I don't know why I am afraid of some recipes. After all I am the daughter of a Home Economics teacher who is an amazing cook and baker. I grew up watching her make delicious desserts using all kinds of techniques. Why then was I afraid of making Swiss Meringue Buttercream? Simply because you had to cook the egg whites and sugar and then whip into a meringue before adding the butter? No more! I was going to tackle this recipe and make it mine!
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl (I used the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer) set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar has dissolved. (A candy thermometer is crucial anytime you are cooking sugar.)
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (using the bowl of your mixer makes this step a breeze). Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.
Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don't worry, it will come together!). Stir in the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Tint with paste icing color as desired.
Yield: about 5 cups
More photos of these beauties in my Flickr stream
To get my courage up to attempt this recipe I watched the video below on You Tube to see exactly what the steps were in creating this wonderful frosting. I used the recipe above but I followed her steps. This Buttercream is light and silky and a dream to pipe onto cupcakes! This first batch I piped onto some Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes and they were divine in their vanilla deliciousness. I took them to work and they were devoured by 10:30 am. I can't wait to make different flavors to adorn all my cupcake creations.
Thanks for this recipe! The icing is SO good! I did find it to be a little on the soft side when I piped it onto the cupcakes, so I'm not sure how to fix that. It was great though!!
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