Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (2024)

FAQs

What buttercream do professional bakers use? ›

Also more simply known as Swiss Buttercream, this buttercream is popular amongst the professionals. It is more difficult and time-consuming to create than American Buttercream, but it's silky smooth and light texture makes it worth the extra effort.

The Cons of Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

Special equipment makes the job easier. A candy thermometer, stand mixer, and a double boiler really help. You can break your SMBC by adding too much liquid. Breaking means it turns soupy.

Maybe the meringue whipped too long, cooling to well below 75°F (24°C). Maybe the butter came straight from the fridge. Maybe your buttercream was even frozen in advance, but didn't fully thaw. Doesn't matter why—if your Swiss meringue buttercream looks dense and greasy (or even tastes that way), it's simply too cold.

Swiss meringue buttercream is somewhat more difficult than American buttercream because it involves a double boiler to heat the egg whites and sugar. This mixture is beaten into a meringue and then butter and flavorings are added. Swiss meringue buttercream is silky smooth and less sweet than American buttercream.

Italian meringue is very similar to Swiss, but instead of being cooked with sugar, a sugar syrup is made separately and added to whipped egg whites. Italian meringue is slightly more stable than Swiss, which I'll explain under the Italian meringue buttercream heading.

Italian meringue buttercream is the most difficult to make but is worth it as it is the most stable of all buttercreams. In order to make Italian meringue buttercream you have to cook sugar to turn into sugar syrup, then stream the hot syrup into the egg white as they are whipped.

Yes. Swiss meringue buttercream can be whipped for too long. This usually happens when the mixture becomes too cool, and it will start to look curdled and greasy. To fix this, simply place the bowl of buttercream over a pot of simmering water for a few seconds at a time, mixing constantly.

Can you freeze Swiss meringue buttercream or make it ahead? Yes. Swiss meringue buttercream is great left covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, but after that, refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. If freezing, store in an airtight container, then thaw it at room temperature on the counter.

Light and fluffy, Swiss meringue buttercream is perfect for icing cakes and using between cake layers. Made by whipping cooked egg whites, this frosting is sure to take your cakes and cupcakes up a notch! One recipe makes about 3 1/4 cups of buttercream.

Cream of tartar is acidic, adding a counterpoint to the sweetness of the meringue. Cooking to 175°F (79°C) ensures that the egg white proteins are coagulated despite the high concentration of sugar, creating a more stable meringue.

Why does my Swiss meringue buttercream have so many air bubbles? ›

Swiss meringue buttercream has a lot of air whipped into it, this is what makes it taste light and fluffy. However, because of all this air, there is a lot of air bubbles. If you're using this to ice a cake, it can become a little difficult to get a smooth finish, because of all the bubbles.

Firstly, check the quantities you have used carefully. Secondly, make sure you're whipping your SMBC long enough after adding in the butter. If you don't whip it long enough, it won't lighten up the frosting and you're more likely to have that intense buttery taste.

The egg whites are cooked, and the buttercream contains a fair amount of butter and sugar, which is generally safe to store at room temperature. If you are uncomfortable with that, feel free to pop your frosted cake in the fridge.

Over-whipping: Over-whipping the meringue can cause it to become dry and grainy, which can then lead to curdling when the butter is added. Make sure not to use high speed and to stop whipping the meringue when it reaches stiff peaks and is still glossy.

Both American buttercream and Russian buttercream frostings are perfect to top cakes and cupcakes. American buttercream has a noticeably sugar taste while Russian buttercream has a more prominent sweet milk flavor.

As far as buttercream options go, MacIsaac says Swiss and Italian meringue are the two most delicious options. "Both Italian and Swiss are made using meringue, just with slightly different techniques—resulting in a light, fluffy, exceptionally smooth, and less-sweet buttercream," she explains.

Want to make your own Italian Buttercream Icing right at home? Buddy customized this recipe from one he used at The Culinary Institure of America and was shown to him by a group of students for whom he did a demonstration.

Fondant icing is a sugar paste and a classic choice for decorating cakes because it provides a smooth and professional look. There are three types of fondant: rolled fondant, marshmallow fondant, and poured fondant. They are all used for coating sponges and pastries but will provide slightly different results.

These shelf-stable frostings are vegetable shortening and sugar with some artificial flavoring. Yum. If you haven't been spoiled by homemade buttercream frosting, they will do in a pinch. Take Note: One tub is never enough to cover a standard eight or nine-inch two-layer cake though, so grab two.