Italian meringue buttercream is easier to make than you think. It's infinitely better tasting than those overly sweet, crusty, gritty frostings made with shortening and powdered sugar that are so often mistakenly called buttercream. This is the real deal - the texture of IMBC is silky smooth, and the flavor is utterly out of this world. I highly recommend you give it a try. Let me show you how easy it is.
You can find a gazillion different recipes for Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC) online. Just pick one and go for it.Start by combining the correct amount of water and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan. I make IMBC frequently, so I invested in this nifty copper sugar pot. The pot has a nice pour spout and it seems to heat the syrup very quickly, but I used a heavy bottomed stainless steel sauce pan for years, so that will definitely work fine for you.
Stir the water and sugar together, just until the sugar dissolves, then STOP stirring and let it come to a boil like this.
Now add a candy thermometer. The sugar syrup isn't very deep, so I find putting the thermometer in the pan upside down gives a better reading. You can also tilt the pan to get a good reading, but be careful... the syrup is EXTREMELY HOT!
Cook until the temperature reaches 248F. As you can see, we're not quite there yet, but it won't be much longer. The temperature rises quickly once you get to this point.
NOTE - be very sure your bowl and whip are free of grease, and make sure there are absolutely no traces of egg yolk in your whites. Greasy residue or the tiniest amount of egg yolk will keep your white from whipping.In the meantime, beat room temperature egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whip attachment on med speed. Add cream of tartar, increase the speed to med-high and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
Here is what soft peaks look like... add the correct amount of sugar called for in the recipe and continue to beat until you reach stiff peaks.
Stiff peaks achieved. If your sugar syrup hasn't reached 248F yet, just turn the mixer speed down to low while you wait... you shouldn't have to wait long, if at all.
The moment the sugar syrup reaches 248F, with the mixer on med-high, start pouring it slowly between the whip and the edge of the bowl or you'll have strings of hardened sugar syrup all over the place. When all the sugar syrup has been added, increase speed to high and beat until the mixture cools to room temperature (monitor the temp by feeling the outside bottom of the bowl).
Now you can start to add your room temperature butter, a little at a time, until it's all combined. The meringue will immediately start to lose volume when you start adding the butter, but that's normal. Also, don't panic if your mixture starts to look curdled... just keep beating on high, it will magically come together soon. Add optional flavorings, and enjoy.
Here it is almost done... I'm making this batch vanilla, so I'll add either pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to taste.
This is my vanilla version that I used to top some yummy chocolate cupcakes (cupcake recipe found here - cake batter only; no graham cracker crust or mini chocolate chips).
Enjoy!
There are many recipes online, but this one will make 4-5 cups. One batch will frost a layer cake, but you may want to make more if you plan to pipe decorations. Leftover buttercream will keep at room temp for 3 days, can be refrigerated for 10 days, or can be frozen for long-term storage. Bring to room temp before using. Beat for a few seconds with a whisk to restore creamy consistency.
Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream
makes4-5 cups
1 pound unsalted butter, room temp (must be unsalted)
5 egg whites
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (divided 1 cup, and 1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Have butter ready at room temperature.
In a small, heavy bottomed sauce pan, make the sugar syrup by heating the water and 1 cup of sugar to 248F (this will take 5-10 minutes).
In the meantime, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue beating until egg whites reach stiff peaks. Turn off mixer if the sugar syrup hasn't reached 248F yet.
When the sugar syrup is ready, and the mixer on low speed, carefully pour the hot syrup into the whipped egg whites, just between the wall of the bowl and the whisk, being careful not to allow the syrup to hit the whisk. Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip until the meringue has cooled completely (check by feeling the bottom of the bowl).
Once the meringue has cooled completely, slowly add the butter, 1 tablespoon or so at a time, until all the butter is incorporated. If the mixture looks curdled or "broken" at any time, increase the mixer speed and beat until it smooths out before adding more butter. If the mixture or your kitchen is too warm, a short rest in the fridge may be necessary. Beat in the vanilla and prepare to indulge!!
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