Swiss meringue buttercream

A silky, light buttercream made by beating softened butter into a Swiss meringue.

Fillings, creams, frostings and sauces

Also called: SMBC

Egg whites and sugar are heated to about 160°F (71°C), whipped to a cool, stiff meringue, then soft butter is added a piece at a time. It often looks curdled or soupy partway through; if too cold it curdles, if too warm it turns soupy, and continued beating at the right temperature brings it together.

It is less sweet and smoother than American buttercream, pipes cleanly and gives sharp edges on layer cakes.

Bake it at VanillaGoods

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Tools for this

KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt Stand MixerDoes the beating and kneading for you, hands-free.See it on Amazon
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONEReads in about a second, so you can hit sugar and chocolate temperatures exactly.See it on Amazon
OXO Bent Icing SpatulaSmooth, even frosting and filling with a flick of the wrist.See it on Amazon

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Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

Swiss meringue buttercream (Q1429013), Wikidata