Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Simply perfect chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream: So light and silky-smooth, with a deep chocolate flavor and a hint of sweetness. This will be your new favorite frosting!
Swiss meringue buttercream takes a little more effort than the powdered sugar + butter American variety, but it's doable, even for a beginner, and the flavor payoff makes it all worthwhile!
If you've never tasted it before, you won't believe it! Every time one of my friends or family tastes it for the first time, they're always like, "What is this???"
Once you give it a try, you'll never want to go back to American buttercream!
Why this is the best chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipe
- Texture: It has the most incredible silky-smooth mouthfeel.
- Not overly sweet: The meringue helps balance the chocolate's sweetness.
- Versatile: Use it for various desserts, including layer cakes, and cupcakes, and even as a filling for macarons.
- Firm: It holds its shape well, making it an excellent choice for decorating cakes with intricate designs or smooth finishes.
- Stable: It pipes beautifully and is stable enough to withstand warm temperatures.
Ingredients and notes
Egg whites: Use the whites only from large eggs. It's best if they're at room temperature, but I don't find this to be too critical. Be careful not to pierce the yolk when separating the eggs. If you do, the meringue won't whip up properly.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar combines with the egg whites to create an airy meringue.
Butter: I use unsalted butter because it lets me control the amount of salt in the dish. Different brands of butter can contain different amounts of salt, so this way you get a more consistent result. This recipe works best if you allow the butter to come to room temperature first. You can set it out on the counter a few hours ahead of making your recipe, or you can microwave it for 10 seconds, turn it over, and microwave it again for another 8 seconds. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature, but not warm or melted.
Chocolate: Use high-quality chocolate that has been melted and cooled. Baking bars that have been chopped or broken into small pieces will melt the smoothest. You can use semi-sweet, bittersweet, white chocolate, or milk chocolate depending on your preference.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds a subtly sweet flavor without being at all sugary.
Salt: Carries the flavors and intensifies them. The end result won't taste salty, but it will make everything so much more flavorful! I like kosher salt best because it doesn't have any additives (table salt usually contains iodine which can leave a bitter taste), so the flavor is pure. It's also inexpensive and easy to find in a regular grocery store.
Variations
White chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream: Use melted white chocolate to create a white chocolate Swiss buttercream.
Mocha Swiss meringue buttercream: Add a tablespoon or two of instant espresso or coffee powder to the melted chocolate before incorporating it into the buttercream.
Raspberry or strawberry chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream: Mix in one to two tablespoons of seedless raspberry or strawberry jam to the finished buttercream to add a fruity twist that complements the chocolate.
Peppermint chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream: Add peppermint extract to the buttercream for a festive and refreshing flavor, perfect for holiday treats.
Tools and equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: Follow my "How to Measure Ingredients" guide.
- Large pot: The meringue is cooked over a pot of simmering water.
- Mixing bowl: In which to make the buttercream.
- Whisk: For stirring the egg whites and sugar together as they cook.
- Electric mixer: Either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, fitted with a whip attachment.
How to make chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream
This recipe comes together in just 4 simple steps.
Step 1: Cook the eggs and sugar
Place the egg whites and sugar in a large metal or glass mixing bowl and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Allow the mixture to cook, whisking, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture looks opaque.
Step 2: Whip
Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and whip it on high speed using the whisk attachment (not the paddle attachment) until completely cooled and stiff peaks form.
Step 3: Add butter
With the mixer going at medium speed, whip in a tablespoon of butter at a time, allowing each addition to become fully incorporated before adding the next.
If it looks curdled, continue to whip until it comes back together before adding the remaining butter.
Step 4: Add flavorings
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then fold in the melted dark chocolate, vanilla, and salt.
Expert tips For making Swiss meringue buttercream
- The hardest part is warming the eggs and sugar together to create the meringue base. I do it right in the bowl of a stand mixer over a pot of simmering water. Be sure the egg yolks are separated from the whites. You don't want to use a heatproof bowl; you need the bowl to warm up enough to melt the sugar.
- Continue to whisk over the simmering water if the egg whites and sugar still feel gritty.
- Once you place the egg whites and sugar on your stand mixer, whip it on medium-high speed until it's completely cool and air bubbles form. It will look (and taste!) a lot like marshmallow. If you don't have a stand mixer an electric mixer will also work.
- When there is no hint of warmth, start whipping in the softened butter a tablespoon at a time.
- If it starts to look curdled, don't panic. Just whip, whip, whip, and it'll come back together.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring after each 20-second interval, until it's completely smooth and velvety. Allow it to cool a bit before folding it into the meringue.
FAQS
Mistake #1: Not entirely dissolving the sugar in the egg whites over the double boiler. If this happens, the buttercream can have a grainy texture.
Mistake #2: Not cooling the meringue completely before adding butter. Adding butter to warm meringue can lead to a runny buttercream.
Mistake #3: The butter is too cold or too soft. Adding butter that is too cold or too soft can affect the texture of the buttercream.
Mistake #4: Underwhipping. Underwhipping can result in a loose and unstable buttercream.
Mistake #5: Adding warm chocolate. Adding warm chocolate to the buttercream can cause it to melt, resulting in a runny texture.
Yes, Swiss meringue buttercream does firm up, but its texture is influenced by temperature.
At room temperature, Swiss meringue buttercream has a smooth and creamy consistency.
If you refrigerate the buttercream, it becomes more solid, similar to butter, due to the high butter content. The firmness can make it easier to handle when working on intricate cake decorations.
Serving suggestions
This buttercream is great on just about any cake or cupcake.
Frosting for layer cakes: Provides a smooth and luxurious coating that complements a variety of cake flavors.
Cupcake frosting: I especially love it on a vanilla cupcake, but chocolate cupcakes are perfect, too. It works great as a filling for cupcake centers.
Macaron filling: Sandwich macarons with Swiss meringue buttercream for a delicious and sophisticated twist.
Filling for pastries: Use as a filling for your favorite pastries, such as cream puffs, éclairs, or turnovers. It adds a luscious and sweet element to the pastry.
Storage
Room temperature: If you have frosted a cake or cupcakes with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, they can be kept at room temperature for about 1 to 2 days, depending on the ambient temperature. However, Swiss meringue buttercream is sensitive to heat, so avoid leaving it in a warm environment for too long.
Refrigerated: Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for 1 to 2 weeks. Before using it again, allow the buttercream to come to room temperature, and then re-whip it to restore its smooth texture.
Freeze: Place it in an airtight container or a zip-top bag, ensuring that it is well-sealed to prevent freezer burn. It can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then allow it to come to room temperature before re-whipping.
More simply perfect frosting recipes
This post contains affiliate sales links.
Simply Perfect Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 3 (90 g) egg whites
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened but cool
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) semisweet chocolate,, melted & cooled slightly
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.75 g) kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the egg whites and sugar in a large metal or glass bowl.
- Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture looks opaque.
- Remove the bowl from the heat, and whip on high speed until completely cooled.
- Whip in the butter, a tablespoon at a time, until thick and fluffy. (If it begins to look curdled, continue to whip until it comes back together before adding in remaining butter.)
- Fold in the melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt.
Notes
*Enough to ice (2) 9-inch diameter cakes, (1) 9 x 13-inch sheet cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes
Hi Allie,
I was just wondering how this pipes? I am looking for a delicious chocolate icing recipe, and since I haven't ventured away from the traditional vanilla butter cream, I was wondering how this would fair for icing!
Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Sarah
Hi Sarag! It pipes like a dream and holds its shape really well. You can kinda see from the photos. It's got a stiffer consistency, but it's not hard to pipe. It's by far my favorite kind of frosting. A little extra effort at the beginning but the flavor payoff is huge, and it's super stable too. Good luck and thanks for reading!
That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Will be trying this weekend! Thanks!
Yay! Good luck, and enjoy!
Your chocolate cupcakes was perfect and the frosting is even better and again I've featured this recipe on my blog, if you don't agree with that, please contact me and I'll remove it. All the best.
Thank you so much, again, Vera, for the feature! I'm so happy you like the recipes, and so grateful for the back link. I agree with that! Hugs 🙂
Your description of it is so mouthwatering that if my kitchen wasn't such a mess (due to paint job) I would make it right now! 8)
Thank you, Erika! I think you'd love this on "our" favorite vanilla cupcakes 😉 Good luck with the paint project!
Can I use carton egg whites, in place of fresh egg whites?
I have done that and it usually works out just fine. Good luck!
Hi Allie - the pictures of this are fantastic! Can I ask you, what piping tip did you use? I love the result of it. I can't wait to try this recipe.
Hi Tina! Thank you 😉 Photography is a learning process for me so I'm always glad to get encouraging comments!
I just used a big star tip. It's by Wilton and it's called 1M, but I pushed a pen through it to bend it outwards and make the opening bigger.
I hope you enjoy the recipe! It's my absolute favorite <3
Hi Allie,
I liked your choc swiss meringue recipe and I'm gonna try it on a chocolate cake by end of this week, but I wonder if I needed to make a portion of just white Swiss Meringue butter cream with no chocolate, shall I just ommit the chocolate addition step or there are other variations in the ingridients for that? Thanks
Hi Nora! I'm so happy you liked the recipe. You are definitely right, you can omit the chocolate, and that would just be a plain Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Or you could add vanilla extract, or any other flavoring. Here's a vanilla version: https://bakingamoment.com/simply-perfect-vanilla-cupcakes/, and here's a strawberry version that is just out of this world: https://bakingamoment.com/strawberry-cupcakes-with-strawberry-swiss-meringue-buttercream/. The sky's the limit! Enjoy!
Thank you Allie 🙂
That buttercream does look absolutely perfect - pinned!
Thanks so much for sharing, Trish <3
Allie, I am a new fan of your blog. Don't know how I went this long without bumping into you. This frosting is gorgeous and your pipping is beautiful. Love love love.
Yay! Thank you so much Zainab! I'm definitely a fan of yours as well. I'm rather new on the scene so that's probably why you haven't seen me. 🙂
Hallelujah, Allie! I cannot wait to try this decadent and awesome looking frosting (frosting, as you know, makes me a little weak in the knees). I haven't tried Swiss meringue buttercream but I may have to strongly suggest that my husband make this for me (he is a meringue master). This frosting sounds a bit like 7 minute frosting (which I utterly adore). Can't wait to try it out!
Hi Amy! This is my #1 favorite! I hope you like it too! It's fluffy like 7 minute, but BUTTERY! So magical... 😉
This looks beautiful. I made Swiss Meringue Buttercream for the first time a few weeks ago and while I loved the texture I wasn't crazy about the taste. I can't wait to give this one a try.
I hope you like this one better, Sharon! The chocolate makes it super rich and intense! Thanks for reading and commenting... 🙂
Hi Allie! New fan of your gorgeous blog! Love the recipes and photos!
Hey there! Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hi! It's so funny- I was just last night looking at your cherry/yogurt recipe and bookmarking your page! Love your blog as well (especially the name- Genius!). So happy to see you here! 🙂
How fabulous! You are such a sweetie! So happy we found our blogs! 🙂
Thanks for the sweet comment, Anna! And me too 😉
This frosting looks amazing! I have a question about the ingredients, which say *1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter.* Two sticks of butter is normally 1 cup, not 1/2 cup...is this a typo, or did you really mean to use just 1/2 cup of butter? Thanks for the awesome looking recipe!
Oh my gosh, Jennie! You are so right! I can't believe my mistake. It is two sticks of butter, 100%, and thank you so much for catching my error! That could've been a total disaster. I'm hopping over to the post now to correct it. Thanks again! 😉
How many grams is that?
Please toggle the metric button below the list of ingredients.
This is the most beautiful frosting ever! I am always fascinated by a frosting with great texture, hold, and smoothness! Pinning onto my Frosting board! Can't wait to try it out!
Thanks, Gloria! If you've never tried Swiss Meringue, I think you will love it! It's not overly sweet, the texture is amazing, and it's very stable. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing on your Pinterest board! I hope to see you here again. 🙂
After reading your post for perfect cupcakes and this one, I'm so wishing to give cupcakes a try! This buttercream looks fantastic too! And the pictures are so beautiful *--* So in love with your blog right now, Allie! x
That has to be one of the sweetest comments I've ever gotten! And I get a lot of sweet comments, lol. You've totally made my day. As a blogger yourself, I'm sure you know the time investment that goes into it, and there's often very little to show for it. But comments like this make it so worthwhile! Thank you so much for brightening my day!
I tried swiss meringue buttercream for the first time a while ago and I love it, it's so smooth and creamy. What colour is your kitchenaid? I'm looking to buy one but I'm not sure what colour to go with.
Hi Laura! My kitchen aid is so old, I don't even know if it's still available! I think I got it probably 15+ years ago. My parents bought it for me as a birthday gift, and I think they purchased it at Williams Sonoma. I want to say the color is Jadeite, but I'm not positive. It's my favorite color! And my kitchen decor (and blog design!) center around it. 🙂
I thought so, I noticed the green shades on your blog. I like the colour a lot myself. You've a lovely blog.
You are so sweet to say so! I'm sure you know, as a fellow-blogger, how much your heart gets poured into it. Thanks for the sweet and encouraging words. Loving your page as well. 😉
Thanks, that's nice of you 🙂 I haven't been blogging for long so I'm still getting grips with things.
Wow that looks incredible, terrific recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Heaven.
That's really all you need to say. This frosting is just heaven!
You are so right, Kayle. Swiss Meringue Buttercream is just the best ever. Thanks so much for reading, and for the awesome comment! 😉
yeah!
Oh heck yeah! 😉
oh yeah! before this i tried all kinds of frosting, this one really works! taste is there and it pipes and holds it's shape! #frostingshootersanyone?
Haha! So glad you had such great luck with it, Winnie! Thanks for sharing here 😉
Hi allie does the melted chocolate have to be in room temperature before i mix it to the micture?
Hey Poldi! You don't want it to be too cool, otherwise it will clump up. But on the other hand, if it's really hot it could melt the butter. So I would say cool it slightly but make sure it's still melted smooth. Hope that's helpful!
Hi again Allie! Unfortunately my meringue buttercream turneout really soupy. i laso tried to cool it in the refrigerator but it just wont stiff up once it hit room temperature, what do u think i did wrong? can u tell me how can i fix it?
How long did you give it in the fridge, Poldi? It sounds like it was too warm when the butter went in.