Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This recipe is my favorite frosting. It is smooth and creamy without being too sweet. It's a bit challenging to make, mainly because of pasteurizing the egg whites.

Servings: 2 layer cake or 16-18 cupcakes
Preparation Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
Author Rating: 10/10

Ingredients:


1.33333 cup	icing sugar
0.125 teaspoon	salt
0.66667 pound	unsalted butter
2 teaspoon	vanilla

Directions:

Step 1

Cut the butter into 1cm cubes and let sit out to soften.

Step 2

Separate the egg whites into a metal mixing bowl. Whisk in the icing sugar.

Step 3

Bring water to a simmer in a sauce pan. Heat the egg whites by placing the mixing bowl in the boiling water. Use a food thermometer to measure the temperature of the egg whites. Whisk continuously so the eggs don't cook. Keep the egg whites between 140 and 150 degrees F for at least 3.5 minutes to pasteurize.

Step 4

Once done pasteurizing the egg whites, place the mixing bowl in a standing mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat the eggs on medium high until the whites are stiff and cooled to room temperature.

Step 5

Set the mixer to medium low. Add the butter one cube at a time. At this point the frosting might become lumpy. Add the vanilla and set the mixer to high for about 5 minutes. The frosting should turn smooth and silky. If it doesn't, check the temperature and either put it in the fridge or warm the bowl so that it reaches about 72 degrees F then beat it again.

Notes:

You can make the frosting ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, but before frosting the cake, you'll need to bring it down to 72 degrees F and beat it for a few minutes. The original recipe was for a 3 layer cake. This version is 2/3 the original and fits better in my mixer.Recipe provided via www.MeanMeals.com