Recipe: Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Here are the ingredients you will need for swiss meringue buttercream.  This is my go-to buttercream.  It is silky and not sweet; light and fluffy.  But beware:  it is based on egg whites.

Ingredients:

1 cup of ROOM TEMPERATURE unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2-3 egg whites (preferably at room temperature)***

1/2 cup regular sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 pinch of salt

Equipment:

A bowl that can be placed as double boiler and a pot to heat the water

A mixer - you cannot make this by hand

knife

***I use pasteurized liquid egg whites.  They are a little tricker to handle, be easier as I do not have to worry about what to do with the egg yolks.  It also gives me more assurance since they are pasteurized).  If you are using liquid egg whites, use 1/3 cups of egg whites

Other notes:

1.  Get good quality butter and don't skip the steps - take the butter out and keep it at room temperature a day before you use it

2.  If you want to do a lot of piping and colouring, this buttercream may not be suitable.  It does not take certain food colourings well (e.g. yellow and reds).

3.  Once you get the basis of this buttercream, you can choose to cut the sugar by 10%

4.  Because the buttercream is based on butter rather than shortening or icing sugar, as soon as you put it in the fridge, it will become hard.

5.  I freeze my extra buttercream sometimes.  To use it after it has been in the freezer, you have to take it out at room temperature, and re-whip it.  It will never be as good as the fresh batch but it is an option.

6.  Work with a bowl that can withstand heat (if you are using a Stand mixer, use the bowls)

Directions:

1. In a pot, boil half a pot of water.

2.  In a stainless steel bowl (see #6 above), measure the egg whites, sugar and salt

3.  Place the bowl on top of the boiling water and using a beater, stir it constantly.  Do not let it sit because it will cook the eggs and you will be making scrambled eggs!

Keep stirring until (a) all the sugar has melted (b) the egg whites are hot

4.  Take them out of the bowl and into the stand up mixer.  Using the wired attachment, whip at high speed until the bowl cools down

5.  Once it is cooled (but not cold), and while still beating, slowly add pieces of butter.  If your egg whites are too hot, it will melt the butter.

6.  Continue beating for 3-5 minutes.  You will begin to see the buttercream change colour from a bright yellow to a cream colour.  The mixture will go from a watery mixture, or even curdled like mixture to a fluffy, airy and soft texture.  If it still looks and feels like butter, CONTINUE BEATING

7.  Add vanilla