The quickest and easiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream you’ll ever make! It’s as easy as making American Buttercream but is not toothachingly sweet and doesn’t crust over. This Faux Swiss Meringue buttercream recipe is definitely smooth, silky, and easy to work with.
I love Swiss Meringue buttercream because it’s smooth, silky, and not toothachingly (if there is such a word) sweet. The traditional way of making Swiss Meringue Buttercream is whipping a mixture of egg whites and sugar that has been gently heated in a double boiler (The temperature of the egg whites should reach 160 F/ 70 C.) until the sugar dissolves and the eggs are cooked. Cubes of room temperature butter are then gradually added to the meringue, then the flavor ingredients.
Compared to the American buttercream where you just basically add the ingredients in your mixer, Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be a bit tedious to make.
What if I tell you that there’s a quicker and easier way to make it? Enter this Faux Buttercream from Sugar Hero.
Boy oh boy, I’m so glad I have found this gem! The recipe uses pasteurized egg whites, which means you don’t have to painstakingly separate the egg whites from the yolks. Plus, you get to skip the step of heating of the egg whites. Pasteurized egg whites are safe to consume without cooking them.
This “faux version” is as easy as making American buttercream but it’s not toothachingly sweet and it doesn’t crust over. It definitely saved me a lot of time when making my birthday unicorn cake without sacrificing the taste! Sugar Hero was literally my “hero” during that time when I needed to finish this cake at the shortest time possible.
Want to learn how to make traditional Swiss Meringue buttercream? I have a great Swiss Meringue buttercream recipe here! This was my go-to buttercream recipe for cakes, cupcakes, and even a wedding cake!
❤️ Tried this recipe and loved it? If you made this recipe or any other recipe on this site, I would love to know! ❤️
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Quick and Easy Swiss Meringue Buttercream (Faux Swiss Meringue)
Ingredients
- 177 ml pasteurized egg whites (look for 100% egg whites, not liquid egg substitute)
- 680 grams powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 680 grams unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the egg whites, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix everything together on low speed until well combined. Turn off the mixer then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Set the mixer to and continue to beat for another 5 minutes.
- Turn the speed to medium-low then start adding the butter, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When all the butter has been incorporated, add the vanilla extract. The buttercream will not look smooth YET at this stage.
- Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again. Set the mixer speed to medium and beat the mixture for another 3 to 5 minutes, until you have a smooth and creamy buttercream.
- STORAGE. You can use the buttercream immediately or store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, in the freezer for up to 2 months. Before using a buttercream that has been chilled or frozen, let it come to room temperature first then beat for several minutes until it becomes smooth again.
Hi Trish,
Omg! you are so generous. Do you mind sending it to me too? I’m practicing heaps and had to stop when I had kids but want to go back to baking. I’m finding it hard to find my feet again at baking. This will really help! Thank you
Hi, Candy! My post about the DIY Wedding cake is already up. All the recipes I used, instructions, and helpful tips are in there! 🙂
Hi thanks for the recipe! How can I adapt it to chocolate frosting please? Thanks!
Hey! After step 3 in the recipe, add 250g of melted semisweet or dark chocolate that is cooled to room temperature. Mix for about 30 seconds more. Use good quality chocolate (chocolate chips, melting wafers and compound chocolates will not work).
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but is there a recipe for a smaller cakes, so i can try the recipe in a smaller batch?
Hi, Raquel! Are you referring to the faux swiss meringue? You can definitely half the recipe.
I have a question about the quick Swiss Meringue recipe. I made it per instructions and it came out looking like it should. The problem was it was late, I was tired and decided to put the icing in the fridge till the next day. I took it out waited about an hour and began mixing it, it was still pretty firm at that point. It began to separate so I kept mixing and kept mixing and it finally came together again BUT it looked pasty and just didn’t look or taste all that great. I want to try the recipe again but I need to know what went wrong before I waste all that butter again. Was it because I didn’t wait long enough for the icing to get to room temp before mixing it?
Hi, Linda! I’m sorry that happened to you. You have to leave it at room temp (73 F / 23 C) first before rewhipping it.
Since this frosting uses pasteurized eggs you can leave it at cool room temperature for a couple of days.
HI i just had some questions on this buttercream. How is the cheaters swiss meringue buttercream different than the original swiss meringue buttercream? are they the same in flavor, texture and sustainability in heat?. What are the differences between the both except for the part that one is easier to make. And which do you prefer?. Thank You.
Hello! They are the same in taste and texture – they both don’t form a crust, smooth, creamy, and not overly sweet. The only difference I noticed was the original swiss meringue is slightly fluffier but it is hardly noticeable especially when the buttercream is already applied on the cake! I prefer using this “faux” swiss meringue for my cakes because it’s easier and faster to make, but I still use the original swiss meringue from time to time.
HI trish,
i wanted to know if i can use this swiss buttercream under fondant? thank you
Hey, Areej! Yes, you can use this under fondant.
I am far from even a novice baker, but baking constantly to change that status so bear with my questions. First; do you use the Swiss meringue buttercream or your easy cheat Swiss meringue buttercream on your wedding cake? Second; on your super moist white cake mix, are the unsalted butter & eggs at room temperature? My friend & I are tackling these 2 recipes of yours this weekend for practice and then again in 2 weeks for the real wedding cake for our friend. Third; other than weighing ingredients (bought my scales today!), any other tips for me? Thank you for sharing and presenting it that I’m ready to bake!!
Hi Katylee! For the wedding cake, I used the Swiss Meringue buttercream but you can definitely use the Cheater’s Swiss Meringue recipe instead as it is easier to make. The Vanilla cake recipe uses unsalted butter and room temperature eggs. For your testing, I suggest try making the 6-inch cake plus the buttercream first. If you like the recipe and decide to use it, send me an email and I would happily share with you the summary of ingredients and measurements for the 6-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch cakes (including the swiss meringue buttercream, sugar syrup, strawberry cream cheese filling, etc) that I prepared at that time for the wedding cake – it’s a lot of ingredients! Have been working on a blog post about this but I don’t think it will be ready in time for your wedding. =)
P.S. Yay for getting a scale!
What generous baker you are! I’ve seen some bakers who will only share their recipes for a price. Thank you for enriching the baking world!