Italian buttercream is one of the most delicious and stable recipes you can make. It’s silky smooth with a perfect balance of sweetness (not too sweet or too buttery) and pipes beautifully. It’s also stable enough to use in cake fillings, coatings, and under fondant. It might seem a bit more technical than your basic American buttercream or Swiss Meringue buttercream because it involves pouring hot syrup onto egg whites. Still, it’s worth trying, especially if you have mastered the first two types. You can read more details about the different types of buttercreams in this Complete Guide to Buttercream.
Here are my best tips to make beautiful and delicious Italian meringue buttercream, and watch the video below to see exactly how I made it.
- Wipe down your bowl and attachments with lemon juice or white vinegar to make sure there are no traces of oil or fat on them that would prevent your meringue from whipping up.
- For this recipe, you will need a candy thermometer to make the sugar syrup.
- Start with your egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, and later when you add the butter, switch to a paddle attachment.
- Place the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat without stirring when making the syrup.
- Once the syrup temperature reaches 100 ºC, begin whisking your egg whites on high to reach soft peaks.
- When your syrup reaches 115ºC, reduce the speed of your mixer to low and drizzle in your hot syrup. Try to drizzle it on the side of the bowl.
- I like to remove the bowl once the meringue is stiff enough and place it into the fridge for 15 minutes to cool it down.
- Once your meringue is completely cool, you can whip in your butter, salt, and vanilla until the buttercream is light and fluffy.