer 8″ cake or 3 layer 6″ cake (using 2 cups butter) or a three layer 8″ cake (using 3 cups butter).

      Either works perfectly fine, it just depends on how much buttercream you need 🙂

      Reply
  157. Jackie Carpenter says

    August 4, 2019 at 2:32 AM

    5 stars
    Made for the first time every today, it’s perfect! Absolutely love the texture, and how beautifully silky it looks and feels. Thank you so much for the easy to follow recipe and tips!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 6, 2019 at 5:12 PM

      Hi Jackie! So glad you found the tips helpful. Yay to a successful first SMBC!

      Reply
  158. Daisysweetcakes says

    August 3, 2019 at 12:43 PM

    Hello Olivia🙋🏻‍♀️I just finished making your Swiss meringue buttercream and the step by step you provided is awesome, I follow exactly as you explain and walla I made my 1st Swiss meringue buttercream I added almond extract and it is banging 😋😋. Thanks for the information it was super helpful no mistakes if you follow exactly the recipe not cutting corners 🙌🏼 Thanks again Olivia will look forward to more recipes on you site. Happy baking 🎂 from Daisysweetcakes

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 6, 2019 at 5:11 PM

      Yay! so happy to hear it worked out for you and that you loved it 🙂

      Reply
  159. Ashley says

    August 2, 2019 at 8:30 AM

    5 stars
    This recipe and tutorial is amazing! Thank you, thank you for all the troubleshooting tips!! As I made this, there were a couple times I would’ve thought I spoiled the recipe had I not read your tips beforehand. I followed your advice and saved the frosting!

    This recipe is delicious. I made the base recipe and it tastes yummy on its own, but I added raspberry puree (about 1 cup) to get a pink color and raspberry flavor. It was light and airy and had a lovely, light raspberry flavor (I love raspberry, so think it could’ve used a stronger flavor, but it was sufficient for the cake). I used this to frost 2 chocolate 2-layer cakes, with a different buttercream frosting between the layers.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 2, 2019 at 4:49 PM

      Hi Ashley! So happy to hear that and thank you for your tips on the raspberry version 🙂

      Reply
  160. Adriana says

    July 27, 2019 at 9:23 AM

    5 stars
    This turned out super well and the troubleshooting section was very helpful! One of the better SMBC recipes I’ve used!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:41 AM

      Thanks so much Adriana! Glad you found it helpful 🙂

      Reply
  161. Amy says

    July 17, 2019 at 2:58 PM

    I am making cupcake a with a fondant flamingo coming from it. The recipe calls for the MBC to be made with powdered sugar which once you put the flamingo head on it goes in fridge for a bit to keep the flamingo from falling off. My question is if I use the grain sugar method instead will it be sturdy enough to keep the flamingo in tact.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 18, 2019 at 4:23 PM

      Hi Amy! I suppose it depends on how heavy the flamingo is. This frosting gets very firm in the fridge so I feel like it would support it just fine if chilled.

      Reply
  162. Kirsten says

    July 17, 2019 at 4:13 AM

    Hi Liv,

    I often find my SMBC to be greasy, I notice it more when I am covering my cake and scraping the sides. sometimes it doesn’t stick as well to the cake. From your trouble shooting guide I think its that I’m not whisking in the butter for long enough (I’ve definitely got stiff peaks and clean bowl etc). I have a kitchen aid… how long roughly do you whisk once all the butter is added?

    Thanks!
    Kirsten

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 18, 2019 at 4:21 PM

      Hi Kristen! It sounds like the buttercream just needs a good whip. Once I add all the butter I whip it all for a good 5mins or so on high, but really until it just looks nice and light and fluffy. Sometimes I rewhip it after I crumb coat the cake before doing the final coat as I find it tends to settle a bit. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  163. Rhian says

    July 15, 2019 at 12:58 AM

    Hey! I made this beautiful recipe today and although delicious, found it a bit thick to pipe with, is that normal? And how could I make it easier to pipe? 🙂 Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 15, 2019 at 2:09 PM

      Hi Rhian! Strange, it should not be thick at all. In fact it should be very light and fluffy. Did you chill the buttercream at all?

      Reply
  164. Ramee says

    July 11, 2019 at 3:54 AM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for the detail we’d recipe. Just wondering what would happen to the buttercream if you use salted butter instead of unsalted butter.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 11, 2019 at 10:01 AM

      Hi Ramee! The buttercream would be less sweet and would taste salty. I don’t like it with salted butter, but it’s a personal preference.

      Reply
  165. Robyn says

    July 10, 2019 at 8:23 AM

    5 stars
    These instructions were so helpful! Mine turned out perfect, no curdling or anything! I halved the recipe and it was just enough for 12 cupcakes with nice big fluffy swirls of icing!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 10, 2019 at 5:12 PM

      Hi Robyn! Yay! So happy to hear that it went off without a hitch on your first try!

      Reply
  166. Anu says

    July 9, 2019 at 5:14 AM

    Hi

    I want to use this for daughters birthday cake. I if I use this for crumb anf final coat and then use it for for piping, do I have to store the cake in fridge afterwards as I would be doing this early morning and we have party late afternoon.

    Please share your insight on storing the cake after decorating.

    Thanks for heaps..

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 10, 2019 at 5:09 PM

      Hi Anu! It should be fine out of the fridge as long as it’s not too hot in your place.

      Reply
    • Mollie says

      August 1, 2019 at 11:53 AM

      5 stars
      Want to make lemon butter cream. Already used your recipe to make regular buttercream. Can I add lemon powdered drink mix to flavor or extract?

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        August 1, 2019 at 4:06 PM

        Hi Mollie! I haven’t tried that myself but either should work fine. Just add it to taste.

        Reply
  167. Melanie Curtin says

    July 7, 2019 at 12:03 PM

    5 stars
    First time I made it it worked AMAZING…… 2nd time I was in more of a hurry cause i waited till the last minute to make a cake for a birthday party, BAD mistake if something could go wrong it did go wrong. IT has taken me FOREVER to get this frosting to whip up so I can frost my cake! Other wise I Love this frosting it is now my go to for when I frost a cake!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 10, 2019 at 5:03 PM

      Hi Melanie! Rushing is a recipe for disaster and I know it all too well!! I hope you were able to get it whipped up properly 🙂

      Reply
  168. Mary Kay says

    July 7, 2019 at 6:48 AM

    I’m excite to try this recipe on my cupcakes. How many will the recipe cover? I pipe my buttercream.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 10, 2019 at 5:02 PM

      Hi Mary Kay! It should work for about 24-36 cupcakes or so depending on how much frosting you use.

      Reply
  169. Thea says

    June 25, 2019 at 2:43 AM

    5 stars
    Very good tutorial, my first try was a total success. I made the buttercream, crumb coated the cake and stored both in the fridge overnight. The next day I let the buttercream warm to room temperature, beat it and it was perfect again. Silky and smooth,.yet when cold holds its shape really well. Im not a huge fun of the buttery taste, but everyone else loved it. Thank you

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 25, 2019 at 9:42 AM

      Hi Thea! Yay! So happy to hear your first go at this was successful. Thanks for your feedback!

      Reply
  170. Kirsten says

    June 23, 2019 at 2:41 PM

    Hi! I tried making this recipe with dairy free baking sticks because my family has a sever milk allergy but we still love SMBC much better than traditional American buttercream. Unfortunately, I found myself with a soupy mess due to the low fat content in said vegan baking sticks. I’ve done a small amount of research in the last day or so and many people recommend a high-ratio shortening if attempting a dairy free version. Do you have any experience with that? Would it be the same amount of shortening as butter? Thanks for any advice!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 25, 2019 at 9:36 AM

      Hi Kristen! Thanks for the tip re: the dairy free butter. I haven’t tried it with shortening myself. Honestly I don’t think anything will work as well as actual butter, but if anything the hi ratio shortening would be your best bet. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
      • Kirsten says

        July 5, 2019 at 5:05 PM

        Hi Olivia! Thanks for the tips! I finally had a few moments to try the frosting with some high ratio shortening today. As expected, flavoring is difficult. The liquid extracts seem to flavor the frosting only a little bit and I’m afraid to add too much liquid. I haven’t tried any fruit flavorings yet but I would assume it’s much more effective. As difficult as the flavor is, the texture is amazing! It’s light and fluffy without being even the slightest bit greasy – yay! I’m excited to keep playing with flavors to find a good method 🙂

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          July 6, 2019 at 11:42 AM

          Yay! Thanks so much for your tips and feedback. Definitely give some powdered freeze-dried fruit a try for flavouring, I find it works amazingly!

          Reply
  171. Isabel says

    June 20, 2019 at 8:00 PM

    Do you know if SMBC holds well under a poured ganache?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 21, 2019 at 9:58 AM

      Hi Isabel! It should work fine provided the cake is chilled and the frosting is firm 🙂

      Reply
  172. Isha says

    June 19, 2019 at 3:42 AM

    Hi there, just wondering if I can make a double quantity of the SMBC in my Kitchen aid ? Will it fit in the bowl ? I have the KSM150 Artisian mixer.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 21, 2019 at 9:52 AM

      Hi Isha! I don’t think that bowl would be big enough for 12 large egg whites.

      Reply
  173. Beatrix Mattyasovszky says

    June 17, 2019 at 3:58 PM

    hi! I am wondering, can I add a bit of berry jam to color the frosting or would it spilt?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 18, 2019 at 2:03 PM

      Hi Beatrix! You can for sure, I would add a little at a time (1 Tbsp or so at a time) to make sure it doesn’t split and be careful not to add too much. My favourite is using freeze-dried berry powders to flavour and color though.

      Reply
  174. Elizabeth says

    June 10, 2019 at 5:52 AM

    How many cupcakes would this Frost I see how much cake it would frost but not cupcakes. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 12, 2019 at 10:15 AM

      Hi Elizabeth! Depending on how much you use on each cupcake it should be good for abut 36 +/-.

      Reply
  175. Amanda says

    June 8, 2019 at 4:04 AM

    5 stars
    I love SMBC but no matter what I do I always get air bubbles, so the final cake never has that super smooth finish. What am I doing wrong?? Tell me your secrets! 😄

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 9, 2019 at 2:04 PM

      Hi Amanda! I run my mixer on low for a couple mins at the very end to knock out some of the bubbles and then use a spatula by hand to knock out some more. Also, when smoothing on the cake, be sure to use light pressure as pressing too hard can make more bubbles show.

      Reply
  176. tohid says

    June 7, 2019 at 4:53 AM

    would u plz tell us how many grams is the butter???. is it written 2 or 3 cups??? I didn’t get it
    thank u a billion

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 9, 2019 at 1:59 PM

      Hi there! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients – 454-680g depending on how much buttercream you need. I’ve made it both ways. See my notes in the blog post for how much is needed depending on the size of the cake.

      Reply
  177. Kristen says

    June 3, 2019 at 12:16 PM

    5 stars
    I love SMBC and this is one of my favorite recipes! I love that it includes troubleshooting, which was crucial when I was first learning to make this buttercream.

    I do have a question! When I frost a cake using SMBC, the frosting often has bubbles in it, which makes it really difficult to smooth out to get nice crisp edges. Do you have any tips?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 3, 2019 at 2:38 PM

      Hi Kristen! So glad you found this post helpful 🙂 I usually run my mixer on the lowest setting for a couple minutes after the buttercream has come together to knock out some of the bubbles. I then knock some more out with a spatula. When smoothing a cake though, be sure to use light pressure as pressing too hard can cause bubbles too. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  178. Shannon says

    May 30, 2019 at 2:49 AM

    5 stars
    I got to the curdled soup panic stage and tried the double boiler trick. It turned out perfect after a few more minutes of whipping!! Than you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 3, 2019 at 2:23 PM

      Awesome!!

      Reply
  179. Sean Gillis says

    May 22, 2019 at 11:26 AM

    Would you recommend this recipe to go under fondant? Thanks, Sean

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 24, 2019 at 1:35 PM

      Hi Sean! For sure, it works great under fondant! Just be sure to chill the cake well so that the frosting is firm.

      Reply
  180. Maryann says

    May 16, 2019 at 11:10 AM

    5 stars
    This was my first time attempting a Swiss Meringue buttercream. Your Instructions were really easy to follow and I had amazing results. The buttercream looked and tasted amazing! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 21, 2019 at 4:54 PM

      Hi Maryann! I am so glad you had a successful first attempt and that you loved it! Thanks for the feedback 🙂

      Reply
    • Gifty says

      January 10, 2020 at 5:50 AM

      5 stars
      Every time i see any frosting that starts has the word “boil”, I just run like hell. But reading your notes and instructions, I was tempted to try this and the resulting frosting was amazing.
      Thanks to you, I’m not afraid of meringues anymore

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        January 12, 2020 at 11:31 AM

        Hi Gifty! I’m so happy you tried this and are no longer afraid of meringues!! 🙂

        Reply
  181. Liz says

    May 16, 2019 at 5:07 AM

    THANK YOU for this tutorial!! This has to be one of the best posts I’ve seen about SMBC. I’ve always been an American Buttercream type of girl but you’ve given me the confidence to give SMBC a try!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 16, 2019 at 9:54 AM

      Hi Liz! So happy that you found it helpful 😀 Please let me know how your first SMBC turns out!

      Reply
  182. Angie says

    May 14, 2019 at 8:03 AM

    I see you didn’t have a “key lime ” flavor…I’m assuming you can add key lime/lime juice with zest at the end of mixing the frosting ?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 15, 2019 at 4:39 PM

      Hi Angie! Yes, I would start with the zest and the add juice as needed. Be careful not to add too much liquid.

      Reply
      • Janet W says

        June 3, 2019 at 12:03 PM

        You can get freeze dried lime (ot lemon) juice on Amazon. It’s called True Lime. It would work fantastic for this and would not add any liquid. It tastes like fresh lime juice.

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          June 3, 2019 at 2:37 PM

          Hi Janet! This is an awesome tip, thank you!!

          Reply
          • Chelsea says

            July 26, 2019 at 4:14 PM

            5 stars
            I really want to make your Lemon Blueberry cake and try it with the fault line trend using thin lemon slices. I’m thinking white frosting would look sleeker – do you have an idea on lemon SMBC instead of blueberry? Should I use lemon extract or try freeze dried lemon powder?

            Also, I ALWAYS go back to your SMBC recipe after having tried a few. It has saved me on numerous occasions (i.e. my first 3 tier wedding cake) from freaking out when little things may go wrong. Thank you thank you!!

          • Olivia says

            July 29, 2019 at 11:40 AM

            Hi Chelsea! So happy you love my SMBC recipe! For lemon there are a few things you could do — I love using lemon zest, I find it adds a delicious flavour, but you will have flecks of it in there. You could also just use some juice, but I don’t like to add too much liquid to my SMBC. Lemon curd is an amazing addition, if you feel like making it (you will have the yolks left over from the SMBC and all 🙂 ). Freeze-dried lemon would be the easiest most flavour impact if you can find it. Lastly, if all else fails, you can use lemon extract. I don’t love using extracts because I find them to taste artificial. I hope that helps! Let me know what you decide 🙂 Oh and for all of these I just do them to taste, so just add a little at a time until you get your desired flavour.

  183. Pat says

    May 11, 2019 at 9:24 PM

    so….not sure what I am doing wrong…..
    I have made this many times. Each time with a thermometer (and several times i’ve used 3 different ones…all with the same temp showing). I use a gas stove.
    problem:
    my whites/sugar takes FOREVER to heat to 160* (ike 20 min…) and another 45 min (with ice bags surrounding the mixer bowl) to cool down and come to a soft peak.
    any suggestions??
    HELP!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 13, 2019 at 12:17 PM

      Hi Pat! Sorry to hear you’re having some trouble with this one. Is your bowl sitting directly over a pat of simmering water? It should not take that long to heat! Are you using a glass bowl by change? Those do not conduct heat very well and could be why it’s taking so long to heat/cool.

      Reply
      • pat says

        May 16, 2019 at 8:09 PM

        I use my stainless kitchen aid bowl direct over the boiling water…

        Reply
        • Patricia says

          June 25, 2019 at 3:43 PM

          Takes me almost 20 minutes to heat the sugar and egg whites to 160. Other than that this is an awesome recipe for SMBC.

          Reply
          • Olivia says

            June 28, 2019 at 9:33 AM

            Hi Patricia! Strange that it takes so long 😮 Is your bowl directly over the simmering water? So glad you liked it!!

  184. Alyssa says

    May 9, 2019 at 11:49 AM

    I just want to say I love your recipes and blog! It’s so helpful and down to earth. I was wondering if you have ever added cream cheese to SMBC? Is that a thing or does that go against rules? I’m new to baking and not sure, but I love cream cheese frosting and SMBC and wondered if they can be mixed.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 10, 2019 at 12:06 PM

      Hi Alyssa! Thank you for your sweet comment! I haven’t added CC to SMBC myself and I know people have had trouble doing that. I’ve added mascarpone before and I swear it was fine, but that was years ago and I can’t totally remember. What I’ve head with CC SMBC is that you should whip up the CC and the SMBC separately and then slowly add the SMBC to the whipped CC (1 Tbsp at a time). It seems like a lot of effort so I haven’t been bothered to try it yet. Let me know if you do!

      Reply
  185. Katie says

    April 29, 2019 at 5:01 PM

    Hello! I was just wondering what you do with all your egg yolks when you make SMB?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 1, 2019 at 2:04 PM

      Hi Katie! Honestly, most of them go into the organics bin, but you can use them to make pastry cream (custard, pudding) or various types of curds.

      Reply
    • Deborah Chapman says

      May 29, 2019 at 5:54 PM

      Make lemon curd! It freezes beautifully. You can then add it to stabilized whipped cream for a lovely, light lemon mousse cake filling. Or serve it just as mousse. You can add lemon curd to cream cheese frosting, too, for a good lemon frosting.

      Reply
  186. Donna Augustyn says

    April 27, 2019 at 5:34 AM

    I love the idea of this recipe but the printing options are not convenient. why all the steps and ‘adding extensions’, etc.? Can you make this simpler to enjoy and use…

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 1, 2019 at 1:57 PM

      Hi Donna, I’m not totally sure what you mean. If you hit Print in the recipe card it should open a new tab with an easily printable version of the recipe.

      Reply
    • Georgia says

      June 11, 2019 at 12:58 PM

      Hi.. can you paint SMBC with gold (luster dust and vodka) once it has set?

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        June 12, 2019 at 10:23 AM

        Hi Georgia! I’ve never tried it myself but suspect it would be fine once the buttercream firms up.

        Reply
  187. Eydie says

    April 23, 2019 at 7:44 AM

    I will be baking my daughter’s wedding cake & will be using both your simple vanilla buttercream & your swiss meringue buttercream. The wedding is 6 hours from where i live. My plan is to do the crumb coating at my house, then finish the frosting once I arrived. My question is two-fold: 1) can both frostings be made ahead of time 2) do both frostings freeze?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 23, 2019 at 2:00 PM

      Hi Eydie! Yes and yes! Both freeze very well and just need a good rewhip before using.

      Reply
  188. C Clark says

    April 15, 2019 at 6:10 PM

    Just made your dulce de leche buttercream. I have never worked with SMBC before and was a little surprised by the final product; purely smooth and light, buttery and sweet but not sickly sweet like American buttercream can be. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 16, 2019 at 1:46 PM

      Hi Carolyn! I love that recipe, so glad you liked it too!

      Reply
  189. Holly says

    March 30, 2019 at 8:26 PM

    I need to make this with an articifal sugar, like Swerve, any thoughts?
    Also, I’ve noticed the recipe could easily be halved. Do you think that would be ok for a trial run?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 1, 2019 at 4:44 PM

      Hi Holly! I haven’t tried artificial sugar myself, but I suspect it won’t whip up as firm a meringue. I think it’s definitely worth trying though and yes you can halve the recipe!

      Reply
  190. Sharon says

    March 30, 2019 at 2:35 PM

    Hi i am just worrying about ..others are adding some powdered sugar to smb .. i tried it for how many times but the result is became runny….after adding powdered sugar

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 1, 2019 at 4:43 PM

      Hi Sharon! I’ve never added powdered sugar myself. I know some people add American buttercream and mix the two.

      Reply
  191. Sophie says

    March 30, 2019 at 1:17 PM

    Been trying to do the buttercream but tried twice and have made sure to do everything perfectly but won’t peak to save my love maybe my mixer is not great but can’t see why this would effect it now my cake is going to have to have normal buttercream as ran out of. Eggs sadly !!!????

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 1, 2019 at 4:42 PM

      Hi Sophie! Have you made sure the under side of your mixer is clean too? If you’ve followed all my tips and troubleshooting that’s the only other thing I can think of.

      Reply
  192. Margarita Álvarez says

    March 29, 2019 at 10:34 AM

    Hello. My query is: there is variation in the recipe, depending on whether it is for the coverage of the cake, or if it is to make flowers for the decoration

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 1, 2019 at 4:37 PM

      Hi Margarita! It depends on the size of cake you’re making and how much frosting you need.

      Reply
  193. Anu says

    March 26, 2019 at 9:30 PM

    Hi

    How many cupcakes will this batch frost ?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 27, 2019 at 2:07 PM

      Hi Anu! I’m not sure as I’ve never used it for cupcakes myself. Hopefully someone else can help!

      Reply
    • Kaila says

      April 3, 2019 at 3:47 PM

      Hi! I used half a batch to frost 16 cupcakes!

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        April 8, 2019 at 9:53 AM

        Thanks for the tip Kaila!

        Reply
  194. Shawnie says

    March 25, 2019 at 7:36 PM

    4 stars
    Just made this for the first time. Frosting is really smooth. My hubby likes it.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 27, 2019 at 1:54 PM

      Hi Shawnie! So glad he liked it!

      Reply
  195. chahinez says

    March 25, 2019 at 5:04 PM

    5 stars
    Hello Olivia!
    I just wanted to let you know that you have an awesome blog! I personally loved this specific swiss meringue recipe!!

    I have been working on a small batch cream cheese frosting that I recently posted and I made sure to link back to your website for those interested in this beautiful Swiss meringue buttercream!

    Have a great rest of your day!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 27, 2019 at 1:54 PM

      Hi Chahinez! Thank you! I’m so glad you like it. I’ll have to check your post out!

      Reply
  196. Sylvie Gauthier says

    March 24, 2019 at 4:12 AM

    I was having a hard time with my SMB, I finally tried whipping my butter ahead of time. That works great for me .
    Thank you for all your tips and recipes ,

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 24, 2019 at 10:02 AM

      Thank you Sylvie!

      Reply
  197. Kandace says

    March 22, 2019 at 9:21 AM

    Thanks for sharing all the tips! I tried three different recipes multiple times….. probably 10 lbs of butter all together…. and I think it was your lemon juice cleanse that made it finally work!! Came out perfectly the first time!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 22, 2019 at 1:20 PM

      Yay! So glad to hear that!! The lemon juice really makes all the difference — it’s a step I never skip!

      Reply
  198. Irma says

    March 21, 2019 at 12:01 PM

    thank you for your detailed instruction. Can I used this to pipe rosette for the cake?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 22, 2019 at 1:19 PM

      Hi Irma! Yes, this will work fine to pipe rosettes.

      Reply
  199. Linda says

    March 20, 2019 at 4:38 PM

    5 stars
    This is my new favorite type of frosting! I have a question: As an activity to thank my staff I am bringing in unfrosted cupcakes along with frosting and different items so that my staff can decorate the cupcakes and bring them home to share. If I make the SMBC the night before, put it in pastry bags and bring it in the next day – will they be able to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 22, 2019 at 1:12 PM

      Hi Linda! Yay! I’m so happy to hear that you love it. They will be able to pipe it onto the cupcakes. You can refrigerate it or not, either way, but it will need to come to room temp again before piping. The only thing is that the frosting won’t be as perfect and smooth. SMBC could always use a rewhip if sitting for a while, but I don’t think it would be a disaster at any rate 🙂

      Reply
  200. Irma says

    March 20, 2019 at 12:46 PM

    Hi Liv

    First of all let me tell you that my son love your Oreo cheesecake cupcake. Every year for his birthday, he always asked me make that cupcake as his treat to his classmates. Thank you for this detailed instructions and troubleshooting guide. Can I use this Swiss meringue buttercream to pipe rosette on the cake?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 22, 2019 at 1:09 PM

      Hi Irma! So glad your son likes it 🙂 You can totally use this buttercream to pipe rosettes!

      Reply
  201. Emy says

    March 19, 2019 at 3:43 AM

    The recipe is perfectly detailed and the additional tips are awesome.
    Can I use a mixture of sunflower oil and butter to make this?
    If yes, then in what ratio?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 19, 2019 at 1:52 PM

      Hi Emy! I’m so glad you found it helpful! And no, I would stick to only butter.

      Reply
  202. L says

    March 15, 2019 at 1:06 PM

    I’m confused — when would you use 2 C. butter, and when would you use 3 C. butter? The variance seems extreme to me.

    I’d love to try this recipe.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 16, 2019 at 10:26 AM

      Hi there! Per the notes in the recipe: This recipe makes enough to frost a two layer 8″ cake or 3 layer 6″ cake (using 2 cups butter) or a three layer 8″ cake (using 3 cups butter). It just depends on how large your cake is and how much buttercream you need.

      Reply
  203. Julie norris says

    March 12, 2019 at 12:38 PM

    5 stars
    I have never made Swiss Buttercream before and this recipe made it so easy! I cut the recipe in half and used it for cupcakes I will be making this again!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 13, 2019 at 1:51 PM

      Hi Julie! So glad to hear that you loved it and found it easy!

      Reply
  204. Marni says

    March 7, 2019 at 3:49 PM

    First, thanks for this!! I’ve made it a few times now and SMBC is my preferred frosting!

    It says it’s good for 1-2 days on the counter and up to two weeks in the fridge. If I make a cake Sunday night, can I take it to work Monday and leave it out the entire day (it will be eaten Monday so probably less than the whole day lol). How should I store it in the fridge Sunday?

    Thanks!!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 8, 2019 at 3:39 PM

      Hi Marni!! That will be totally fine. If you leave it out, the buttercream will get quite soft, but that’s how I prefer to eat it. If storing the cake whole, you can just pop it in the fridge — if you have an airtight container it will fit in that’s even better, but I never bother. If your fridge has some strong smells though, you might want to consider the container for sure!

      Reply
  205. Juliana says

    March 4, 2019 at 8:31 PM

    👋🏼 , in grams could you do the conversion? from cups to grams?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 7, 2019 at 11:49 AM

      Hi Juliana! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.

      Reply
  206. Jessica Chow says

    March 2, 2019 at 6:00 PM

    Hi, thank you for sharing the receipe and your steps of making is so clear and easy. Especially love the tips for white frosting. I do have a question … what size egg do you use (medium or large) for the egg white. Do you have it in gram?
    Thank you Jessica C

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 4, 2019 at 8:54 AM

      Hi Jessica! I use large eggs — should be about 30g per white.

      Reply
      • Vivien says

        March 23, 2019 at 5:46 PM

        Hi Olivia,

        This is probably a silly question but can I heat up the egg white and sugar mixture in another bowl and then transfer it to the stand mixer bowl? My stand mixer bowl is glass and heavy so don’t want to put it over a double boiler.

        Thanks,
        Vivien

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          March 24, 2019 at 10:00 AM

          Hi Vivien! Sure thing, just make sure both bowls are wiped down with lemon juice or vinegar.

          Reply
  207. Melissa says

    February 28, 2019 at 10:38 AM

    This is a great post! I’ve never tried making SMB before but I’ve been wanting to for a while and this makes me feel ready! One question that I feel kind of dumb asking but…. if you frost a cake with SMB and then keep it in the fridge for a day will it be fine once it comes back to room temperature? Or will the frosting somehow separate while already on the cake?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 1, 2019 at 9:52 AM

      Hi Melissa! Not dumb at all. The frosting gets very firm in the fridge (like butter), but will soften up again at room temperature. It will not separate — it will be perfect!

      Reply
  208. Zara says

    February 28, 2019 at 8:01 AM

    Hi Olivia, thank you for the tip to add some blue/violet to the SMBC to get that white color. Question, could I do the same with a white chocolate drip cake?

    Thank you for all your great recipes!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 1, 2019 at 9:52 AM

      Hi Zara! I imagine that would work in a similar fashion 🙂

      Reply
  209. Michelle says

    February 26, 2019 at 7:29 AM

    Amazing recipe and great tips!. May I please ask if I can use lemon curd to the buttercream? If so how much of lemon curd should one add? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 27, 2019 at 3:39 PM

      Hi Michelle! You sure can. I would start with 1/4 cup and see if the flavour comes through. Add more (by small amounts) until it’s where you want it to be.

      Reply
  210. Bożena Witka says

    February 21, 2019 at 1:29 PM

    Hey. Can you specify the amount of butter in grams. I am from Poland and we have a different measure.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 23, 2019 at 12:41 PM

      Cześć Bożena! I’m from Krakow 🙂 There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients. Butter would be 454-681g depending on if you use 2 or 3 cups.

      Reply
  211. Kelly says

    February 17, 2019 at 7:36 PM

    Can you heat it in a separate bowl over the double boiler and then pour it into your mixing bowl?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 18, 2019 at 3:36 PM

      Hi Kelly! Yes, that will work. I wouldn’t recommend using a glass bowl though as they don’t conduct heat as well.

      Reply
      • Rebecca Hamilton says

        March 3, 2019 at 7:01 AM

        I used a glass bowl as a double boiler and it came out perfect!!!! I did need to standby by and adjust my heat a few times but my stove is electric.

        Reply
  212. Gideon says

    February 16, 2019 at 1:37 AM

    Oh wow!!!! This is currently my FAVORITE SMBC recipe 💚💚 I’ve made it 4 times within the last month 😂😂 I just can’t get enough of it…my motherinlaw will come over to eat some with her cookies like a sandwich too…and she is a TOUGH one too please with bake goods!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 17, 2019 at 10:25 AM

      Hi Gideon! Four times, wow! That is high praise. I am so glad you (and your MIL 🙂 ) both like it!

      Reply
      • Gideon says

        February 18, 2019 at 7:33 PM

        Annnnnnd I just made another batch again today 🤣🤣 I tried it with brown sugar like in your GCC recipe…SUPER good too!! Brown sugar gives it such a beautiful flavor…thanks for the idea and the perfect recipe!!

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          February 19, 2019 at 2:33 PM

          LOVE the brown sugar version!! So glad you did too 🙂

          Reply
  213. Kat says

    February 12, 2019 at 2:16 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you for all the tips and tricks. The frosting was divine on a banana cake!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 12, 2019 at 4:58 PM

      Hi Kat! So glad to hear you liked it!

      Reply
  214. Janice says

    February 2, 2019 at 3:17 PM

    I’m making a Golden Wedding anniversary cake, 2 layers, an almond cake, and a vanilla cake. Could this recipe be used to fill and crumb coat? Also, could I add 2 or 3 tablespoons of homemade lemon curd to the finished SMBC without ruining it?! Thank you for any advice.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 6, 2019 at 1:24 PM

      Hi Janice! Yes, this recipe works great to fill and crumb coat and sets very firm. And yes to the lemon curd!

      Reply
  215. Tiff says

    February 2, 2019 at 3:07 PM

    I would like to try this for a three layer 8″ cake. Does your suggestion of 3 cups of butter mean the sugar and eggs amounts remain the same no matter how much butter you use?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 6, 2019 at 1:23 PM

      Hi Tiff! Yes, that’s correct for this particular recipe. I wouldn’t add more than 3 cups of butter though without increasing the whites/sugar.

      Reply
  216. Merilyn Torres says

    January 27, 2019 at 6:05 AM

    5 stars
    I was given this recipe by friend and I kid you not, it is the best icing I have ever used or tasted! I separated my icing in 3 equal parts and made raspberry, peanut butter, and Oreo flavored icing for cupcakes and everyone raved about how good the icing was. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 28, 2019 at 4:43 PM

      Yay! So happy to hear that Merilyn 🙂

      Reply
  217. Courtney says

    January 21, 2019 at 7:55 PM

    5 stars
    I switch to a paddle when adding the butter and for some reason when I go to frost my cake I get a million air bubbles all over my cake. Any advise?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 24, 2019 at 4:29 PM

      Hi Courtney! You’d get even more with the whisk! I always run my mixer on low for a few mins after the buttercream has come together to knock any bubbles out and then take a spatula to it to knock out even more.

      Reply
  218. Pema says

    January 19, 2019 at 1:15 PM

    If I’m making a half sheet cake will the provided amount of buttercream be enough or should I double it?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 19, 2019 at 5:50 PM

      Hi Pema! I’ve never used it on a sheet cake (or half sheet cake) but I think the amount would be plenty.

      Reply
  219. Yoko says

    January 15, 2019 at 10:19 AM

    Hi Liv,

    Love SMB, too. Just wondering, have you tried it using under fondant?

    Thank you, this is very informative. Saved this already, been using your recipe.❤

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 15, 2019 at 1:09 PM

      Hi Yoko! It should work just fine under fondant. I recommend chilling the cake first so the buttercream is firm.

      Reply
  220. Jo says

    January 15, 2019 at 9:53 AM

    5 stars
    The whitening tip is genius!! Thank you Olivia xx

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 15, 2019 at 1:09 PM

      Thanks Jo! I am seriously impressed with how well it works!

      Reply
  221. Rachel says

    January 11, 2019 at 6:06 PM

    5 stars
    Everything you do is so amazing you gave me courage to try SMBC (I love the acronym – like a secret club!)
    But my first attempt came up ‘curdled’ and freaked me out. A semi panicked but mostly annoyed google search later I found a Serious Eats tutorial that shared the magical number 74 degeees. If you cool (or heat it – if yours has chilled out in the fridge or freezer) it to 74 degrees it will be perfect!! That was so helpful for me to know if I needed it warmer or colder to get the texture right.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 14, 2019 at 3:49 PM

      Hi Rachel! So glad to hear you made your first SMBC! And awesome tip about the temp! Super helpful for sure.

      Reply
  222. Amanda Liberato says

    January 5, 2019 at 3:18 PM

    5 stars
    Ignore my comment about the grams Liv! I’ve just found out the metric option!

    Thanks for your time!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 5, 2019 at 3:34 PM

      No worries! Leaving it here in case other’s have the same question 🙂

      Reply
  223. Amanda Liberato says

    January 5, 2019 at 2:53 PM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing all these useful information! It’s very precious for people like me who are beginning to use SMBC.
    I have a small doubt, how much in grams or oz is one cup of butter? I never know if I should press the butter on the cup to fill it all or not.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 5, 2019 at 3:34 PM

      Hi Amanda! There’s an option to convert to Metric right below the list of ingredients. I haven’t verified the accuracy of these numbers, but they should be correct for the basics like butter, flour, sugar, etc.

      Reply
  224. Zina says

    January 4, 2019 at 10:59 PM

    5 stars
    Can I substitute butter with baking margarine. I mean if I don’t have butter can’t I use the margarine instead. Would it have any effect on the end product. Thank you very much for your good work

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 5, 2019 at 3:35 PM

      Hi Zina! I don’t think the margarine would give the correct flavour texture since it’s not dairy based and softer than butter when chilled. I could be wrong, I’ve never tried myself, but my gut tells me it wouldn’t work as well. Can’t hurt to try it though if that’s all you have available?

      Reply
  225. Lamya says

    January 4, 2019 at 3:06 PM

    You are such an honest person.
    I have been almost studying butteecream last year and I can say you left nothing out!
    I only have one thing to add to your very useful source, if you are short on time or in the mood for a short cut, I recommend a quick no cook version that really worked great for me, it is great, easy and predictble.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 4, 2019 at 4:18 PM

      Thanks Lamya! For the no cook version do you just whip the whites and sugar right away? Or do you dissolve the sugar somehow? How do you ensure it’s not grainy?

      Reply
  226. Beth says

    January 4, 2019 at 9:52 AM

    I have never made SMB but I made it for the lemon elderflower cake. After adding the butter, it got soupy-curdly until I added the elderflower syrup. Once I added that it suddenly became perfect. I can’t wait to try other flavors!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 4, 2019 at 1:41 PM

      Hi Beth! Interesting that adding the syrup fixed it, I wonder if it just needed extra time whipping? Either way, I’m glad it worked out!

      Reply
  227. Elina says

    January 4, 2019 at 9:11 AM

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for such detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips! You are the best! 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      January 4, 2019 at 1:40 PM

      Thanks Elina! I’m glad you found them useful!

      Reply
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I'm Olivia, a professionally trained pastry chef, recipe developer, and photographer from Vancouver, BC. Creating classic cake recipes with a modern twist.
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