project wedding cake: swiss buttercream
[Previous Project Wedding Cake episodes: An Introduction, Mango Curd, The Cake is Baked]
Oh, hi. Are you still out there? Oh, right, it’s the middle of a holiday weekend and you’re probably a) at the beach, b) sleeping on a hammock in a backyard or c) taking one of those media breaks the kids are so into these days. And believe it or not, I had a few days off too.
Because of my overly-paranoid baking schedule, I was actually able to not work on the wedding cake for a few days. Once I made a big vat-of-curd, I was pretty much done for a few days, on one of them even making dinner. Like, from ingredients you buy at a store. True story!
I made also made a tiny practice batch of Swiss buttercream, frosted it onto an even tinier cake and declared it my new favorite frosting. All of your advice was tremendously helpful in getting me through the oh-my-god-this-isn’t-working-FAIL period after I added the butter to the egg whites and once again ended up with a bowl of curdly soup. But with my laptop on the counter, I read what you all said–in short, “whip, whip, whip!”–and you know what? It worked. In a span of about 2 seconds, this frosting turns from slosh to, well, a mayo consistency which I know sounds revolting but I can assure you is anything but.
This is exactly what I’m using on the wedding cake for several reasons: one, it doesn’t crust the way a pure meringue frosting and some shortcut buttercreams do; two, it manages to taste so much less sweet than most frosting, likely because its structure comes from the egg whites and butter, not just sugar; three, it’s a lovely frosting that can be made so much smoother than most, and pipes really well, and four, it held up really well in an unairconditioned room for more than a day, convincing me that it’s totally ready for its closeup.
… Which is good timing, because the wedding is tomorrow! Today was Fill and Frost Day and I had some seriously well-practiced help come over, but I’ll get into all of that later. For now, I just wanted to get a little update out there and let you know I’m alive and miraculously, no longer freaking out over the magnitude of this project. Heck, I might have even entertained the idea of making a high-altitude wedding cake for friends next spring, but uh, I was also entertaining my second glass of wine at the time, so um, we’ll see about that.
Swiss Buttercream
The recipe comes from wedding cake genius and my unpaid assistant, Torrie.
For a wedding cake (or most of one, depending on the size)
2 cups of egg whites (approx. 12 large)
3 cups sugar
5 cups butter, softened (2 1/2 pounds, 10 sticks)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For a 9-inch cake (plus filling, or some to spare)
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
26 tablespoons butter, softened (3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the tiniest amount, if you’re just practicing (or enough to cover and fill the 4-inch cake pictured)
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg white
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a big metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
Transfer mixture into the mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in size. (Here’s a tip: when you transfer to the mixer, make sure you wipe the condensation off the bottom of the bowl so that no water gets into the egg whites. This can keep them from whipping up properly.)
Add the vanilla.
Finally, add the butter a stick at a time and whip, whip, whip.
Deb note: Do not have a panic attack when this takes a while to come together (though I did every time). One super-large batch took 15 minutes, but it did and will come together. Patience, young Jedis.
Yay! Congrats on conquering your fear of Swiss buttercream!! :-)
Bravo! I’d love to clean those beaters for you. And the bowl. And the cake plate.
That buttercream looks amazing! It looks like the extra time waiting for it to transform from slosh into something wonderful is worth not having to cook the sugar, like with other buttercreams. I’m definitely going to have to try this out. I’m anxiously waiting by my feed reader for the full wedding cake close-up :)
Can’t wait to see the pics from tomorrow! Have fun and enjoy yourself!
You had me at “much less sweet”. I haven’t even tasted it and it is my new favorite frosting, too - jeez, what a great suite of features! Sounds worth the effort and then some.
Good for you! That frosting looks so smooth and yummy! I have never made Swiss buttercream and am ashamed to admit I use canned frosting more often than I make my own. Shame, it is so simple to whip up homemade, I really need to do this more often! Thanks for the pics!
I don’t believe I’ve ever tried swiss buttercream! Egads, how can this be? It looks very creamy and smooth, yummers.
this looks great. i may even try it out on my next cake endeavor. good job!
If you do take on the high altitude cake, definitely get hold of a copy of “Pie in the Sky” by Susan Purdy. I’ve had excellent luck with her recipes and also using her suggested modifications on other recipes since I moved to 7000 feet 2 years ago.
Oh gush that looks so …. yummy… and sturdy… thank God for egg whites! I have to try this sometime. Deb, do you know what the purpose of whisking it over a simmering pot of water? Do you think it’s to kill of all the possible bacteria in the eggs? *Just curious*.
Love. Love. Love your blog.
;)
Oh..thank goodness, it finally worked. I have been checking back every time I get on the computer waiting for this very update. I’ve never made this frosting..I have just used the simple buttercream, the one with the powdered sugar when I’ve needed white icing. I don’t care for it because of the raw cornstarch/sugar flavor so I don’t make it very often. So..now I’ll give this one a whirl..for 15 minutes..sometime when I need white! Thanks for working through this with us on board! Good luck tomorrow, Deb!
I’m sure the whole thing will be a huge success! I took your Whole Lemon Tart to a dinner this evening, (actually2 of them) and they were GONE in about 5 minutes. Everyone loved them!
The little cake already looks like a perfect wedding cake! I am really looking forward to the photos pf the ‘real thing’! And I hereby vow to try out swiss buttercream asap.
Can’t wait to see the whole cake….
When I saw this photo in the Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/fashion/weddings/06lobster.html?ref=style) I thought it was your cake! Then I realized that wedding happened in June. But doesn’t that just prove that your cake looks as good, and I bet tastes way better, than some impersonal professional job?
OMG, go Deb! I CAN’T WAIT to see the final product! every new PWC installment is rushed to from the RSS feed!
I am ridiculously invested in the nuptial confections of people I don’t know on the other side of the world.. and I’m not ashamed to admit it! Hope everything goes smoothly, you certainly have a big support team backing you here with virtual cheers :)
and don’t forget to post the results and pics ASAP!!
Yay!!!
you know what? you’ve convinced me to give this another try. maybe not a big batch though. butter IS expensive. did you use unsalted? are you gonna color it? is it white white or kinda yellow-y from the butter?
sorry. i have too many questions. please answer them AFTER this big project of yours. don’t forget the pictures! :) congrats again.
Hi,
I’ve been following this topic from the other side of the world. I’m looking forward to seeing the final results of this project! This buttercream looks amazing, I think I will try to make it very soon! Good luck today!
what temperature is best for the butter in this recipe? my trouble with frosting is always lumpy bits of butter so I wondered what you found worked best here. thanks! am loving this series as I’ve done two wedding cakes and love learning more since both used 5 gallon buckets of cheater frosting from a cake supplier :-)
I agree with Zoe/puku #16 that I am way too involved in this process from far away! I have no intentions of ever undertaking a project like this but love to read Deb’s trials and tribulations and her results from trying readers comments. I think we all pick up a tip or two here whether we actually make the recipe or not! Thanks Deb - keep up the wonderful pics and tips and general life from NY! I’m from upstate and miss my trips to the city. I’m now living (temporarily thank goodness) in rural England where a trip to London makes NYC look downright inexpensive!
Enjoy the wedding. I love NYC weddings, large or small!
Sounds good. I really had super sweet frostings too. Would Cream of Tartar have helped this set? Just a thought.
really?! keeps a day in an unconditioned room? i have to try this, good for my bring to school cupcakes. i’m sure it’s going to be my favourite frosting too later :) good luck on your wedding cake project!
A friend and I went for a long steamy walk Saturday afternoon and (more than once) it was mentioned with excitement “I wonder how Smitten Kitchen is doing with her cake”. This test cake looks fantastic and SO delicious and, no doubt, the real deal got a standing ovation…and then *poof* the big cake plate was empty. Best wishes from Ottawa, Canada.
You are so brave Deb - so, so brave! I honestly don’ think I could take the pressure. I am loving following your progress though - it is fascinating. It’s like you have a midas touch for baking, incredible. Born to bake!
I don’t do so well with those tricky, hold your breath it will turn out ok recipes. I tend to freak out just before the point where it would have worked out just fine. Your cake looks wonderful, it is so nice to find other people in the world who feel the way I do about cake. Thank you!
Deb, I just wanted you to know that your wedding cake plans were so inspiring that my husband and I made a buttermilk cake with mango curd and seven-minute frosting for a birthday this weekend. It was delicious, as I’m sure the mother of all wedding cakes will be - have fun at the festivities, and thanks for a great set of recipes.
OMG! 15 minutes! Thank God for stand mixers!!! My arms are hurting just thinking about spending 15 minutes with a hand mixer. Looking forward to pics of the completed cake. I just have to say I absolutely love your site. Thanks for a great site and great recipes.
Could you use those egg whites from a carton? (Like EggBeaters?) I know it’s a sacrelige to mention them but I’d never use all those egg yolks. PWC has been an enjoyable cliffhanger. Good Luck!
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING - BUTTERCREAM FROSTING! AAAAAAAAAAAH my all time favorite! Great looking practice cake! Now, I CANNOT wait for the real thing as well as a peek INSIDE to see the mango curd and all the layers! Hope the wedding was fun fun fun!
Waiting patiently for your NEXT post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The frosting looks beautiful. Even though my kitchen here at the Jersey Shore never seems to get cooler than 80 degrees, you have made me really, really want to bake a fabulous cake (which will crank up the temp to 95 or so).
Question: How many cups of frosting did the recipe above make? I would like to try it, but I would like to avoid separating 12 (!) eggs to find out.
Thanks.
I am loving your little pieces about this wedding cake, I especially enjoyed the first post where someone posted the “How to eat a cupcake” link. I made my first batch of swiss meringue buttercream and frosted my first ever angel cake with it. (Angel cake are uncommon here in the UK). I can’t wait to see the final results.
I have enjoyed the entire series and look forward to the last episode, the bride and groom cutting the cake.
In the meantime, should the butter for the frosting be cold or room temp? Is it best to cut the butter in smaller pieces or the single stick? and, can this receipe be cut in half for us mere mortals who are not up to tackling a wedding cake?
Congrats on the frosting! Way to get back up on that Swiss buttercream horse after a fall. My mom and I had another thought as to why your previous batch did not work. Any trace of fat (butter, oil, greasy fingers,…) will keep your eggs from whipping up properly. We use half of a cut lemon and run it over the entire inside of the bowl and balloon beater before whipping and that has never failed us. You probably know all of this already, but it might keep you from tears when making the final batch of frosting. Good luck!
I can not wait to see the final product. Everything has looked great so far!
Best of luck, Deb! You are going to do GREAT! Like so many others have said, I am entirely TOO involved emotionally with this blog… : )
Martha Stewart has some swiss buttercream recipes on her website that uses 2 or 4 egg whites, I can’t remember, but it makes enough to frost a double layer 9″ cake. The first time I made swiss buttercream I loved the science experiment aspect of it. It’s cool how a bowl of egg white goo can be transformed into buttercream. You should try making brown sugar buttercream. It is lovely and amazing! I can’t wait to see the pictures of the completed wedding cake! I’m sure it will be beautiful and delicious!
Yes. It’s true. I got to see Smitten’s kitchen. She is awesome, and my god that chocolate cake was divine.
Since Smitten is currently enjoying the wedding festivities I thought I would answer some of your questions.
The butter should be at room temperature. You actually want the icing to be surprisingly soft when you ice the cake.
Ana, the egg whites and sugar get put over a double boiler mostly for the purpose of dissolving the sugar.
Neesha, the buttercream is pretty white (off-white) when you are done whipping it.
Bernie, cream of tatar is unnecessary. The icing sets up really well on its own, especially when refrigerated.
Christine, you can use egg whites in a carton- just make sure they are 100% egg whites.
So after hearing about this Swiss buttercream stuff, I decided I needed to try it out myself. I used the Martha Stewart recipe…and as I was making it, it dawned on me that THIS FROSTING is the magic stuff that comes on the CakeLove cupcakes here in the DC area. I’ve been trying to figure out what was different about Warren’s frosting for the longest time and now I know. I also know how he gets away with charging $3 a cupcake–it’s a lot more stressful to make than normal buttercream. I threw some fresh strawberries into my frosting and now my tiny studio smells amazing. Thanks for the inspiration on this one and glad yours came out so well!
Oh, I’m so glad it worked! It really is a dream to work with, so soft, but holds its shape. Good luck with the wedding!
I’m soooooo looking forward to the grand finale!! Congratulations on all your efforts and delicious, beautiful, elegant, enticing, etc, etc, etc results!!
Do you get the exact exquisite texture for this particular frosting if you use pasteurized egg whites? I completely shy away from uncooked egg in any shape or form since I had gotten seriously ill once from eating raw egg. (And to think of all the cookie dough batter I used to eat as a child!) Finally, can one use powdered egg whites as well? Thanks and thanks for your lovely blog!
Ooops…I just realized that perhaps the cooking of the egg whites and sugar over the water bath kill the bacteria. Once the sugar granules are gone, it’s past 140 degrees, right?
KATE - Warren has a cookbook out now, it gives the recipe for the frosting that they use in the bakery. Its actually Italian Meringue. I saw the book last night at B&N
Congratulations! I have been checking Smitten Kitchen every time I turn on the computer! The recipes are so wonderful and I am definitely going to try the buttercream. I have been a home baker for all my life; now that I am a grandma with little grandDAUGHTERS I am looking forward to some frilly wonderful birthday cakes. You have given me the courage to try the buttercream. I can hardly wait to see your finished product!
Becky, you got it. that’s a good way to know that you’ve reached the right temp to kill whatever bacteria is in the eggs. it’s in a video somewhere.
torrie, thanks for answering the question. :) once the buttercream is done and on the cake, if you refrigerate it, does it harden and then become soft again after thawing? i only ask this because when i attempted this the first time, i had to put some left over frosting in the fridge and it hardened and took a lot of whipping time before it became buttercream-like again.
Congratulations! Looks great! Neesha - it is my experience (pastry chef) that a buttercream will harden in the fridge and then soften beautifully. If you are looking for nice clean slices, do not slice when the frosting is still very hard. Let it soften a bit or the center will collapse. Also - I don’t know if anyone else mentioned this, but always let buttercream come to room temp before re-beating. Otherwise it will curdle.
hi! what does 1 tbsp vanilla mean? is it vanilla bean or sugar or extract?
that buttercream looks so yummy…makes me wanna lick my screen :)
Deb, if you really do end up doing the wedding cake for the high altitude wedding, the thing recommended by several folks over on the BakingCircle is to bake the cake layers ahead of time and take them with you-already baked. No fuss with trying to get the high altitude adjustments to work under pressure of an upcoming wedding.
great!!! so glad you went for the SMB, i refuse to use anything bu that anymore! i finished my first wedding cake yesterday and i was surprised at how NOT stressed i was. i’m sure yours came out beautifully and perfectly wonderful!!! can’t wait to see it!!! :)
what do you have to do to make this chocolate??
OK, this post might belong on the earlier page — I just checked and there are 249 comments!!! No, I haven’t read all of them so don’t know if someone else posted on this subject.
Wedding cakes in ye olden days were fruitcakes, soaked in brandy, covered in white royal icing. No, I wasn’t there, I’m talking 1700’s, 1800’s. Fruitcake was a big deal back then as the ingrediants were costly. No modern day baking soda’s, baking powders. If you wanted lift in a cake you (or more likely your servant) beat eggs until your arms fell off. Remember they didn’t have fridge’s, freezer’s, saran wrap, aluminum foil. Fruit cake could and did store for years. (Think of all the fruitcake re-gifting jokes.) The newly married couple could save a piece of their rum/bandy soaked wedding cake/fruitcake. And it probably tasted way better than a piece of our modern cake saved in the freezer. Also we forget that over the ages, tastes change. Fruitcake was costly then and therefore served only for weddings and Christmas. If something is rare and costly — somehow it tastes better. Think about it.
That’s how saving the top layer of a wedding cake became a tradition. And a tradition that needs updating.
OK, enough food history. (If I’ve erred, please correct me, it’s been a while since I’ve done any food history research.)
I hope THE CAKE and Deb and Alex have had a big sigh of relief and are having a ball! Save me a slice!
Mazol Tov!
i think you might be wrong about your fans, off swinging in hammocks. i’m # 53!
i have had house-guests and various holiday activities all weekend but that still has not stopped me from checking smitten_kitchen as much as possible! i hear the drum roll as i type. please post photos as soon as possible, it is a pleasure to watch your process and enjoy your sweet success over the ether.
with anticipation!
I hope it went well for you today, Deb. I can’t wait to see pictures and hear how it went. Thanks so much for sharing this project with us!
I’ll just have to give that swiss buttercream a go soon! Can’t wait to see the wedding cake. I’m waiting with bated breath!
Congrats! Sounds like everything has come together and the cake should be a hit. I can’t wait to see pics. I’ve been inspired to bake reading all these cake posts. I made a chocolate stout cake this weekend and will be making the topping tonight after the rarebit muffins finish up.
Did you say add the butter a stick at a time? No wonder you are having curdling issues. Try adding it 1 tablespoon at a time, letting it incorporate before adding the next. It might still curdle, but way less than you’ve been experiencing.
Also, make sure the butter is just north of room temperature, firm but cool.
Good luck!
Sue, former dessert caterer
Can’t wait to read about the wedding and how the full cake looked. Great job!
Deb,
I’d love to make the 3-tiered 8-inch chocolate butter cake that you listed in a previous post. Could you give us the recipe for the brandied ganache you mentioned? Thank you so much and can’t wait to see the final pics!
Anna
I had a slice of the chocolate and a slice of the mango and HOLY SCHITT, it was so amazing. The bride & groom actually made Deb stand up during the reception and EVERYONE clapped. She’s such a star and the cake was outstanding. We’d all be so lucky to have her make a wedding cake. Or any cake for that matter. Oh wait, she makes me cake all the time. God damn am I spoiled!
xoxo
Sue — The recipe absolutely works adding the butter one stick at a time.
Everyone — The wedding is over! I’ll get to ALL of those details, but first I must take a much-needed nap on the sofa, the kind that takes two day. But really quick, I have updated the recipe with some smaller quantities and clarification so you can use this even if you’re not making, say, a wedding cake.
Thanks for all the cheers!
ZAKIA: Sigh, I know and yet I’ve missed every book signing in he DC area. I actually went to a baking class with Warren a year ago, but it was for pound cake (no frosting discussed). Though he did mention his cookbook and gave us a few recipes from it. He likes to measure everything on a scale, though, which is too fussy for me. That’s why I always check out Smitten for recipes when I want something I can make in my teeny city kitchen!
ahhhh…Thank you for the scaled down version. I loves to spoil the guys that work for me, but not to the extent of baking a huge Wedding Cake. :) Since I am on vacay this week, this will definitely be the thing I bake next Sunday and take to work next Monday as a “Sorry I deserted you for a week” apology. Yay for Smitten Kitchen!
Looking forward to hearing all the details about how fabulous (and flawless, I’m sure) the wedding cake turned out.
Also, is it weird I had a dream I went to a friend’s house and you were making a wedding cake in their kitchen? Yeah, I thought so too.
Swiss buttercream, oh my goodness, a new frosting to try! I was gone the weekend and came back to posting tonight to see this, so unexpected! And the drama continues….how will the buutercream look on the cake? Will there be different tips used for decorating or simple spread on the cake? And why “Swss” and not “American” to celebrate the 4th weekend? Tune in to the next post for more “As the Wedding Cake is Made”!
http://lifeislikechampagne.blogspot.com/
Deb..so glad the cake was a success…did we dare doubt it would be? Nah..just wedding jitters!
I love swiss meringue buttercream too! Looks like your cake turned out lovely and tasted delicious!
OOh - a combo of my two favorite frostings: 7-minute and buttercream! I must try this soon!
thanks linda! :)
deb get some rest and come back with pictures and stories. thanks for the scaled down recipe.
Congratulations on finishing the cake, I’ve enjoyed reading about it :)
YEA!!! You are done. Now sit back and relax after the cake has been eaten.
I might try that Swiss Buttercream. I have never done one before. I usually just make the Decorator Frosting and that this is super sweet but will hold up to the heat.
Don’t forget to post pics of the finished cake.
Can we use a hand beater and get the same results? as much as I covet the Kitchen Aid it is just not in the budget.
Yum . . this is so outstanding . . . and Kate . . Warren uses a different buttercream . . he actually uses the one that requires a candy thermometer and streaming a simple syrup into the egg white mixture but you are correct . . the taste is similar. I have eaten an entire pink lady . . . so good . . . he just came out with a cookbook . . .it’s awsome . .
well done! I can’t wait to see a picture of the finished cake!
Also, nice to see someone make a real frosting as Fondant is all the rage these days. I’ve always preferred buttercream, but had never made it.
Thank you so much for posting various quantities!
Congratulations! It looks wonderful.
Goodness, I’m sitting here hitting refresh every 20 minutes waiting for the post-wedding update! I may have to make swiss buttercream frosting tonight. Cupcakes anyone?
This looks amazing Deb!!! I can’t wait to see the finished product!!
Mmmm, the wedding cake is coming along swimmingly! The frosting challenge was a tough one, and I’m so glad you took it on, this makes me want to make a batch of cupcakes just so that I can try that frosting!
Thanks for sharing. :)
I think I’m going to make this! Really helpful of you you include the recipe for all 3 quantities, thanks :D [I hope the wedding went well - i'll be hanging off the edge of my seat, waiting for your next post...]
I’m really interested in all these wedding cake-related posts because, well, my family and I might be making my own wedding cake. (Is that just crazy? It’s a very small wedding.)
I’m so glad your frosting turned out OK! I might have to try it, especially because of the “much less sweet” part…mmm!
Deb, I’ve been reading your blog for a while now - lurking you might say :). I decided to post today to let you know that you have inspired me to try the Swiss buttercream frosting. My mother and I will be making my wedding cake in October and I’ve been a bit wary of trying anything new (new to me that is!) for such a huge and nerve wracking project. But, now that you’ve been so kind as to post your trials, tribulations - and successes (congrats, yay!) I think I will try a test batch of the Swiss buttercream frosting (and maybe even a white chocolate version).
Thank you so much for sharing and I look forward to hearing/seeing more about your final results!
Hi Deb,
Swiss Meringue was the right decision… Please advise your readers to cook the sugar/egg white mix over the hot water until it reaches 165 degrees. There is no reason to be nervous about making some older person or pregnant gal sick. Or use pastuerized eggs, then the temp doesn’t matter. By the way, SMB freezes really well. Simply defrost overnight in the fridge, then microwave a few seconds and whip again until smooth.
I have made only 2 scratch cakes in my entire life, but you have nagged me into trying these birthday cakes and curds and swiss creme. thanks
The icing is almost glistening. Amazing!
Looks fantastic. I’ve loved reading up on your progress with this project. I once ended up making 500 profiteroles for a friends wedding, and I know the panic such large scale baking induces. Something that before took five minutes now takes an hour. But it seems like you have it all under control. Believe me, the feeling when you finish is tremendous, though in my case it was quite a while before I made profiteroles again!
Deb, could you give me the recipe for the small 4″ test cake that you have pictured? Sometimes I don’t have enough people around the house to make a big cake. Weeks could go by without a nice slice of cake after dinner. (gasp!) When you get around to it. You’ve had quite a weekend!
I didn’t just bake one cake. It was a recipe for 2 9-inch circles and ended up being about 6 of those 4-inch pans. If you’re looking for the amount of batter, 3/4 cup seems just right for them. (I kept using 1 cup of batter in each, and it kept almost-overflowing but I never learned.)
Cake update coming … soon! Just catching up on my other work today, long overdue.
Thanks Deb! As soon as it cools off a little here in the Bay Area I look forward to doing some baking.
Peeked at your pics on flikr, the cake looks amazing! Beautiful in fact. No doubt it tasted just as good. Congratulations on your success!
OH, WOW! I’m writing this post-cake photo blog, and I have to say, the final product was sooooo beautiful! I am in awe. Your success inspired me to make the small (test) batch of frosting today for my hubby’s birthday cake (which the 13-year-old son made from scratch - he’s perfected our “moist chocolate cake” recipe to a “t”). In any case, I’ve discovered that a) the frosting turned out very well, b) the small measurement recipe just barely, thinly, covers a 13×9″ cake (top only; I left it in the pan), c) I LOVE the taste — very subtle, not overly sweet, smooth… though mines lumpy b/c I added flaked coconut at hubby’s request, d) I read everyone’s posts and suggestions before I made the frosting and e) it was easy (and the test batch didn’t take me 15 minutes of beating with the mixer). Thanks!
Thank you for sharing the recipe with us. I can’t wait to try it. Would this work good for frosting for piped on cupcakes or will they fall when warm?
Deb, I am such a lucky gal! I was looking for peanut butter cookies and was smitten with your recipe/blog and signed up for it JUST IN TIME TO EXPERIENCE THIS WEDDING CAKE SAGA! I can hardly wait to see the end result. And! I can hardly wait to try this icing!
Can you mail me some of that frosting? Forget this silly diet; I want sugar and butter and eggs whipped into a delicious frosting delight.
omg–you are amARZ’IN. you baked this, and then blogged the recipe?? the finished product looks amazing!
I’m just now getting around to re-reading this, and I’m so excited to try another buttercream recipe. I grew up with the American butter-and-powdered-sugar version and recently started using an Italian buttercream. I love that this doesn’t require a candy thermometer: Hurrah! Congratulations on your wedding cake success!
I’m making my own wedding cake, and it is a 3 teir hexagon shape, with 3 different types of cake…Now this buttercream icing that you have posted looks amazing and smooth, I am covering my cakes with a chocolate fondant, now, in my trials over the past few months i have been adding the falvor to the icing i have been using, to match the flavor of the cake, so orange with orange, lemon with lemon and what not, so im sure that this would work the same way with this icing, and not just using vanilla correct? im going to expirement tomorrow when my vacation starts with a smaller batch and see how it tastes :)
This project is so inspiring! I’d like to make this for a baby shower in two weeks. Do you think that the egg whites are cooked enough when you have them on the double broiler? Or am I better off finding a different frosting? Thanks!
Hi Christina — Yes, the egg whites are cooked to a safe point. That said, I know many mothers-to-be are extra paranoid; if yours if of that sort, it might be best to use something else.
Gosh that looks delicious! I’m glad I found this recipe, my Daughter’s birthday is just around the corner and I want to make her cake this year. The last cake I baked was, well, not that great haha.
Not to be a total pain in the ass, but it’s called Swiss MERINGUE buttercream, indicating that it’s a buttercream made with a Swiss meringue base. There are three types of meringue:
Italian meringue: sugar is cooked with water to soft ball stage 235-240 F), then slowly streamed into whipped egg whites - this is the most stable
Swiss meringue: sugar is mixed with egg whites and whipped over a double boiler until 170 F; mixture is then whipped
French meringue: sugar is mixed with egg whites and whipped - this is the least stable
You can make buttercreams with either the Italian or Swiss meringue base, as those are stable enough to maintain their shape and texture at room temperature. However, meringues (like those baked cookie thingies) are commonly made using the French method, as they will be baked and therefore it doesn’t really matter if they hold up at room temperature.
And that is the end of your lesson on meringue :)
I have a bride who saw your recipe and sent it to me. She is interested in a less sweet frosting. I would be so afraid to put raw eggs in a frosting to feed 100 people. I don’t have that much insurance.
The egg whites in this recipe get cooked on the stove. Swiss buttercream is much less sweet than other frostings, and is something of a wedding cake standard.
I’m noticing an increase in questions and emails from people who are making wedding cakes and have run into issues or things that confuse them. I want to reiterate that I am not an wedding cake expert, I only made this one. For better answers to wedding-cake related questions, I’d definitely suggest that people check out Wilton.com’s message boards. Not only has every question been answered more than once by droves of homemade wedding cake pros, the new ones I posed were responded to quickly. Hope that helps!
Hello!
Greetings from Oregon… I just had to write to thank you for the wonderful buttercream recipe! You saved my tail…I too, just made my first wedding cake, and thanks to you for sharing your experience and the recipes, the cakes was a total hit! The swiss buttercream frosting was an ABSOLUTE dream to work with, and I can’t rave enough about it to all my friends. I would love to show you a picture of how the cake turned out-can I email you a picture of it?
Thanks so much…
Just tried out this buttercream recipe. It’s silky smooth and it taste less sweet and it hold up great!! I’m using this for a wedding cake for this coming sat. Wish me luck!!!! =D
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for this recipe! I made a birthday cake with this, as I loathe overly sweet frostings. It’s smooth, pipeable, just lovely to decorate with (and I’ve never decorated a cake before). Totally delicious too, of course. Mine never got “soupy”, but at one point did look kind of curdled, like over-whipped cream. But as you said, it came together in a heartbeat after more mixing.
I ended up using less butter (1 stick of butter for each egg white) and ~30% more sugar since the cake was for kids. But, I made the original version as well and loved that too — just depends on your target audience. Really tasty and beautiful frosting… I don’t know that I can bring myself to use regular buttercream ever again!
Hi! I want to say thank you for inspiring me to try Swiss buttercream at such short notice. I went for italian meringue instead as another site mentioned it held better in hot weather where i am from….Malaysia. But the basics were similar and your advice to ‘whip,whip,whip!’ saved my buttercream! I know, it was crazy stupid to try something on the day itself but i guess i do best under pressure.
Anyway, i love your site and am waiting for pics of this wedding cake you blogged about with Swiss buttercream. Or have i missed it?
Thanks again..you’ve been a gem.