Buttercream 101
Buttercream 101
These are 3 different buttercream recipes that you need to master! They’re 3 foolproof recipes for American, French and Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I’d recommend trying them all and picking your favourite!
American Buttercream is great for beginners as it’s really quick and easy to make. I personally think it’s too sweet, and isn’t as smooth to decorate with vs the other two, but it’s often a crowd pleaser and great for kids birthday cakes!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is my personal favourite. The meringue makes it so light and it’s very smooth to decorate with. It has to be served at room temperature or the flavours don’t come through.
French Buttercream is so luxurious and rich, and very smooth to decorate with. However it’s a more expensive choice because of the amount of eggs and butter! I also wouldn’t advise using it for cakes being served in hot temperatures!
Want more 101 videos? Check out my cream 101 and my whipped ganache 101 videos and recipes.
Ingredients
Method
In a stand mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy.
Add half the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add in the remaining sugar along with the milk and beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
Add the vanilla and salt to taste along with the vinegar and mix it in.
Add more milk if you want it smoother or heat it slightly to make it soft to pipe with.
In a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks on medium speed.
Meanwhile, add the sugar and water to a saucepan and mix over a medium heat until it reaches 121C on a digital thermometer.
Slowly pour the syrup over the egg yolks while whisking. Whisk for 7 minutes or until the bowl is cool to the touch.
Add the butter a piece at a time whisking on a medium speed.
Once you have added all the butter, switch to the paddle attachment, and add the vanilla and salt to taste. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
Add the egg whites and sugar to a stand mixer bowl and whisk over a saucepan of gently simmering water until the mixture reaches 65C.
Remove the bowl from the heat and add to your stand mixer. Whisk for 7 minutes on a medium speed or until the bowl is completely cool to the touch.
Add the butter a piece at a time (don’t worry if it curdles it will fix itself).
Once you have added all the butter, continue to whisk until the buttercream appears smooth. It can take about 2-3 minutes once you’ve added all the butter.
Add vanilla and salt to taste, then mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 3 minutes until smooth.
I’m wanting to make the SMB but don’t know if freshly separated egg whites or a store bought carton would be best. Does it matter?
I would go with fresh eggs
Hi Matt, Thank you for sharing your recipes! I would love your advice. I’m starting to practice piping flowers on cupcakes and would like to know which buttercream you recommend for the best results.
Hey Matt!
Thanks for the lovely recipes🫶🏻
I was wondering how much Swiss meringue buttercream would I need to frost a 3-layer 9inch x 2inch cake?
Thanks!
I would maybe scale it by 1.33x!
Hi Matt, how can I convert the SMB into a chocolate SMB? Thanks!
yeh!! If you melt some chocolate…say 200g. Add it in at the end once all the butter is incorporated 🙂
Amazing, thank you!
Hi Matt, how would you convert the SMB into a chocolate SMB? Thank you!
I just melt about 200g of dark chocolate and slowly drizzle it in at the end while the choc is still warm! But you might want to adjust for your taste. Can start with 100g and add more!