I discovered Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB) about a year and a half ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I usually find standard buttercream recipes to be too sweet and the flavor gets overwhelmed with the powdered sugar- not so with SMB! To make SMB frosting, you start off by heating your egg whites and sugar in a double boiler until the mixture is hot and the sugar is dissolved. The egg whites are then beaten until light and fluffy at which point copious amounts of butter are added. From there, you can add all kinds of different flavors, I’ve made chocolate, vanilla bean, caramel, and strawberry, they’re all delicious! The frosting is definitely rich due to all the butter, but it’s not overly sweet and it carries a variety of flavors really well.
I’m participating in a holiday recipe exchanged hosted by My Baking Addiction and Good Life Eats. This week is focused on chocolate and is sponsored by Scharffen Berger
Thoughts about this recipe
- SMB frosting can be a little persnickety when it comes time to mix in the butter and flavorings. Don’t panic if it starts to look curdled, or soupy, just keep beating away. It’ll come together eventually. Promise.
- This is great on cakes, cupcakes and cookies and the texture works well for decorating and piping.
Ingredients
- 2 tbl. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler. Stir in the cocoa powder and set aside to cool.
- In a double boiler, whisk the egg whites and sugar together. Heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and use an electric mixer to beat the eggs until they are fluffy and hold stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.
- On a medium-low speed, add the salt and butter a few pieces at a time. Once all the butter is added, turn the mixer on high and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined.
