Cake Decorating Basics, Recipes, Tutorials, Uncategorized

Easiest Meringue Buttercream

Behind The Cake ~ Easiest meringue buttercream recipe. Buttercream using egg whites from carton, powder sugar, butter and vanilla.

Actually, this is the easiest Meringue Buttercream to make.

 

I love Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It is my go-to buttercream when frosting a cake.It is a smooth full of flavor buttercream and it is very versatile too. I use in my cakes but also on macarons, t is a perfect filling.

Now, the following buttercream recipe is inspired on Lauren Kitchens recipe.

I gotta say it, it is a time saver recipe and so easy to make. So it uses pasteurized egg whites from a carton, you can get it at your grocery store.

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What kind of egg whites can I use?

When I was buying the egg whites I thought I could buy egg beaters. It turns out egg beaters contain savory spices that would not taste good on your buttercream. Look for the carton that says 100% egg whites. Read the ingredients list if you are not sure, you need 100% egg whites. They will work, even if the carton says they are not recommended for meringues.

I attempted the recipe three different times and each time I made a tweak.

The first batch I followed a recipe and added some shortening. I liked the result but I guess I misunderstood the flavoring part. Plus adding the shortening didn’t convince me. It added a flavorless thick part to it that for me is a NO.

For the second batch, I  removed the shortening and I think I had to beat the egg whites a little bit longer. The result was ok but I could feel some of the powdered sugar and it was missing the flavor you get from the SMBC.

Third time is the lucky one.

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Buttercream made with carton egg whites

For my third trial, I added some salt and more vanilla extract. To begin with, I added the powder sugar to the mixing bowl followed by the egg whites and the salt. Started the mixer with the whisk attachment on the lowest setting. Keep it on the lowest speed until almost all the sugar is mixed in with the egg whites or your sugar will fly out the bowl.

After a minute, I increase the speed to full blast and let it mix for about 7 minutes. You will have by then an almost stiff and shiny meringue. You can add the flavoring now or after you mix in the butter.

Add the cubed butter ( in sections) to the meringue and mix until smooth. I used room temp butter basically, I microwaved the butter 15-20 seconds to soften it up.  Scrape the bowl and keep on mixing for about 5 more minutes. To remove some of the air you can beat the buttercream with the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes.

 

 

 

My buttercream is yellow, how can I make it white?

It is almost impossible to make this meringue buttercream bright white since the yellow color comes from the butter. I have seen that by beating the buttercream enough time, it eventually will turn it into a very pale color, almost white.

Another little secret is to add a bitty tiny drop of purple. If you take a look at a color wheel you will notice the purple and yellow are on the opposite side of the wheel. Putting them together will result in a whiter buttercream. Just don’t overdo the purple or your buttercream will turn some shade of purple. You can also add some white food coloring. That too helps.

Adding color to the buttercream.

This step is so easy since this buttercream recipe takes very well any gel colorant. All you have to do is to add a couple of drops on your bc and mix it really good. Start with a couple of drops and add more until you get the shade you were looking for. If you don’t want to add more “brown” color from the vanilla, just add clear vanilla.

Here is a video of how I put this together. This is the buttercream I used to make those beautiful ruffles on the cake picture of the video.

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Easiest Meringue Buttercream – No Heat

This is a delicious meringue buttercream that requires no heat at all.

  • 1 cup Pasteurized Egg Whites (from a carton)
  • 8 cups Powder Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 4 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (Use less if you use a good brand)
  • 2 lbs Unsalted Butter
  1. In a mixing bowl place the powder sugar first and then the egg whites. Start mixing with the whisk attachment on the slowest speed for one minute until it is well mixed. Scrape the sides of the bowlIncrease the speed to the max and mix for 7 minutes.

  2. With the mixer at medium speed, add the butter cubes.  It should be at room temp. Not all at once, add some butter and let it incorporate with the meringue. Then repeat this step until all the butter is incorporated. 
      

  3. Add the vanilla or flavoring you are using as well as any colorant you want to use. Mix until well combine. You can use it right away.