Swiss meringue buttercream

Man, I still remember the first time I tried to make this cream. I was determined to prove to myself that I could whip up something fancy, with Swiss meringue and butter, just like the big pastry shops. And of course, I ended up battling with the mixer late into the night, sweating, yelling at the bowl: “Don’t curdle, don’t curdle, don’t curdle!” – and right then, it curdled. I tried everything to revive the cream: the fridge, steam, max speed on the mixer… in the end, it worked out, but I swore I’d never make it again. However, the second time, it turned out really well, and I didn’t panic as much when it started to look a bit off. Now, whenever I need to frost a cake or make some decorative roses, I always end up back here. I think I’ve gotten used to its craziness. Let’s get to the point: the whole process takes about an hour, especially if you’re not a speed demon with the mixer and don’t have a stand mixer (which I don’t, and I’m not keen on cleaning up a bunch of stuff afterward). It yields enough to decorate a medium cake or fill some cupcakes, complete with roses and other shapes, as long as you don’t go overboard with the cream. The level of difficulty? Let’s say it’s for patient people; it’s not necessarily hard, but it requires attention and no rushing. I admit, I keep making this cream because I can’t stand that raw egg white taste from other butter creams, and it works great for decoration – it holds the roses, doesn’t run, and doesn’t melt quickly. Plus, if you have some fruit in the freezer (I usually use raspberries or sometimes currants, whatever I find), it gives a nice color and isn’t as sweet as the plain version. And honestly, all the guests always say, “Wow, this is delicious and so elegant” – bless them, I don’t tell them about the panic I go through every time. 1. The first rule I learned after ruining three creams: all utensils must be super clean. I mean zero drops of yolk, zero grease on the bowl or whisk/mixer. I wipe them down with a paper towel soaked in lemon juice or vinegar; there’s no room for compromise here, or else the egg whites won’t whip properly, and you’ll find yourself stuck. 2. I take the egg whites out of the fridge a while before starting so they reach room temperature. They can also come from the freezer if you’ve saved some from other recipes; just let them warm up to room temperature. I don’t know why, but they whip better this way. 3. The butter is where things get tricky. DO NOT leave it at room temperature, even though your instinct might tell you to. Take it out of the fridge just when you put the egg whites over the steam. Cut it into cubes so you can incorporate it easily, and don’t skimp on quality: at least 82% fat; otherwise, you’ll end up with something soft and greasy. 4. Mix the egg whites with the sugar in a stainless steel bowl (or any other bowl suitable for a bain-marie). Place it over a pot of gently boiling water, but make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water; otherwise, you’ll end up with an omelet. Whisk constantly – you don’t want it to stick. Measure the temperature if you have a thermometer (60°C is ideal), but the simplest test is to rub a bit between your fingers: if you don’t feel any sugar crystals, it’s good. 5. When the meringue is ready, take it off the steam and start beating with the mixer. I use a hand mixer, starting at medium speed, then crank it up to high. It takes about 10-12 minutes; your arm might cramp, but it should be glossy, dense, and hold its shape on the beaters, not runny. Very important, the bowl must be at room temperature, not warm; otherwise, if you add the butter, it will melt, and you won’t get anything from it. 6. At this point, start adding the butter, one cube at a time, not all at once. For each piece, mix on low speed until it’s incorporated. It might seem like it’s curdling, but that’s normal; don’t panic – if you keep beating, it will come together. If it gets too soft (especially in the summer heat), pop the cream in the fridge for about 10 minutes, then continue. 7. Once all the butter is in and the cream is smooth and fine, add vanilla. I use extract, not essence, because I can’t stand that fake flavor. I add the fruit puree only at the end, after the cream is ready. I make the puree from raspberries (or whatever I have), strained to remove the seeds. Gently mix it in so you don’t deflate the cream. If it starts to look off, back to the fridge, then steam a bit and mix again. Seriously, it seems complicated, but after two or three tries, you’ll get used to its behavior. 8. When you put it in the fridge, it firms up nicely. To use it for decoration, take it out about an hour beforehand to soften at room temperature. If it curdles again, steam it a bit and mix again. 9. Sometimes, if I add too much fruit puree, it curdles. In that case, I use the steaming method, and it saves it every time, with patience. 10. If you’re not in the mood for raspberries, it works great with melted chocolate, caramel, lemon, or just vanilla. If you don’t feel like frosting an entire cake with it, it’s perfect for cupcakes or as a filling for macarons. Some people even make it as a dessert on its own – a small cup with some fruit on top, for those who are fans of butter creams. It’s not a recipe to pair with wine, but a strong black tea, a simple coffee, or maybe some lemonade can help cut through the richness of the cream. If you want a complete menu, serve it after something fresher, like a fruit tart or even some savory cookies beforehand for contrast. Another option is to swap the raspberries for strawberries, mango, or even mixed berries (it gives a really nice color). Some add salted caramel – I haven’t managed to perfect that yet, but I think it’s a matter of taste. For chocolate, I add 80-100 g of dark chocolate, melted and cooled, right at the end, just like with the raspberries. If you can’t handle too much butter, you can reduce it by about 30-40 g and replace it with cream cheese; it will be a bit fresher, but it won’t hold its shape as perfectly. It pairs best with cakes made from slightly moist layers; it even works wonderfully with carrot cake. It also “gets along” with nut layers or classic fluffy sponge. I once used it for simple layered cakes, like snow-white cake, and it didn’t behave well; it was too hard to cut. It doesn’t work for pound cakes or things that absorb a lot of cream because it would be a waste of effort. It holds the shape of roses even after a day in the fridge. A few questions I’ve been asked repeatedly: – Can it be made with margarine? NO, don’t even try; it won’t have that nice texture or flavor; it will just be fat with sugar and a weird taste; it won’t come together the same way. – What do I do if the cream curdles? If it’s too soft, put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, then mix. If it’s curdled, place it over steam for a minute, beat with the mixer, and most of the time, it will recover. – Can I use another type of sugar? I don’t recommend industrial powdered sugar (with starch), but fine granulated sugar works perfectly. If you want, you can use raw sugar, but it will change the color. – How do I store the cream? In the fridge, in a covered container, it lasts 4-5 days without issues. If it’s warm, it softens, but it doesn’t spoil quickly. – How sweet is it? It’s sweet, there’s no way around that, but the raspberry puree tempers the sugar. If you don’t want it that sweet, you can reduce the sugar by 20-30 g, but be careful not to ruin the meringue’s texture. – Can I use it to frost a cake? Yes, it’s stable, but after being in the fridge, it’s hard to spread; you need to let it soften. – Does it work with flavors? Yes, but in moderation. Don’t add too many artificial essences; it tastes awful. I’ve tried a little almond extract, and it was quite interesting. It’s a caloric bomb, I’m not lying here; it has about 400-450 calories per 100 g, depending on how much butter you use and what fruits you add. It’s high in fat (about 35 g per 100 g of cream), carbohydrates around 45 g, but also some protein from the egg whites. It’s not something you eat every day, but I don’t think you’ll gain weight from two tablespoons on a cake. At least it doesn’t have weird additives and colorings if you use natural fruits or quality chocolate. It keeps in the fridge, in a closed container, for up to 4-5 days. If you need to reuse it or decorate with it after it’s been cold, take it out an hour beforehand to reach room temperature. If it’s still firm, give it another round with the mixer, maybe a bit over steam, to soften it up and make it smooth again. I don’t recommend freezing it, as the textures go haywire upon thawing, and the butter separates from the meringue. Ingredients: – Egg whites, about 5 – they give a light texture, whip up, and hold everything together; – Granulated sugar – 250 g – makes the meringue and gives stability to the cream, as well as the main sweetness; – Fatty butter (minimum 82% fat), 340 g – cold, to keep the cream smooth, not soft and greasy; – Salt, a heaping teaspoon – cuts the sweetness and enhances the flavors; – Vanilla – extract, not essence, for natural flavor; – Raspberries, 200 g (can be frozen) + 1 tablespoon of sugar for the puree – adds color, acidity, and cuts the sweetness.

Preparation

I used frozen raspberries. I let them thaw, mixed them with a tablespoon of sugar, mashed them, and strained them to obtain a fine raspberry puree. It is important to degrease the bowl in which you beat the egg whites, the whisk, or the mixer paddles very well before preparing the cream. The egg whites must be beaten well, and if there are traces of grease on the utensils used, there is a risk of not achieving a quality foam. I degreased them with lemon juice, but you can also use vinegar. For this cream, it will be very easy if you have a stand mixer; it will make your job much easier. I don’t have one. The egg whites should be at room temperature. The butter should be cold. We take it out of the fridge when we put the egg whites on the stove. We cut the butter into cubes. I placed the egg whites in a stainless steel bowl together with the sugar. I placed the bowl over a pot of boiling water. Be very careful that the bottom of the bowl with the egg whites does not touch the boiling water. We don’t want to make an omelet. I continuously mixed the egg whites with a whisk. You can see how the mixture changes color towards yellow and then turns white. The egg whites are held over the steam until the meringue reaches about 60 degrees, and if we take a little mixture between our fingers and no longer feel the sugar granules, it means the meringue is ready, and we take the bowl off the steam. If you have a stand mixer, transfer it to the mixer bowl, add the salt, and mix at medium speed. I took the bowl off the steam and continued to mix with a hand mixer, starting at medium speed and then gradually increasing the speed. This operation will take at least 10-12 minutes until the meringue is very white, dense, and does not fall off the mixer paddle. Also, the bowl in which I mixed the egg whites must be completely cooled. From this moment, with the meringue ready, we can proceed to the actual preparation of the butter cream with Swiss meringue. Under no circumstances should we add the butter if the egg whites are not completely cooled; otherwise, the butter will melt, and we will irreparably ruin the meringue. As I said, from this moment we start adding one cube of butter at a time, which must also be cold. I added one cube of butter and mixed at low speed until the butter was completely incorporated. I continued until I incorporated all the butter. You will see that the meringue tends to deflate after adding the butter, but if you continue to mix, it will recover. The cream will become very smooth and creamy. At one point, I noticed that the cream tended to curdle because the butter had softened a bit. I should have put the cream and butter in the fridge for a bit and then continued mixing. But since I didn’t do that, the cream curdled a bit. I put it in the fridge, but it still wouldn’t recover, so I put it back over steam for a minute and mixed it again. It recovered and became smooth and silky, a very elegant cream, by the way. I added the raspberry puree and vanilla, then left it in the fridge until the next day when I planned to use it for the cake. In the fridge, the cream hardened a lot, so I took it out and let it reach room temperature to be used. However, the surprise was that as it softened, it had again a curdled appearance. So I put it back over steam and mixed at high speed. It recovered, but I didn’t like that at all. It was very difficult to decorate with it; I kept putting it in the fridge, decorating, and so on. I conclude that this cream is not worth all that work and stress, but I don’t regret trying it. I used raspberries for this cream, but chocolate, caramel, or other fruits can also be used. The quantity obtained is not very large; it was enough for me to decorate a cake, but the roses took quite a bit of cream. The butter must be cold and have a high fat content, at least 82%. The egg whites should be at room temperature. Each cube of butter incorporates very well when mixed at low speed with the mixer. The meringue obtained before adding the butter can also be used for meringues.

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