Italian Meringue Buttercream
Italian meringue buttercream is a very stable and smooth style of buttercream that stands up to higher temperatures than other varieties of buttercream. Italian meringue buttercream takes some care to make due to the hot sugar syrup involved.
What is Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting?
Italian meringue buttercream, also known as simply Italian buttercream, is a silky smooth style of buttercream made from an Italian meringue. This style of buttercream takes the most skill to make because it requires a lot of precision with the temperature of the sugar syrup.
Italian meringue buttercream is often associated with being used for elevated desserts and fancy cakes due to its luxurious mouthfeel. It also works very well for intricate piping work.
Characteristics of Italian Meringue Buttercream
Due to the cooked sugar syrup, Italian meringue buttercream is the most stable of all the buttercreams and holds up to higher temperatures. It is also not overly sweet and has the lightest texture.
The process of making Italian meringue creates a buttercream that is almost completely white in color. This characteristic lends itself well to wedding cakes or when coloring the frosting to vibrant colors.
Tips for Making Italian Meringue Buttercream
- A candy thermometer is necessary to heat the sugar syrup accurately.
- It is important to take extra care when pouring sugar syrup into the mixer because it can easily burn skin if it splashes.
- Make sure the meringue is truly cooled to room temperature before you start adding the butter in for the buttercream. It will not come together properly if it is not cooled enough.
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Base recipe for Italian Meringue Buttercream that can be used to make any flavor. Italian meringue buttercream is a very stable and smooth style of buttercream that stands up to higher temperatures than other varieties of buttercream.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (14 oz, 392 gr) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (6 fl oz, 177 ml) water
- 3/4 cup (6 fl oz, 177 ml) egg whites (from about 5 large eggs)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 sticks (1 lb, 448 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
- extracts and flavorings as desired
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil until a candy thermometer reaches 240 F (115 C).
- Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. When the sugar reaches 200 F (93 C), begin whipping the egg whites on high speed.
- As soon as the sugar reaches 240 F (115 C), carefully and slowly begin streaming the sugar into the mixer down the side of the bowl while it is still running. Add the salt. Continue beating to stiff peaks and until the meringue has cooled to room temperature.
- While the mixer is still running, add the butter in 1 tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated and the buttercream is smooth and fluffy. It is common for the buttercream to start looking broken during this time. You might think it is ruined, but trust in the process. Keep adding the butter a little at a time and keep whipping. It will come back together into a silky smooth buttercream.
Note: This recipe makes enough buttercream to generously frost 24 cupcakes, or a 2 layer 9” round cake.
Notes
Flavor Options
- Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream: Add in 2 tsp vanilla extract at the end
- Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream: Melt 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate and allow to cool slightly. Fold it into the prepared buttercream.
- “Wedding Cake” Italian Meringue Buttercream: Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract
- Lemon Curd Italian Meringue Buttercream: Fold in 1 cup of lemon curd to the prepared buttercream
- Strawberry, Raspberry, or Blackberry Italian Meringue Buttercream: Fold in 1 cup of seedless preserves
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38 Comments on “Italian Meringue Buttercream”
Very healthy for me. Thanks!
Great!
I find that the wedding cake flavor is too much for this quantity. It sort of makes me a little sick. And i find it a little too sweet as well. Next time i make it again i will reduce the sugar as well as the extract. But overall not bad. I would however give the warning of the panic stage when we add all the buttercream. I almost threw my batch away. Luckily i did some more research and found a video of how to make this buttercream and it saved me the time to make it all over again. Now im not afraid to make this buttercream.
This recipe is absolutely perfect! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear that Kris! You’re so welcome!
You really should edit your recipe to describe when to add the vanilla extract because I think I added it at the wrong time (in the egg whites after the syrup) and I’m afraid it messed up the whole thing. I used all my eggs so I can’t even start over. Disappointed.
Hi Joslyn, I’m not sure if you got my email but there is no wrong time to add the vanilla extract. That will not mess up your your buttercream. I will edit the recipe to include the instructions but what did your buttercream look like? Sometimes it starts looking separated and that is completely normal. Just keep whipping and it will come back together.
Hello!
I was just wondering how long this would keep in an air tight container in the fridge? Thank you!
You can keep it for up to a week in the refrigerator. Re-whip it to refresh!
I made the Italian Merginge Buttercream last night and it is amazing. Thank you so much. I’m decorating cupcakes for a babyshower with it.
That is so great to hear Kim! I love Italian meringue too! Hope the cupcakes are a hit!
Your recipe is amazing!! You went into detail and gave clear instructions! Forget about people who dont appreciate your work! I love it, really!! Greets from Austria!
Hi,
is that possible to add some cream cheese instead of all butter?
so i can make italian meringue cream cheese frosting ?
cheers
How long does it take to cool to room temp? Do i keep whisking it this whole time or stop the whisk and let it cool? I’ve been whisking for minutes and it is still at 85 degrees. Thank you!
Hi, it takes quite a bit of time to come to room temperature around 8-15 minutes. Yes, continue to whip it in your stand mixer until it’s cool.
Hey I absolutely love this recipe it turned out perfect! If I wanted to color it tho when would be the best time to add the colouring?
Cheers!!
You can add coloring after you are completely done making the buttercream. That will give you the most accurate depiction of what the color looks like.
Hi! I’m looking to make a cupcake pull-apart cake for my daughter’s birthday next weekend, and I want a frosting that will be strong enough to hold its shape even over the triangular gaps around the outer edge of the cake. Do you think this will do the trick? It’s an outdoor party and supposed to get in the high-70s, but I’ll keep the cake inside until the last minute. Thank you!
This will work!
Skill level advanced? I’ve started making this when I was 12, using a hand crank egg beater (do they still make those?). The only skill is patience. 1. Use the same care with the hot sugar as you would when making divinity. 2. Continue adding the butter and beating until the ingredients come together.
Hi
This recipe came out lovely! And your tips were super helpful! Thank you so much for this recipe.
I want to make a blueberry version and wanted to know if I could use freeze dried blueberries instead of a preserve?
Tia
Yes you can! Actually freeze dried is the preferred method as it won’t affect the consistency.
Got it right first try, and was SHOCKED by how much better it was than American buttercream! Been using this for months now and I will never go back
Hi Bettie
I made your delicious Italian buttercream and loved it. It was so silky and I’m wondering if it needs to be kept in the refrigerator. Making these for a church potluck on Sunday
You can store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. After that you will need to refrigerate it. After refrigerating let it come back to room temperature and then re-whip it.
If I am making cheesecake flavored Italian meringue buttercream, would it be best to substitute cream cheese for some of the butter or to fold in whipped cream cheese at the end?
For a cream cheese frosting, I would whip up softened cream cheese and then add in a scoop of buttercream to the mixture and whip. Then keep tasting it until you have what you are looking for.
Can you make several batches and freeze?
Sure! You can freeze buttercream for about 3 months. Let it come back to room temperature and then re-whip it.
It’s like a water consistency. Help!!
I’m mixing it more and more. I am so fearful it won’t get better!
Was it still thin after you added all of the butter? Once you add all of the butter it will firm up. Also if the mixture is too warm it will look too thin. Pop your bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool down and then re-whip.
I liked this a lot better than the French Buttercream. Turned out great. But warning; it didn’t freeze well. When I thawed it out and brought it to room temp it broke and didn’t want to come back together.
My daughter comes to your classes when she can, and I follow you. Your amazing. I will enjoy trying your recipes.
I am looking to make this recipe and decorate some cupcakes for a friends gender reveal party. Could it be pipped on the cupcakes and then frozen for a week? I am hoping to make a week in advance since I won’t be here for the party itself and hope to keep frozen and she can thaw the night before on the counter? And feedback appreciated!
Thanks!
Today I learned (the hard way, of course) that Italian meringue buttercream will not come together properly if your kitchen is too cold. I could not figure out why my room temperature butter was still lumpy and not integrating with the meringue and my meringue had deflated into soup. I thought maybe I didn’t allow the meringue to cool enough before I started adding the butter. I stuck the bowl and beater in the refrigerator for 30 min and tried whipping it again, to no avail. Then I thought maybe my candy thermometer was off, so I made a second batch of buttercream. This time I used a digital thermometer and ensured the meringue was cooled to 70-75 degrees before adding the butter. Again, the butter stayed lumpy and my meringue turned into soup. I temped my soupy meringue and found it to be at 60 degrees, 58 in some areas (which is crazy since the butter had been on the counter for 4+ hours). As a last resort, I grabbed my husband’s blow torch and hit my mixing bowl with it for a few minutes while it whipped on high (**I have a stainless-steel bowl. Do not try this with a glass bowl!). Before I knew it, my buttercream was FINALLY coming together. Buttercream, whether it be Italian or Swiss, will not come together outside of the 70-75 degree range. Unfortunately, I mistakenly held the torch in one spot too long and burned some the buttercream. At least I was only making this for my household, so it didn’t have to be perfect. I thought others may prevent their own disasters from reading my story.
If your buttercream is too cold, you can also take out a small amount of it and melt it in the microwave. Then mix it back into the buttercream and you will have an extra silky smooth buttercream.
Thank you so much for that suggestion! I almost feel silly for not thinking of that myself. I made SMBC over the weekend and it came out great! I used brown sugar for the first time. I wanted to achieve a caramel flavor to go with my apple filling and apple cider syrup on the vanilla sponge. This was a rare moment in which my husband said, without prompt or solicitation, “This is really good.”
Hi,
Is there any substitute for eggs /egg white/egg yolks in buttercream ..