This Italian Meringue Buttercream recipe will soon become your go-to frosting option for decorating cakes, cupcakes, or incorporating into other sweet treat recipes! It’s silky smooth with a rich velvet texture, providing great volume and decadent vanilla flavor.
Adapt this Italian Meringue Buttercream by using different extracts and food flavorings, or add a touch of color by incorporating some quality food gel – perfect for any occasion or baking preference!
Ingredients for Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened (4 sticks), cut into ½” cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make Italian Meringue Buttercream
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add egg whites and beat on medium speed until the egg whites become foamy.
- Add cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue beating until the form stiff peaks and hold their shape.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until all of the sugar granules dissolve.
- Continue heating the sugar mixture until the temperature reaches 238-240°F (the soft-ball stage).
- Transfer the sugar syrup to a measuring cup or something that allows you to pour it easily in a thin stream.
- With the mixer running on low speed, pour the sugar syrup in a very thin stream into the stiff egg whites.
- Mix on low until all of the sugar syrup has been incorporated. The egg white mixture will now appear glossy and stiff like meringue.
- Continue mixing on medium speed until egg whites have cooled completely (feel the bowl to make sure no warmth remains).
- When the meringue has cooled, add the butter – 1-2 cubes at a time. Mix each tablespoon into the meringue completely before adding the next couple cubes.
- Continue adding 1-2 cubes of butter at a time until it is all combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and switch to the paddle attachment. Add vanilla extract.
- Beat on low speed using the paddle attachment for several minutes to beat the air out of the buttercream. The buttercream may appear curdled at first, but it will beat out into a smooth, luscious frosting.
- To frost cupcakes with a swirl, fit a large piping bag with cake decorating tip #1M. Fill the piping bag with buttercream. Pipe buttercream onto cupcakes in a counter-clockwise direction, swirling up and toward the center.
Some people believe that meringue was invented in the Swiss village of Meiringen and improved by an Italian chef named Gasparini between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century.
- While I’ve used unsalted butter in this buttercream, you can use salted butter instead if you prefer or don’t have unsalted on hand.
- Italian meringue buttercream tints very well with good quality gel food coloring. I don’t recommend using liquid food coloring as it seems to create a speckled effect in the buttercream.
- Add food flavoring to this Italian meringue buttercream for strawberry frosted cupcakes, lemon-flavored cupcakes, or peppermint flavored cupcakes.
- Add some texture to this buttercream by including some shredded coconut.
- Italian Meringue Frosting is by far the most shelf-stable of all buttercreams, but it still cannot sit out in warm temperatures. If the frosting becomes too soft for piping or spreading, place it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit. If refrigerated for long, you may need to beat the frosting again to smooth it out.
- You can easily double this recipe depending on how many baked treats you are making that require delicious buttercream.
- I’ve used unsalted butter in this buttercream, but you can use salted butter instead if you don’t have unsalted on hand.
- It’s really important that the meringue is cool before you add the butter or the warm meringue will melt the butter. To help cool the meringue faster, consider pressing an ice pack or cold cloth to the outside of the mixing bowl.
- Italian meringue buttercream tints very well with good quality gel food coloring. I don’t recommend using liquid food coloring as it seems to create a speckled effect in the buttercream.
- While you could probably use a handheld mixer for making this buttercream, I suspect it’s going to take quite a bit of arm strength and additional time! Rather opt for a Stand Mixer.
- Feel free to pour the sugar mixture directly from the saucepan into the egg whites. I personally find it much easier to transfer the sugar mixture into a measuring cup to then pour it into the egg whites.
This Italian Meringue Buttercream can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Either way, make sure to store your buttercream in an airtight container or gallon-size freezer bag.
When you are ready to use your stored buttercream, first bring it to room temperature. Then beat it with a whisk attachment on low speed in a mixing bowl for a few minutes before frosting your cupcakes or cake. The same applies to buttercream that’s been made in advance and stored.
It’s important to note that this Italian Meringue Buttercream is not shelf-stable due to the egg yolks and butter. So, once you use it to decorate your cupcakes or cake, don’t let these frosted treats sit out at room temperature for longer than 1-2 days maximum, and certainly not in warm conditions or in direct sunlight.
That’s a great question! Here are a few things to consider when differentiating between buttercream and frosting:
While both buttercream and frosting are much thicker than icing or glaze, buttercream is typically made with a hot sugar syrup base and butter while frosting has a cream base added with butter. This distinction is probably unlikely to prevent you from using frosting and buttercream interchangeably. You may notice that many people actually mix up these terms when referring to their choice of cake/cupcake decoration.
Frosting like Cream Cheese Frosting is divine in red velvet cakes, or anything that you want a slight tang to without it being overly sweet. Buttercream, on the other hand, tends to be much sweeter which stands up to a rich chocolate cake base.
Most buttercreams (whether it’s American, Swiss Meringue, or Italian Meringue) are light and silky smooth. They are great for piping swirls and borders. In the case of this Italian Meringue Buttercream, it’s also suitable for more intricate piping details. Frosting, on the other hand, can be tricky at times to pipe since it’s so creamy. But, it doesn’t mean that you can’t ever pipe with frosting. My Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is a great example of frosting that’s sturdy enough for piping.
If you have any leftover Italian buttercream that won’t be enough for additional cupcakes or a cake, consider using it up in the following ways:
1. Make a sweet dip by adding some softened cream cheese to the buttercream that can be eaten with sweet crackers or fruit.
2. Make some cake balls by rolling a bit of crumbled cake into balls. Add the buttercream and then pop into the freezer for 1 hour before coating in melted white chocolate to set and serve.
3. Make a glaze with your leftover buttercream by adding some milk to thin it out. Then, pour it over cinnamon rolls, muffins, brownies, blondies, or cookies.
4. Heat it up and pour a few scoops over ice cream.
5. Use it as a spread over your favorite sweet crackers.
Italian Meringue Buttercream (otherwise known as Italian Buttercream) is the most complex buttercream to make out of the three types (American, Swiss, and Italian) while also being the most stable in form and shelf life. Like, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, the Italian meringue buttercream also gets its name from the recipe process starting off by making Italian meringue. In this recipe, boiling sugar syrup has to be carefully mixed into egg whites while they are being whisked. That’s why this type of buttercream is usually reserved for more experienced home bakers. Don’t let that put you off, though. This recipe walks you through it every step of the way!
The main difference between this Italian Meringue Buttercream and Swiss Meringue Buttercream is that, with Italian buttercream, you make a sugar syrup and pour that into the egg whites. However, with Swiss buttercream, you heat the sugar and egg whites together and then whip them into meringue.
More Buttercream RECIPES FOR YOUR BAKED TREATS
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 5 large egg whites at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened (4 sticks), cut into ½” cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add egg whites and begin beating on medium speed until the egg whites become foamy.
- Add cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue beating until the form stiff peaks – hold their shape.
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until all of the sugar granules are dissolved.
- Continue heating the sugar mixture until the temperature reaches 238-240°F (the soft-ball stage).
- Transfer the sugar syrup to a measuring cup or something that allows you to pour it easily in a thin stream.
- With the mixer running on low speed, pour the sugar syrup in a very thin stream into the stiff egg whites.
- Mix on low until all of the sugar syrup has been incorporated. The egg white mixture will now appear glossy and stiff like meringue.
- Continue mixing on medium speed until egg whites have cooled completely (feel the bowl to make sure no warmth remains).
- When the meringue has cooled, add the butter – 1-2 cubes at a time. Mix each tablespoon into the meringue completely before adding the next couple cubes.
- Continue adding 1-2 cubes of butter at a time until it is all combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and switch to the paddle attachment. Add vanilla extract.
- Beat on low speed using the paddle attachment for several minutes to beat the air out of the buttercream. The buttercream may appear curdled at first, but it will beat out into a smooth, luscious frosting.
- To frost cupcakes with a swirl, fit a large piping bag with cake decorating tip #1M.. Fill the piping bag with buttercream. Pipe buttercream onto cupcakes in a counter-clockwise direction, swirling up and toward the center.
Notes
- This buttercream is light and silky smooth. It works well for piping swirls and borders and can even be used for piping details.
- The frosting is the most shelf-stable of all buttercreams, but it still cannot sit out in warm temperatures. If frosting becomes too soft for piping or spreading, place it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit. If refrigerated for long, you may need to rebeat the frosting to smooth it out.
- This recipe can be doubled.
- You can substitute salted butter if you do not have unsalted butter.
- It is important to cool the meringue before adding butter so that the warm meringue won’t melt the butter. You can press an ice pack or cold cloth to the outside of the mixing bowl to help it cool quicker.
Tip #1M is used for all piping in these photos.
Italian meringue buttercream tints nicely with good quality gel food coloring. Do not use liquid food coloring to tint this type of frosting as it tends to appear speckled.
If you prepare the buttercream in advance, refrigerate it (or freeze) in an airtight container. Thaw until soft and rebeat for several minutes with the paddle attachment on your mixer. - A standing mixer is best for this recipe. Using a hand mixer would take so much time, your arms will get really sore.
- You can pour the sugar mixture directly from the saucepan into the egg whites, but transferring it to a measuring cup makes it easier to pour it into the egg whites.
- Italian meringue buttercream is different from swiss meringue buttercream bc you make a sugar syrup and pour that into the egg whites whereas with swiss meringue buttercream, you heat the sugar and egg whites together and then whip them into meringue.
Nutrition
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