Use this recipe to make Easy Italian Meringue Buttercream. This buttercream is silky smooth and fluffy. Great for decorating cakes and cupcakes.
Meringue Buttercream is often a daunting prospect for some at-home chefs. Don’t be afraid! The procedure is perfect and if you follow it and measure your ingredients properly you will create this rich, silky and beautiful buttercream. It gives a very smooth finish on cakes and cupcakes and is truly the most delicious of all the buttercreams, in my opinion.
It also flavors and colors very well. You’ll notice that the recipe calls for salted butter which isn’t common, however, it cuts through some of the sweetness. I have said it before, I do not like treats that are too sweet for you to enjoy the whole thing. This is the perfect solution!
Pro-tips:
- Start with a clean, dry mixing bowl. Moisture in the bowl will give you trouble when trying to whip the egg whites.
- All of the ingredients must be at room temperature.
- The boiling sugar is extremely hot, 240° to be exact. Be careful!
- I know the temptation to add the butter to the egg whites before they’ve completely cooled is great but don’t do it! It doesn’t work, believe me, I’ve tried. It takes at least 15 minutes for it to cool down, longer if it’s hot inside your house or you have a smaller mixer. Here is a link to my favorite mixer.
Easy Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Yield:
Appx. 2 lbs.
Ingredients:
- 8 large Egg Whites (room temperature)
- 1 pinch Cream of Tartar
- 1 ¾ cups Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 4 sticks Salted Butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla
Instructions:
1. Place room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar in stand mixer bowl with the whip attachment. Set aside.
2. Put the granulated sugar in a small saucepan and add the water. Do not mix it. Cover the pan and place it over high heat. When the sugar begins to boil, uncover it and clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pan making sure the tip of the thermometer is directly in the boiling sugar. Once the sugar reaches 230°, start mixing the egg whites on high. By the time the sugar reaches 240°, the egg whites will have formed stiff peaks. Here is a link to my favorite candy thermometer.
3. When the sugar reaches 240° pour the boiling sugar (at a medium pace) into the stiff egg whites with the mixer still on high. Leave the mixer on high until the egg whites have returned to room temperature. When you touch the outside of the mixing bowl it should not be warm at all.
4. Leaving the mixer on high speed, add the room temperature butter half of a stick at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated let the mixer whip the buttercream for 30 – 60 Seconds.
5. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the vanilla. Mix it in and enjoy!!
Click here for more great recipes from Chef of All Trades
Printable Recipe:
Easy Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 8 large Egg Whites room temperature
- 1 pinch Cream of Tartar
- 1 ¾ cups Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 4 sticks Salted Butter room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla
Instructions
Instructions:
- Place room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar in stand mixer bowl with the whip attachment. Set aside.
- Put the granulated sugar in a small saucepan and add the water. Do not mix it. Cover the pan and place it over high heat. When the sugar begins to boil, uncover it and clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pan making sure the tip of the thermometer is directly in the boiling sugar. Once the sugar reaches 230°, start mixing the egg whites on high. By the time the sugar reaches 240°, the egg whites will have formed stiff peaks.
- When the sugar reaches 240° pour the boiling sugar (at a medium pace) into the stiff egg whites with the mixer still on high. Leave the mixer on high until the egg whites have returned to room temperature. When you touch the outside of the mixing bowl it should not be warm at all.
- Leaving the mixer on high speed, add the room temperature butter half of a stick at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated let the mixer whip the buttercream for 30 - 60 Seconds.
- Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the vanilla.
Nutrition
This frosting is absolutely delicious!! I will be honest, I was extremely nervous about attempting this frosting. However, I was assured it would be as easy as the title promised. The steps are simple to follow and the pictures help so much in knowing just what to look for. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that even I could make Italian Meringue Buttercream. It was the perfect compliment to the Amazing Chocolate Cake recipe found on this blog. So, don’t be intimidated by a frosting that requires boiling sugar! If I can do it successfully, anyone can!
I loved the taste of the this Italian Buttercream Meringue. I started out with a wonderful meringue whip, but I guess I didn’t wait long enough for the pot to cool and the meringue flopped. It turned into a very loose frosting.
I will try it again.
Hi RJ. I’m so glad you tried this recipe and liked the flavor. At what point did you stop making the buttercream. I have noticed the last few times I’ve made it, that right after I add the butter, it becomes thin and not spreadable in any way. I keep mixing it on high and it does come back together. I’m not sure why it’s been doing that maybe the weather (it’s been kinda crazy where I live) but it does end up coming back together. Please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to help you nail this recipe. It’s so GOOD!
Thank you,
Jennifer