Hey, guess what? We’re having a birthday! We can’t believe we’ve been at this for two whole years now. On the one hand, it’s gone by in a flash and on the other, it seems like it’s been a part of our lives forever. Either way, we’re so thankful for all of you who have helped turn this little home-spun recipe sharing platform into a full-on food blog with thousands of readers. We know a lot of you feel like you “know” us, and we feel like we know you too! We’ve had so many exciting things happen over this past year, some we have yet to share with you (but get excited, they’re big!) And others you’ve enjoyed right along with us. Thanks for your emails, your comments, and your daily support. We swear we have the best readers in the blogosphere and we love you! We’re going to keep working hard this coming year to always keep your tummies happy!
There are a gazillion recipes for Swiss Buttercream out there and they are all very similar. You can find one from a source you trust and take it from there. There was one linked in the video I provided earlier, and this Martha Stewart recipe is also really popular. The recipe below is a combination of a recipe found on the food network and many others I researched.
Swiss Buttercream
1 C egg whites
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
2 C unsalted butter (that’s 4 sticks) at room temperature and cut into chunks. *
1 tsp vanilla extract
*You could probably get away with only 3 sticks of butter if you wanted to. The finished product is *very* buttery, so I’ve been meaning to give it a shot with a little less butter and see if it turns out okay.
This recipe makes a large batch that’s enough to generously frost a 2 layer 9″ round cake. It could easily be halved.
Whip sugar and egg whites together in a double boiler until the temperature reaches 160 degrees F and sugar is dissolved.
Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip until mixture is cooled and soft, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add butter a few pieces at a time until incorporated. Don’t panic if mixture appears curdled. Continue beating until butter is incorporated and frosting is fluffy and smooth. It can take 8-12 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.
To limit air bubbles, switch to paddle attachment and beat at the very lowest speed for 5 minutes.
Storage: After decorating with frosting store cake/cupcakes at room temperature. To store for future use, place in an airtight container and store in the fridge. When ready to use, bring to room temperature and beat until light and fluffy.
It is one of the yummiest frostings I have ever tasted. I like butter and that’s why it is so good. The first time I made it was for my granddaughter’s birthday. It turned out fantastic. I should mention that my mother had a home business. She was a wedding cake baker. She was a self taught cake decorator and I don’t know how many frostings she made over the years, but I know my frostings and when I say this the best tasting frosting, I had a lot to judge from.
I made this for the first time today, to go on a homemade strawberry cake. I thought it smelled a little egg-y while it was on the double boiler and while it was whipping, but once I put in the butter (I used only 3 sticks) it stopped smelling like that. I also used 2 tsp. vanilla, plus 1 tsp. of almond, and that tasted good but I wanted to tone down the butter a bit. So I added a splash of lemon extract and whipped it for a few seconds and WOW, it is amazing! The frosting is incredibly silky, not at all too sweet. Even my husband who can’t stand frosting (he always scrapes it off, which is okay because then I can accidentally scoop it up and eat it 🙂 really liked this frosting. Thanks for sharing the recipe, you ladies are Awesome!
Can you add lemon zest and lemon juice to this? Or do i need to adjust some of the measurements?
I was hesitant to try to make any other kind of frosting except cream cheese frosting, but I was dying to try this recipe! I made my dad a banana cake for father’s day and decided to give this recipe a whirl =) and oh my gosh am I glad that I did! I searched the internet frantically for a SMB frosting recipe and finally I saw this one. I thought it would have been difficult but it was extremely easy to make (thanks to your detailed instructions). When I tasted the frosting it was heavenly and I didn’t even add flavoring to it at that point! I eventually added almond extract and it was amazing! The only question I have is that if I am going to frost the cake do I have to keep it refrigerated? I’m thinking I do, but I just want to make sure =) Thank you for this AMAZING recipe!
Katrina, I only refrigerate cakes if I’m going to leave them overnight. Same day, room temp is usually just fine. Glad you liked the frosting!
This my second time i made this type of frosting i was amazing that this frosting don’t taste to sweet as traditional frosting. I had a lot of complements for the frosting. I love it is creamy and tasty. If you want to put the leftover cake in the fridge the frosting tendy to hard up, but you can let to room tempeture for 1 hour and the frosting is going to be creamy again.
Sorry. I meant to say 1 stick of butter. Doh !
I tried this recipe, halved, and used meringue powder instead of egg whites and used three sticks of butter. It was light, almost whipped cream airy. Instead of using it as icing, I decided to inject it into chocolate cupcakes and dipped the tops in melted white chocolate with mint extract. They were pretty delicious.
Congratulations (very belatedly) on your blog anniversary.
I made this last night as a trial for a batch I want to make this weekend for cupcakes for my bridal shower. I opted for less butter (only 3 sticks) and the flavor was still buttery but I wouldn’t describe it as overwhelming, it’s more like cool whip or regular meringue. I loved the flavor, but didn’t love that it didn’t come back together quite as stiff as I would have liked. Since it was just a trial batch and I was impatient, I didn’t whip it as long as I probably should have.
My real batch of frosting this weekend will be whipped longer so hopefully it will come together stiffer so the frosting will hold up better on the cupcakes.
Has anyone else tried this with less butter? How did yours come out?
Hi Sara,
I’m just wondering if the egg whites will turn white (cooked) once it’s on the double boiler instead of staying clear (uncooked state). Will this affect how it will whip later on?
Farah, egg whites don’t have to turn white to be cooked. They’re cooked when the reach the temperature mentioned in the recipe, so don’t worry- you’re not whipping up scrambled eggs here!
My hubby says I’m buttering up the “butter frosting” ladies. Maybe so, but I’ve been looking for a delicious whipped frosting and today, I found it! (Couldn’t keep my husband away from the cupcakes I frosted with it, either.) The frosting piped on beautiful. I topped with some Easter sprinkles, along with a small pinch of white sparkling sugar. This frosting holds up well, is not too sweet, silky smooth, light, and the taste is awesome! I doubt if I’ll ever use pwd. sugar frosting again. I found your tutorial to be excellent and I will definitely share your site with my friends. So there! How’s that for buttering you girls up? You sure deserve it! Thanks so much!
I finally got up the nerve to make this recipe last night and it is fantastic! I halved the recipe and made enough to frost about 8 cupcakes that I brought to work (the cupcakes didn’t last long, I didn’t even get one lol). I didn’t think it would be this easy to make, this is now my new favorite buttercream. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Ok, I’m going to buckle down and try this. I was just wondering, if I want to flavor it with lemon extract should I add that in place of the vanilla? Thanks!
It really doesn’t matter- you can do in addition to or instead of the vanilla 🙂
I’ve tried Martha Stewart’s recipe and it never comes back together for me after adding all the butter. My textbook from culinary school scales back on the butter (8oz egg whites/16 oz sugar/14 oz butter), and that is what I normally use for Swiss buttercream. I love how airy and fluffy it is, and it has a great white color (compared to standard buttercream or cream cheese frosting).
For leftover yolks, I usually make ice cream or creme brulee. =)
I tried this today with your culinary school measurements and it turned out delicious.
Made these friday night for a party on saturday. Stirred in twice the vanilla plus a teaspoon of almond extract yum plus some violet gel coloring and let it (the color that is) set overnight….turned out beautiful! I got a million compliments, thank you ladies! Just a tip….I had a moment of panic when the frosting came out on day 2 totally seperated. By 'whip again' you are really whipping it like you did the first time….a full 7-9 minutes!
Just wanted to add a note that you should definitely use UN-salted butter in this recipe. I made the mistake of overlooking that part in the 1:2:3 tutorial and ended up with some VERY SALTY tasting nastiness. Don't want anyone to end up with the same. But adding a pinch of salt to the egg whites helps break up the proteins and make them behave better 🙂
Becky- it definitely has a strong butter flavor! So you might not have done anything wrong. It shouldn't taste like *pure* butter, but it should definitely taste like light, sweetened buttery, goodness 🙂
Ok so I made this and well it tasted like butter beautiful and light and fluffy but just butter. What did I do wrong?
This frosting looks fabulous. I have been wanting to try one of the buttercreams. I don't understand however why you say this is easier than a French Buttercream? I was looking at Duff Goldmans recipe for a French Buttercream and it seems the same only without the cooking part. Just whip the egg whites and sugar and add in the butter.
This frosting is my favorite! Thanks for the great tutorial and for inspiring me to try this! YUM!
Lauren, I'd say just switch to your paddle as soon as the frosting is the consistency you want it. And then beat it at a very low speed with the paddle after that.
yummy yummy yummy it really does taste like sweetened butter. thanks for the step by step instructions!
p.s. on the text only you talk about using the paddle to not get air bubbles. would you do that to replace the last 5 minutes of regular mixing, or in addition to, after you add the vanilla? Thank!
Carlee- it's the Wilton 1M tip. It's one of the big jumbo sized ones. You can use it without a coupler, or if you buy a coupler, make sure you get the extra big one!
Can you tell me what tip you used to frost the cupcakes in this picture? I love how they look, but I don't have that tip and will need to go buy it before I make this. Thanks!!!
I've been looking for a great frosting recipe! I'll have to give this one a try and I'll keep you posted!
Made this for our RS birthday dinner cupcakes. Turned out wonderful with the strawberry freezer jam. It tasted like Bryers strawberry ice cream. YUM! Thanks for another great recipe.
I made this frosting last night. It was SO tasty and pretty. I could not believe its silkiness.
Like mentioned in the recipe, this frosting melts easily. I actually had to refrigerate it to make it thick enough for the piping bag.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Happy Blogiversary! Hope this next year is bigger and better for you both!
~ingrid
Happy blogiversary to you guys! I am thrilled to have known you since practically the first post. (Plus I talk up your blog every chance I get on my own blog!)
Did you give away the muffins yet? Or am I a week off? This pregnancy is doing crazy things to my brain. But I went to our Wal-Mart and they don't sell them, at least not yet. I was really bummed because I want my son to try them (and I'm sure I will sneak a few bites myself).
Have a wonderful day, both of you!
Happy blogiversary ladies – I'm so excited for you!