Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream with Cocoa Powder
Say hello to the chocolate frosting of your dreams. This Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is super light and airy and uses cocoa powder for a deep chocolate flavor instead of melted chocolate. It's one of my favorite buttercreams to pipe with because it holds it's shape beautifully and can last for days! Bonus points because it's less sweet than traditional chocolate buttercream and it can be made in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 5 egg whites, room temperature -large- about 150g
- 2 cups granulated sugar, 400g
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1.5 cups unsalted butter, cold but pliable- 3 sticks(340g), diced small
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup
cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Wipe down your mixing bowl and attachments with white vinegar or a half lemon to degrease.
- Heat a small pot with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Add 5 large room temperature egg whites to the mixing bowl along with 2 cups of sugar and 1 tbsp corn starch. Place the mixing bowl over the simmering water. The bowl should not touch the bottom.
- Whisk the mixture constantly. At first, it’ll look thick and gluey, but it will start to thin out as it warms. The goal here is to melt all the sugar. To check, rub a bit between your fingers—it should feel completely smooth with no graininess. If its still grainy, keep whisking. This can take 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer it to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed for 10–15 minutes, until the bottom of the bowl feels cooler to the touch and stiff peaks form. It needs to be fully cooled down before you add the butter.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium high speed, add in the diced butter 1 tablespoon at a time making sure it's fully mixed in before adding more. Repeat till all the butter is used.
- Add in the 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1/4 tsp salt and mix for 15 more seconds on high.
Notes
This buttercream makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes or fill and frost and 9" round cake, or frost a 9x13 sheet cake.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 351kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 74mg, Potassium: 83mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 709IU, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
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