Foolproof Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This chocolate swiss meringue buttercream is lightly sweet, creamy, and packed with deep chocolate flavor. It’s the perfect chocolate frosting for cakes, cupcakes, pipes beautifully and totally melts in your mouth.
Servings: 1 batch
Calories: 4766kcal
Equipment
- Whisk
- mixing bowl
- Pot
- Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment
- Rubber spatula
- 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!
Video
Notes
This recipe has been tested using the whisk attachment the entire time and also switching to the paddle attachment after the meringue is whipped. There is no discernable difference between the two methods, so use whichever attachment style you prefer.
This recipe creates enough buttercream to frost a multi-layer cake, or generously pipe 24 cupcakes.
For additional information and step-by-step pictures, see the blog post and "How to Fix Broken Swiss Meringue Buttercream" section for additional tips.
Storage:
Store the buttercream covered at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate it for one week. After refrigeration, let the frosting come to room temperature, then re-whip it before using. Freeze it in a covered container for 3 months. Refrigerate overnight to thaw, then bring to room temperature and re-whip.
Nutrition
Calories: 4766kcal | Carbohydrates: 301g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 389g | Saturated Fat: 240g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 105g | Trans Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 760mg | Sodium: 848mg | Potassium: 1889mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 257g | Vitamin A: 8774IU | Calcium: 269mg | Iron: 18mg
