Rich, silky, and smooth, this chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream is the chocolate frosting of your dreams. Made with just four ingredients, this luxurious buttercream is far less sweet than American buttercream and is incredibly stable, making it perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and fillings.
This recipe creates a rich, chocolate-forward buttercream with a silky feel, thanks to the smooth emulsion of butter and meringue. Whether you’re frosting a layer cake or swirling it onto cupcakes, this buttercream is elegant, stable, and ultra-creamy.
The chocolatey sister to this strawberry swiss meringue buttercream, we use this recipe to cover our decadent triple chocolate layer cake. It would also be amazing on some classic chocolate cupcakes, strawberry crunch cupcakes, chocolate walnut cake, sandwiched between chocolate chip sugar cookies, or even as a filling for these strawberry whoopie pies!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Silky smooth & not too sweet - The egg whites whipped with the sugar and butter give this buttercream a light, airy texture, while the chocolate provides a rich depth of flavor.
Ultra chocolatey - Made with good quality melted semi-sweet chocolate, this frosting has a bold, yet balanced chocolate taste.
Pipes beautifully - This buttercream holds its shape incredibly well, making it perfect for swirls, layers, and fillings. This stable buttercream also stands up well to extreme heat, making it ideal for everything from a summer picnic to a chilly winter party.
Ingredients
- Semi-sweet chocolate. Use a good quality chocolate bar that has between 60-70% cacao.
- Granulated sugar. Sweetens and stabilizes the egg whites when heated.
- Egg whites. The base of the meringue, creating a light and fluffy structure.
- Unsalted butter. Adds richness, airy stabilization, and creates the silky buttercream texture. It's important to use true room temperature butter, which is about 66℉.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- White chocolate. Swap the semi-sweet chocolate for 10 oz of white chocolate, and reduce the butter by 2 tablespoons.
- Milk chocolate. Use a milk chocolate bar (10oz) and reduce the butter by 2 tablespoons.
- Mocha Buttercream. Stir in 1 tablespoon of espresso powder with the melted chocolate for a coffee-infused version.
- Salted chocolate. Add 2 teaspoons of flaky sea salt while mixing in the melted chocolate for a salty-sweet combo.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Add the egg whites, sugar, and salt to a bain marie over simmering water and whisk until warm and the sugar granules are dissolved.
Two: Transfer to a stand mixer and whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and it stands on the tip of a whisk without falling.
Tip! The sides of the mixing bowl should no longer be warm to the touch after whipping to stiff peaks. If it's still slightly warm, let it cool down before adding the butter.
Three: With the paddle or whisk attachment, and the mixer running on medium low speed, add 2 tablespoons of butter at a time until it's all incorporated.
Four: The mixture will begin to look curdled and grainy when adding the butter - this is normal!
Five: Continue whipping the buttercream until it gets very smooth.
Six: Use a spatula to smooth it out and check for consistency. If it's not totally smooth, keep mixing.
Seven: Pour in the cooled, melted chocolate and mix to combine.
Eight: Finish folding in the chocolate by hand, scraping down the sides and bottom until completely incorporated and smooth before piping or decorating.
Expert Tips
- Heating the eggs and sugar. If the sugar isn't fully dissolved, your buttercream may not whip up nicely and will turn out grainy. Be sure the mixture is quite warm and the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Cool the meringue completely before adding butter. If it's too warm, the butter will melt, making the frosting soupy.
- Room temperature butter. Be sure the butter isn't too cold, or too warm. It should be right around 66℉. You can check it with a digital thermometer!
- Curdled looking buttercream. It will look curdled and grainy after the butter has been added, but will smooth out as you continue whipping.
- Melted but cooled chocolate. Be sure the melted chocolate is no longer hot or even too warm when adding it to the buttercream or else it will melt the butter.
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How to Fix Broken Swiss Meringue Buttercream
If your buttercream doesn’t turn out as expected, don’t worry! Here are the most common issues and how to fix them:
1. Buttercream is too soupy (looks thin and runny).
Cause: The meringue (or butter) was too warm when the butter was added, causing it to melt.
Fix:
- Place the bowl in the fridge for 15–20 minutes, then whip again until fluffy.
- If it’s still too thin, add 1-2 tablespoons of cool room temperature butter and whip on medium-high speed.
2. Buttercream looks curdled or grainy.
Cause: This happens after adding butter, especially if it was too cold.
Fix:
- Keep mixing! It will come together in about 5–10 minutes of whipping.
- If it’s still curdled, warm the bowl slightly by placing a warm towel around it or dipping the bottom of the bowl in hot water for 15-30 seconds.
3. Buttercream is too stiff or greasy.
Cause: The butter was too cold, or it was overwhipped.
Fix:
- Warm the buttercream slightly by setting the bowl in hot water for about 15 seconds, then mix again until smooth.
- If it's too greasy, switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes to smooth it out.
Swiss meringue buttercream is forgiving—if something goes wrong, you can almost always bring it back to life with a little patience!
Recipe FAQs
Your butter may have been too warm, or the chocolate wasn’t cooled enough before adding. Place the bowl in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, then re-whip until thick and creamy.
This happens when the butter is added to the meringue. Just keep whipping—it will come together! If it still doesn't become smooth, there is a temperature problem. Check the section on "how to fix broken buttercream" to remedy this.
Totally! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temp and re-whip before using.
Yes, but it will take significantly longer. A hand mixer works, but you'll need extra time and a deep bowl to achieve the correct meringue texture.
Yes, just be sure it's 100% egg whites with no additives. Use a digital scale to measure out the gram amount listed in the recipe.
Storage
Room temperature: Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Let it come to room temperature and re-whip before using.
Freezer: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, bring to room temp, and re-whip before using.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Foolproof Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Equipment
- Whisk
- Pot
- Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment
- Digital thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar (60-70% cacao) chopped, melted & cooled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter cool room temperature, cut into 2 tablespoon pieces
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate and melt (either in a double boiler or in the microwave in :20s blasts stirring in between each) and set aside to cool.10 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar (60-70% cacao)
- Add the egg whites, sugar, and salt to a bowl over a double boiler on medium high heat, whisking constantly until the sugar is dissolved, warm to the touch, and slightly foamy. You can check that the sugar is dissolved by rubbing your fingers together. If you can still feel the sugar granules, keep whisking and heating. It should read about 160℉ on a digital thermometer.¾ cup granulated sugar, 4 large egg whites, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Transfer the egg and sugar mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the whites on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks. A large ball of meringue will form in the center of the whisk and the peak will stand up on the end. This can take up to 15 minutes depending on the climate.
- Once you’ve reached stiff peaks, switch to the paddle attachment and on medium speed, add 2 tablespoons of the room temperature butter at a time, waiting until fully incorporated before adding the next 2 tablespoons.1½ cups unsalted butter
- Continue this process 2 tablespoons at a time until all of the butter is used. It may look curdled starting around the halfway point, but just keep whipping, and it will come together. After all the butter is incorporated, add the cooled, melted chocolate and mix on low until combined.
- Finish by scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mixing by hand. Once combined, use the buttercream to frost your favorite cakes, cupcakes, or cookies!
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