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meringue buttercream (swiss & italian)

Elaini avatar
Recipe by
Annastiina Salonen
@Elaini
Vanhalinna, Varsinais-Suomi

For the professional and social media cooks the meringue buttercream is a very popular way to frost and fill a cake. It's not overly sweet but it is fluffy and can be easily used in piping, making beautiful and accurate patterns. The Swiss one is lighter in color though the color also depends on the shade of the butter. If you wonder why this recipe really needs this amount of butter: it becomes more stable the more you add. I have also written the recipe in Finnish, here: https://www.kotikokki.net/reseptit/nayta/843809/Marenki-voikreemi%20(Sveitsiläinen%20&%20Italialainen)/

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yield 10 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For meringue buttercream (swiss & italian)

  • 1
    recipe of either swiss or italian meringue, linked in directions
  • 300 g
    butter, preferably unsalted
  • flavoring (opt.)
  • food coloring (opt.)
  • WHILE MAKING SWISS MERINGUE:
  • 200 g
    sugar, instead of the amount in the recipe

How To Make meringue buttercream (swiss & italian)

  • 1
    Make either a soft Swiss or Italian meringue according to the recipes I've linked. Nearly all the amounts mentioned in the recipes are correct for the base of this recipe, except for the Swiss meringue which needs 200 grams of sugar instead. https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/other-dessert/swiss-meringue.html https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/other-dessert/italian-meringue.html
  • 2
    Make sure that the meringue has cooled down and the butter has softened to the same room temperature; this is essential for the success. If the butter is grainy then the butter has been too cold. Keep whisking in this case since it'll even out eventually. If the butter is melted then the meringue has been too hot and the cream cannot be saved after.
  • 3
    Add the butter bit by bit as pieces as you whisk the mix. It will inevitably turn runny while the amount of butter is low but no need to be scared of that. If done correctly it's only temporary – once the whole amount of butter has been added it'll once again become stable and fluffy. Keep whisking until the cream is smooth and light.
  • 4
    Add the flavoring and food coloring if desired. Meringue buttercream accepts many additions such as vanilla, mint, floral aromas, juice (50 ml / 100 grams of egg white), puree, powder and molten chocolate without much problem. All you need to do is to mix them even.
  • 5
    Preserving and using it later: Meringue buttercream keeps much better than the simple meringue that it's made of. It'll keep for a few days in room temperature, a week in the fridge and three months in the freezer. The frozen buttercream is defrosted for a few hours in the room temperature. If it's newly defrosted or has been in the fridge for a long time it will become hard and snappy like butter. In this case put the dish in a comfortable warm (not hot) water bath to soften. Some liquid may separate but even then the meringue buttercream is surprisingly stable: a quick whisk will make it soft, smooth and as beautiful as new.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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