The Swiss Meringue Buttercream I Can't Stop Making
This is the Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe you’ll actually trust — even on warm and humid days. It’s light, silky, and not too sweet like traditional American buttercream frosting, and it's surprisingly easy to make even if you’ve struggled with meringue in the past. Made with just five ingredients, this version uses a simple stability trick that helps it hold its shape beautifully — I even tested it outside in 89°F Florida heat, and it stayed smooth and picture-perfect an hour later. Whether you’re frosting a cake or piping cupcakes, this is the go-to recipe that delivers elegance, ease, and staying power.
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
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Equipment
- 1 Double boiler
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 cool 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 and 1/4 tsp salt and mix for 15 more seconds on high.
- Frost over vanilla cupcakes.
Notes
Yield
This recipe makes about 4-5 cups frosting and can easily fill and frost a 2 layer 9" cake or 12 cupcakes frosted generously.
To store:
If you're storing it for just a couple days you can leave it in an airtight container or in a piping bag ready to go. If you want to store it for longer, you'll need to refrigerate it.
The easiest way to store frosting is by dumping it onto a large piece of plastic wrap and seal it tightly like a little package. It fits easily in the fridge or freezer and requires no dishes to wash when you want to use it.
To freeze it, wrap it in plastic and then seal it in a zip top bag. Defrost and thaw at room temperature. Rewhip it in your mixer to bring it back to life.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 343kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 73mg, Potassium: 29mg, Fiber: 0.01g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 709IU, Vitamin C: -2mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.04mg
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