This perfect Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe is lightly sweet, creamy, and loaded with chocolate flavor. It's much less sweet than American buttercream and whips up to be silky and light. The frosting is versatile enough to be slathered over layer cakes, piped onto cupcakes, or used a filling for sandwich cookies.The recipe makes 4 ½ cups which is enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a two-layer 9-inch cake.
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 24
Ingredients
⅔cup(113g)granulated sugar
4(140g)large egg whites
¼teaspoonsalt
1 ½cups(339g)unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
10ounces(284g)semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Whisk gently and continuously while heating the frosting. It should register 150°F on an instant-read thermometer. The sugar should be fully dissolved.
Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is the consistency of shaving cream and the outside of the bowl is no longer warm to the touch, 1-2 minutes. (if the meringue is warm it will melt the butter.)
Gradually add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy. (Only add the next tablespoon of butter once the previous one has been fully mixed in.)
Once all the butter is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
Add the cooled, melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined. Turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
Notes
The butter must be softened to about 60°F. It should be soft enough to press an indent with your fingertip but not so soft that it is greasy or melty. Butter that is too soft will turn the frosting into soup.
Use high-quality baking chocolate in bar form. Avoid using chocolate chips, melting wafers, or any form of compound chocolate. Those simply will not work with this recipe.
You can use semisweet, milk, dark, bittersweet, or white chocolate as long as it is real chocolate in bar form.
Do not begin adding the butter until the meringue has cooled completely! If the meringue is warm, it will melt the butter and turn the frosting into soup.
If your frosting curdles and won't smooth out with 5 minutes of mixing, don't panic. You can salvage it by heating the side of the bowl with a hairdryer while the mixer is running. Do this until the frosting starts coming together, turn the hairdryer off and continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy. Or you can place about 1/3 cup of curdled frosting into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it for about 15-30 seconds. Give it a good whisk then add it back to the main bowl of frosting. Beat on medium speed until the frosting comes together.
If your frosting is loose and soupy, it can be salvaged by placing the bowl and whisk attachment in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Then rewhip the frosting until it is light and fluffy.
Do not add the melted chocolate until it has cooled to the touch. Warm chocolate can cause the buttercream to curdle or loosen too much.
Make ahead tip
The frosting can be made 1 day in advance. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature and re-whip before using it.
The frosting can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight then let it come to room temperature and re-whip before using.
Cakes or cupcakes frosted with SMBC can be left out at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.