Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
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!
Table of Contents
- Why this is the best chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipe
- Ingredients and notes
- Variations
- Tools and equipment
- How to make chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream
- Expert tips For making Swiss meringue buttercream
- FAQS
- Serving suggestions
- Storage
- More simply perfect frosting recipes
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
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/8 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! I found a cheap jar of pb2 today, and as I have been planning on trying out your simply perfect chocolate cupcakes, it hit me-could I add the pb2 to the vanilla frosting and make chocolate peanut butter cupcakes? ! Do you think there would be an issue with texture? Is there a specific way I should add it? Would I have to displace some sugar so it doesn’t get too dry? Thanks! I’m new to baking so it really helps.
What a great idea! I have to be honest I have never used that product before, but I think it could work! PB2 is the powder, am I right? You may want to dissolve it in a few tablespoons of warm water just to make sure it doesn’t clump up. I don’t think you need to worry about changing the sugar amount, just because the sugar really doesn’t add any “dryness.” It all gets dissolved into the egg whites so that shouldn’t be any issue. The great thing about this recipe is it takes all sorts of add-ins really well. Just make sure you add at the very end. I’ve done regular peanut butter plenty of times but I’d be really curious to hear how the PB2 works out! Good luck and let me know!
Hii 🙂 i just want to say i’m having a hard time doing the smbc please help me. Mine was so runny when the time i added the butter.What do you think went wrong?
Lea- you may want to check the previous comments. Twenty minutes in the fridge before whipping should firm things right up. Good luck!
Hi Allie!
I tried your simply perfect chocolate cupcakes today, and my they so were peerrrfffect!! Amazing! I made them for my husband’s colleagues. And I iced some with chocolate frosting and the remaining with vanilla. Everyone loved it. I live in Dubai, and one of his colleagues actually called up to say these were THE BEST cupcakes she has had in all of Dubai! So thank you so much for that!
I should also add that the thing that really made me want to try out this recipe were the photos. They are beautiful:) Made me really hungry!
Sarah
Aw, thank you so much Sarah! You truly made my day! I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband’s colleagues liked the cupcakes so much. And thank you so much for the sweet compliments!
This is a delicious icicing! It was the ABSOLUTE perfect amount to ice a two layer cake – none left over to sit in my fridge for me to eat by the spoonful and feel bad about. I made a deep dark chocolate espresso cake and this icing was perfect because it kept the cake light, but still rich and chocolatey. Well done 🙂
*I have to say though, earlier this summer I made a wedding cake with a raspberry swiss buttercream that was divine. If the author of this recipe were to try it (fold in fresh raspberry puree instead of chocolate) they would not be disappointed 🙂
I’m so happy you liked the recipe, Martha! And your raspberry version sounds absolutely divine! Thanks so much for sharing, and for the great feedback 😀
Hi Allie! I’m making your chocolate cupcakes for ny mom’s birthday 😀 I have a doubt though.. it’s about the size of the eggs! the 3 eggs whites come from big eggs? sorry for the odd question xD
No worries Patty! I use “large” eggs. It usually specifies on the carton. Large is what I buy 😉 Good luck and enjoy! And happy birthday to your mom!
thank you very much! 🙂 we don’t have those cartons where I live hehe another question! how many of a cup it would be? I only can find small eggs 🙁
Hopefully you’ll find this helpful: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Approximately_how_much_does_a_food_egg_weigh. Let me know if that answers your question. Thanks again!
Hi Allie,
I’m going to give this a try. From the other comments, I gather that the butter should be soft but not too warm. The meringue needs to be cold before adding the butter. Keep whipping on high speed until it comes together. Is there a heavy butter flavor with using 2 sticks of butter but only 1 cup of sugar? My usual chocolate buttercream has 3 cups of powdered sugar to 2 sticks of butter along with melted chocolate. Thanks!
Hi Josephine! I’m so glad you’ve decided to give this recipe a try. It’s one of my all-time favorites! The flavor is definitely more buttery than sugary. And it sounds like you’ve got the process down pat! I hope you enjoy it- it’s definitely a lot different than the traditional powdered sugar variety. Once I tasted it, there was no going back! Good luck!
Hi, I made this chocolate SMB a while ago and it was perfect!!! This weekend I tried to add white chocolate, but the end result was not nearly the same. My butter didn’t combine completely there was tiny lumps and the white chocolate although I thought it was perfectly melted also had tiny lumps when I started to pipe it. So the tips clogged with the butter and chocolate 🙁 . Any tips for getting the butter not to make tiny lumps (was it too cold – it was out of the fridge for around 15-20min)? It also didn’t want to hold shape, tried to put in the fridge, whip it up again, but still not 🙁 Don’t know what I did wrong this time.
Hey Estelle! Oh that’s too bad it lumped up on you! What a disappointment. If it wasn’t the chocolate then I’m thinking maybe it was the butter. I usually leave my butter out a bit longer so it’s pretty soft. Maybe 45 minutes or so? It’s best when it’s soft but still a bit cool- but I usually err on the side of softer. Sometimes the buttercream can be too loose when the butter is warm, but I’d rather just pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill and then re-whip, than have lumps. Better luck next time, dear!
Hi, I tried it this weekend again and it came out perfect! I made sure the butter was extra soft and whipped it around 15 minutes extra 🙂 No lumps at all and it was super easy to pipe. Just wanted to let you know.
That’s great! I’m so glad it worked out. Thank you so much for letting me know! Now I’m anxious to try it with white chocolate 😉
Hi Allie, these look delicious! I am wondering what icing tip you used to create that perfect swirl?
Thanks!
Hi Rachael, and thanks so much for reading! The tip is by Wilton, it’s a 1M. Good luck!
I’ve tried the cup cakes recepi this morning..even though I’m not very sure about the method of combine the wet ingredients first. .but I give a try just to know the end result. ..it turn out to be a very nice cup cake..super fluffy n yumm..thanks for the great recepi. .
I know, it’s a little bit different but I love the result too, and I feel like it makes cleanup so much simpler with just one bowl. I’m so glad you enjoyed, Joshi, thanks so much for your comment!
Hi I have a ? I made the chocolate Swiss Meringue and I was able to ice (2) nine inch cakes and was able to decorate the top od cake with medium Rosettas .didn’t have enough to add a border on bottom. Today I made the Swiss Meringue again but didn’t add the semi sweet chocolates I only kept it white now why did’nt I have enough to even decorate the top ? is there less icing in the white than the chocolate?Thank you
Both recipes are identical with the exception of the chocolate. As you can see, 3 egg whites, 1 cup sugar, and 2 sticks of butter. I’m not really sure why you ended up with less of the vanilla one…?
I know I followed the recipe but left out the semi sweet chocolate. don’t know what happened. H
So, I made this frosting and it tasted good, but began to crack after a while on the cake. What did I do wrong. I did refrigerate it, but now am hesitant to make it again because of the way it turned out. thanks
Gee I’m not really sure, M…? I’ve never had that problem. Could it have been the cake? Maybe it was too soft and it settled a lot under the weight of it’s layers?
What if I just want plain swiss meringue? omit the chocolate? I’m going to try swiss meringue since I always got intimidated when I hear it. So it’ll be the first time I going to make one.
Good luck Anne! I think you’re going to love it, the silky texture is so lovely. And yes, just leave out the chocolate, or substitute with whatever flavor you’d prefer. I love coffee, peanut butter, strawberry, vanilla… it’s really adaptable!
How does this Swiss Meringue Buttercream hold up in Hot weather ? does the cake need to be refridgeerated after icing the cake or how long can cake still on counter? Thank you.
Hi Esmeralda! The buttercream holds up extremely well. You’re actually not the first reader to ask! I would encourage you to read the other comments on this post- I think you’ll see just how stable it is. Thanks so much for reading!
Thank you i’am going to try this today but one more question I did read where you can keep it in the the refridgerator for up to a week but after icicng the cake how long can the cake sit out on the counter ? does it have to be put in a box ?
Not sure about the box thing- I guess if you’re trying to transport it a box might be helpful. I usually keep cakes on a pedestal, sometimes I use the kind with a cloche. I probably wouldn’t leave it out more than a day, because of the eggs. Hope that helps!
Okay Allie I tried the vanilla SMBC and it was delicious !when I was whipping it I went to stir it and it was runny but I remember you said whip it whip it whip it or something like that so I did and it did come together. My husband who doesn’t like buttercream due to ir being way to sweet loved this one he ate the whole cupcake with the SMBC,lol .but he did say it had an after taste maybe it was the butter or the vanilla who knows who cares I loved it and it answered my ? about how stable it is. wish there was a way to post a pic I started making a cross cupcake but the g/kids ate some of the cupcakes lol.One more ? can I color this SMBC ? Thank you and God Bless.
Oh I’m so glad you were happy with it, Esmeralda! And yes, you can most certainly color it or flavor it in all sorts of ways. I’ve done coffee, strawberry, peanut butter, caramel. It holds up really well to all sorts of add-ins. 😀
Brilliant recipe – thanks ever so much – worked perfectly, first time!! ;o))
That’s so great to hear, Glenys! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback ;D
Hi Allie.
If I were to make cream cheese frosting using this recipe, how much cream cheese should I add in?
Hey Nora! That is actually something that I had been meaning to experiment with for a long time. But recently, I had a reader leave me a comment saying don’t even bother trying! She had done it a number of times and felt it was a big failure, a waste of time and ingredients. I’m still on a quest for the perfect cream cheese frosting, and nothing has really met my high standards. However, I can point you to this one: http://www.justataste.com/2014/01/red-velvet-cupcakes-piped-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/, and this one: https://bakingamoment.com/magical-cream-cheese-frosting/. Both of them are a little looser than I’d prefer, but I can get them to pipe, especially when cold. And, once piped, they do hold the shape very well. Also another reader recommended this: http://www.anediblemosaic.com/?p=5894. I haven’t had a chance to try it myself, but she said she uses it all the time and it works well. Good luck!
Hi ally!
Just to check with you, if I want to make vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, I should just omit the melted chocolate right?
Ya, pretty much, Nora! Also I like to add a little vanilla bean paste or extract at the very end. I actually have the recipe for vanilla SMBC here: https://bakingamoment.com/simply-perfect-vanilla-cupcakes/. Great question, thanks for asking!