Italian Meringue Buttercream is my all time favorite frosting for cakes and cupcakes. It's silky smooth, incredibly creamy, and absolutely gorgeous to work with. Even better, this buttercream tastes really delicious.
Italian Meringue Buttercream is my favorite frosting.
After over 25 years of making this amazing meringue based buttercream, I've yet to have one person tell me they don't love it. Even those people who normally don't like frosting always LOVE Italian Meringue Buttercream.
If you've ever had the pleasure of eating Italian Meringue Buttercream, you already know why I love it so. If you've never had it, you're in for a treat!
I'm typically one of those people who eats the cake and leaves the frosting behind. Even as a child, I remember scraping the frosting off slices of cake and cupcakes because it was just too sweet.
So, when I made Italian Meringue Buttercream for the first time (over 25 years ago!), it was a total revelation to me. Because, I love this stuff. I mean.... genuinely LOVE it.
Jump to:
- What Does Italian Meringue Buttercream Taste Like?
- What Tools and Ingredients Do You Need?
- Step-by-Step Photos and Instructions
- Common Problems and How to Fix Them
- How to Store and Reconstitute Italian Meringue Buttercream
- How To Add Flavor to Italian Meringue Buttercream
- Best Cakes for Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
What Does Italian Meringue Buttercream Taste Like?
Like a cloud.
That's what one woman told me the first time she tasted it. "I don't normally like frosting, but this is like eating a cloud."
I think she's right.
- Classic Italian Meringue is simply whipped egg whites that are sweetened and stabilized with hot sugar syrup.
- Italian Meringue Buttercream takes this one step further by incorporating butter {lots and lots of butter!} into the meringue.
It's not overly sweet, holds up well, and is a dream to frost and decorate with.
What Tools and Ingredients Do You Need?
Italian Meringue Buttercream might seem a bit complicated at first glance. But, please trust me when I say – it’s really not.
Italian Meringue Buttercream requires just 4 ingredients:
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Cream of tarter
- Butter
And the actual hands-on time is minimal. The first time you make Italian Meringue Buttercream, it might feel complicated and difficult. But trust me. Once you've made it a couple of times, you probably won't even need the recipe.
Having said that, Italian Meringue Buttercream is finicky when it comes to temperature and how the ingredients are incorporate. Stick with me.
I'm going to walk you through the process step-by-step. Plus, I've included some things you can do to recover a batch if it doesn't quite go to plan, and thrown in some fabulous tips that readers have shared with me over the years.
Helpful tools for successful Italian Meringue Buttercream:
- A 2 or 3 quart saucepan
- A candy thermometer
- An electric stand mixer
As I've said, temperature is everything with this recipe. Having a candy thermometer that tells you exactly when the sugar syrup is ready to pour into the egg whites is essential.
It's also important to have a standing mixer. I'm not saying that you can't make Italian Meringue Buttercream with a hand held mixer, but it will be risky and challenging.
Once you add the sugar syrup to the meringue, the frosting must beat until it cools, which can take between 20 - 30 minutes. After that, you need to be able to beat in a LOT of butter. (They don't call it buttercream for nothing!)
With a standing mixer, you just let it do it's thing and get on with your day. But with a hand held... well, that's a long time to stand there holding a mixer. Also, a lot of hand held mixers simply don't have enough power to fully incorporate all that butter.
I recommend using a 6-Quart KitchenAid mixer. However, I have had readers tell me they've made this recipe using a 4 & ½ or 5-quart standing mixer and it's worked out fine. So, use what you have.
One word of caution if using a smaller stand mixer: The egg whites will beat up into a gorgeous, fluffy meringue that might threaten to spill over the sides of a smaller mixer's bowl. Just use a spatula to gently push the meringue back down into the bowl, and you'll be good to go.
Step-by-Step Photos and Instructions
Italian Meringue Buttercream is essentially meringue that's "cooked" by pouring very hot sugar syrup into it while it beats. Once the cooked meringue cools, simply beat in plenty of butter, creating an emulsion that's extraordinary rich and creamy.
Step #1: Heat sugar and water
Add 1 & ¼ cups (251g) sugar and ½ cup of water (118ml) to a 2 or 3 quart saucepan and set it over high heat.
You might be tempted to use a small saucepan. Please don't. As the sugar cooks, it will bubble up and might spill out over the top of a small saucepan. Cleaning up burnt sugar is no fun.
After giving the sugar and water a very brief stir just to make sure all the sugar is moistened, you want to leave it alone. Do not stir it again or you'll run the risk of encouraging little crystals to form in your syrup.
Just let it boil away until it reaches 248 - 250 degrees F (120 - 121.1 degrees C).
Step #2: While the sugar cooks, beat some egg whites
Immediately after getting the sugar syrup going, crack 8 egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer that's fitted with the whisk attachment.
Be very, very careful to not allow any yolks in the whites which can prevent the egg whites from beating up to their full potential.
Beat the eggs on high speed until they are all frothy. While the mixer continues to beat the egg whites, sprinkle in 1 teaspoon cream of tarter (which helps to stabilize the egg whites) and ⅓ cup (67g) of sugar.
Keep beating until stiff peaks form. This means that if you lift the beater up, the egg whites will form stiff little "peaks" that won't fall over.
At this point, if the sugar syrup isn't quite ready, turn the mixer to the lowest speed, and let it continue to run. You want to keep the egg whites moving without running the risk of overheating them.
Step #3: Pour the sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites
When the sugar syrup reaches 248-250 degrees (120 - 121.1 degrees C), remove it from the heat, stop your mixer and quickly pour about ⅓ of a cup of the syrup int the egg whites.
Immediately turn the mixer to to the highest speed and continue to pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a slow, steady stream.
As you pour, keep the stream of sugar syrup super close to the edge of the mixing bowl. Doing so will help you avoid pouring too much on the beater itself.
Once all the sugar syrup has been added, turn the mixer down to medium-high and let it beat until the meringue is completely cool. This will take somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
To check that the meringue is cool, touch the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. If it feels cool to the touch, your egg whites are most likely cool as well.
Step #4: Incorporate the butter
This buttercream isn't messing around. There is a LOT of butter in there - 6 whole sticks (24 oz; 678g). Don't be afraid. This recipe makes a lot of buttercream and you're going to smear it all over a cake or over quite a few cupcakes.
It's called buttercream for a reason. Embrace that buttery deliciousness with no regrets.
A couple of things that are important here: The butter must be at room temperature, and you want to add it slowly, a couple of tablespoons at a time.
The goal here is to create an emulsion, which is essentially the blending together of two ingredients - fat and water - that don't really like each other all that much.
Adding the butter to the meringue slowly while the mixer beats continuously, causes all those little fat molecules to evenly distribute and suspend themselves throughout the meringue, creating that dreamy, creamy gorgeousness we call buttercream.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
If there's one word I can't stress enough when it comes to Italian Meringue Buttercream it's temperature.
- The sugar syrup must be heated to 248 degrees (120 degrees C) before added to the beaten egg whites.
- The meringue must cool down before you add the butter or the butter will melt instead of combining with the meringue.
- The butter must be at room temperature or it won't incorporate into the meringue at all.
When adding the butter to the meringue, if everything's not at room temperature, the buttercream will "break", meaning that rather than combining into a creamy emulsion, the butter and eggs stubbornly remain separate ingredients sharing the same bowl.
If this happens, in many cases, the buttercream can be saved.
- If you add the butter before the meringue is completely cool and see that the butter is melting rather than blending into the meringue: Stop adding the butter, turn off the mixer, and put the whole thing - bowl and whisk, into the refrigerator or freezer. When the bowl feels very cold, remove it from the refrigerator and resume beating. If the butter you've already added begins to incorporate into the meringue, go ahead and slowly add the rest of the butter.
- If you try to add butter to meringue that's too cold, it will stay in little clumps and not incorporate into the egg whites. Once again, if you see this happening, stop adding the butter and bring the remaining butter to room temperature by heating it in the microwave at 50% power for 10 seconds at a time. To help the butter that's already in the bowl warm up enough to blend into the meringue, soak a kitchen towel in hot water and hold it around the mixer bowl while it beats.
To fix a broken buttercream, beat and beat and beat some more.
Remember that you're creating an emulsion, a process that requires constant beating. If the buttercream is soupy because some of the butter has melted, put the bowl in the refrigerator to cool it down and then beat and beat and beat.
If the buttercream is lumpy because the butter was too cold and won't blend in, hold a hot towel agains the bowl and beat and beat and beat some more.
Genius Tips from Readers
If your kitchen is too hot.... One reader who made this buttercream in her California desert home in the middle of the summer wrote in to tell me that she presses ice cubes to the bowl of the mixer to cool down the meringue and as she beats in the butter. She loads up a kitchen towel with ice cubes and presses them around the bowl.
If your kitchen is too cold... Another reader wrote in to tell me that her kitchen is much colder than the rest of the house, causing the butter to not want to beat into the meringue. She put about one cup of the not-coming-together buttercream in the microwave for about 30 seconds until it melted. Then she turned the mixer on high and quickly poured the melted buttercream into the mixing bowl.
"It was like a magic trick. Faster than I could see it happen, it immediately became incorporated into beautiful buttercream! I have made the buttercream two more times since and both times I had to do this to get it to incorporate."
How to Store and Reconstitute Italian Meringue Buttercream
You can make the buttercream ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a week or even freeze it for up to 2 months. Just make sure to allow time to bring it to room temperature before using it.
Because of the high butter content, Italian Meringue Buttercream becomes quite firm when chilled. If you make it ahead of time, which I often do, I’ve included instructions for reconstituting it to its proper creamy, spreadable state at the end of the recipe.
How To Add Flavor to Italian Meringue Buttercream
One of the greatest things about Italian Meringue Buttercream is that it is extremely easy to incorporate all sorts of different flavorings. It's a very welcoming kind of frosting. Kindhearted. Considerate. Generous. Your basic humanitarian... in frosting form.
Once the Italian Meringue Buttercream is complete, you can beat in melted chocolate, fruit curd or jam, extracts, marmalade, coconut cream, coffee, salted caramel... the flavors of Italian Meringue Buttercream are only limited by your personal tastes and imagination.
I've included quite a few flavoring options below, but don't be afraid to get creative.
Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Try it on my favorite Vanilla Cake or Gluten Free Vanilla Cake!
Add 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract to every 2 cups of buttercream. I often also add a few drops of lemon extract to my vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream because it accentuates the vanilla flavor.
Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Delicious on Champagne Cake!
Pour 1 cup champagne into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until the champagne is reduced to ½ cup. Allow to cool completely and then slowly beat into a prepared batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Strawberry Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Delicious on Champagne Cake!
Follow instructions above to make Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream. Add ½ cup fresh strawberries, stems removed, to a blender and puree (you should have about ⅓ cup).
Remove about ⅔ of the buttercream from the mixing bowl. Add the pureed strawberries to the remaining buttercream and beat until completely incorporated.
White, Dark or Milk Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream:
So good on a sinfully delicious Devil's Food Cake!
For every 2 cups of buttercream, beat in 4 ounces of melted chocolate that has cooled to room temperature. Adding a teaspoon of vanilla can accentuate the chocolate flavor.
Pistachio Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Beat one 8-oz jar of Pistachio Paste into one recipe Italian Meringue Buttercream until combined.
Marmalade Italian Meringue Buttercream:
For every 2 cups of buttercream, beat in 1 cup of marmalade.
Espresso Italian Meringue Buttercream:
For every 2 cups of buttercream, add 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder to 2 teaspoons boiling water and stir to dissolve, then beat into the buttercream.
Coconut Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Delicious on Coconut Cream Cake!
Beat 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 2 teaspoon coconut extract into one finished batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream. Taste and add more coconut extract if you want a more pronounced coconut flavor.
Coconut Maple Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Delicious on mini coconut cakes!
Beat 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup, and 2 teaspoon coconut extract into one finished batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream. Taste and add more coconut extract if you want a more pronounced coconut flavor.
Fresh Berry Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Try it on this Lemon Layer Cake!
Puree raspberries, blackberries or strawberries until very smooth. If using blackberries, strain out the seeds. Add about ⅓ of a cup of berry puree to every 2 cups of buttercream, adding the puree a little at a time and beating well after each addition.
Lemon Curd Italian Meringue Buttercream:
For every 2 cups of buttercream, beat in ⅓ of a cup of lemon curd.
Liquor Flavored Italian Meringue Buttercream:
My favorite liquors to add are Frangelico and Kailua. Add about 2 tablespoons of liquor to every 2 cups of buttercream. Add the liquor slowly and taste often. Add as much or as little as you like.
Salted Caramel Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Perfect for classic Caramel Cake or Gluten Free Caramel Cake.
You have two good options if you want to create a salted caramel version of Italian Meringue Buttercream.
- Purchase store bought caramel sauce (1 ½ - 2 cups), stir in salt to taste (1-2 tsp), and beat as much (or as little) as you like to the basic buttercream.
- Whip up a batch of homemade salted caramel sauce and beat that into the buttercream. Start by beating in 1 & ½ cups, taste the buttercream, and add another ½ cup if you want a stronger caramel flavor.
If you've never made homemade caramel, I encourage you to try it. It's sublime and much easier than you might think!
Chai Latte Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Delicious on Chai Latte Cupcakes!
Add 11 oz melted white chocolate, ⅓ cup honey, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and 2-3oz powdered chai tea latte drink mix to buttercream after fully incorporating the butter. Beat until all ingredients are combined.
Mojito Italian Meringue Buttercream:
Follow the instructions in this recipe for Strawberry Mojito Cupcakes to make a batch of Mint Lime Curd.
Slowly beat 2 cups of lime curd and ⅓ cup white rum into a batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream until fully incorporated. Depending on the temperature of all the ingredients this could take 5-10 minutes.
If it doesn’t look like it’s coming together, just keep beating. If the ingredients are too warm, or the room is too warm, and the frosting seems runny, just put it in the refrigerator for an hour or so before beating to bring it all together.
Have fun experimenting with different flavor combinations and colors!
Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream is fabulous with a tablespoon or two of Frangelico. Add a bit of coconut cream or melted and cooled white chocolate to Lemon Curd Italian Meringue Buttercream. This frosting recipe is only limited by your imagination.
To color Italian Meringue Buttercream, gel food coloring works best.
Best Cakes for Italian Meringue Buttercream
Italian Meringue Buttercream is a Building Block Recipe
Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new. > Scroll through all Building Block recipes.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Italian Meringue Buttercream is silky smooth, creamy, and gorgeous. Here's how to make the perfect buttercream for cakes and cupcakes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (4 ounces/ 113 grams) water
- 1 ¼ cup (250 grams) plus ⅓ cup (67 grams) of granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (3.38 grams) cream of tartar
- 8 large egg whites, at room temperature (*See note below for what to do with the egg yolks.)
- 6 sticks (24 ounces/ 678 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Combine the water and 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) of sugar in a small saucepan and stir once or twice just to moisten the sugar. Do not stir again; stirring encourages the sugar to crystalize. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to cook until it reaches a temperature between 248 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 - 121.1 degrees Celsius).
- As soon as you set the syrup to cook, begin the meringue. Beat the egg whites in a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium speed until frothy. While beating, sprinkle in the cream of tartar and then the remaining ⅓ cup (67 grams) of sugar.
- Beat until stiff but not dry, peaks form. The goal is to have the syrup at the right temperature and the meringue at the stiff peak stage at the same time. If the meringue is ready, before the syrup, continue to beat the egg whites with the mixer on the lowest speed until the syrup is between 248 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 - 121.1 degrees Celsius). If the syrup is done before the meringue is ready, add a very small amount of hot (not cold) water to lower the temperature slightly.
- When the syrup is ready, turn off the mixer and quickly pour about ⅓ cup into the meringue. Immediately turn the mixer to medium-high and then continue to pour the hot syrup into the meringue in a thin, steady stream. Try to keep the syrup from getting on the beater, although some will get on it no matter what you do.
- Continue to beat the meringue with the whisk attachment at medium speed, until you touch the bottom of the bowl and it is cool to the touch. *It’s important to not add the butter before the meringue is completely cool so that the butter doesn't melt.
- With the mixer running at medium speed, add 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of butter at a time. Beat until each addition of the butter is incorporated before adding more. Keep mixing and adding the butter bit by bit until all 6 sticks are incorporated.
- If the buttercream doesn't look completely smooth at this point, just keep beating. It will smooth out. If it looks runny or curdled, the butter has probably melted. Put it in the refrigerator for 20 or 30 minutes and then continue beating until it's smooth. (*See troubleshooting tips above.)
- After the butter has been fully incorporated, you can add any flavor additions you like. (See the list of flavor ideas above.) At this point, the buttercream is ready to use. If you’d like to store it for future use, see the notes below.
Notes
Save the egg yolks to make:
- Creamy Crustless Custard Tart
- Perfect Vanilla Pastry Cream
- Extra Creamy Coconut Cream Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Olive Oil Cake with Mascarpone Cream
Why is my buttercream yellow? There is a lot of butter in Italian Meringue Buttercream, so it's never going to be stark white. However, the kind of butter you use can affect how off-white it is.
Butter made from corn-fed cattle tends to be much whiter than butter made from grass-fed cattle. This is because the diet of grass-fed cattle contains a lot of beta-carotene, which colors the milk and makes the butter more yellow.
Refrigerate Italian Meringue Buttercream for up to a week or freeze it for up to two months. To reconstitute cold buttercream, it’s important to bring it to room temperature gently so that you don’t melt the butter. The simplest way to do this is to let it sit out on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
If you don’t have time for that, you can heat it in the microwave, on very low power, in 20-second spurts, checking for softness, breaking apart, and stirring the buttercream as it begins to soften up. You can also place the buttercream over a pan of gently boiling water. If you select this method, break apart and stir the buttercream consistently as it warms to ensure that the buttercream on the bottom does not overheat.
You can also use a hairdryer, blowing warm air on the sides of the bowl and across the top of the buttercream to soften. As with the other two methods, break apart and stir the buttercream together as it warms. Whichever way you bring the buttercream to room temperature, beat it for a few minutes once it’s softened in your standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it is smooth and creamy.
It’s better to have the buttercream a bit too cold when you begin beating it than too warm. Beating will continue to soften the buttercream that is still a bit too cold. If it gets too warm, place it back in the refrigerator for a bit.
Why is it important to add Cream of Tarter to the egg whites? Cream of Tartar stabilizes the egg whites so they are less likely to deflate when you pour in the hot sugar syrup.
It's important for the egg whites to be able to hold as much air and water as possible, and Cream of Tartar preserves the stability network that allows egg whites to hold on to both of those essential elements.
Recommended Products
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Ateco Cast Iron and Non-slip Pad Cake stand, 12 inch
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Wilton Icing Spatula, 13-Inch, Angled Cake Spatula
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 28 Serving Size: ¼ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 18mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g
Addison says
I followed your instructions to add lemon curd to this buttercream and it was perfect for a lemon cake I made. So smooth and creamy!
Vladka says
I am not an experienced baker but this buttercream frosting came up really nicely. I used natural colorants like beet powder and rose petals powder.
Shelby says
This buttercream frosting came out SO LIGHT and I ended up using it on cookies as well as the cupcakes I made because it was so tasty!
Pam says
I have made your Italian Meringue Buttercream many times but have a question. There are times that the sugar syrup quickly goes above 250F and is around 255F even though I periodically check the temperature it can be under 245 and then jump to 255F. My pans also depending on where you check in the pot gives you different readings. If the temperature goes above 250F does that affect the texture of the buttercream? I also live in Florida which makes it more of a challenge. I always like to be safe with the temperature when using a meringue based buttercream. Thanks for any advice.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Great question Pam! The only time you need to be concerned about the syrup getting too hot is if it begins to caramelize. Having said that, there's been a few times when I've quickly removed the sugar syrup from the stovetop because I saw that it was just beginning to color and was still able to beat it into the meringue without any problem. But, if the sugar syrup reached the point where it was really golden, I think it would be best to dump it out and start again. But the fluctuations you're talking about shouldn't matter much. I hope that helps but please let me know if you have more questions! xo
Lacey says
Can’t wait to try this recipe for Thanksgiving!
I was just wondering, today is Monday and my only day off before Thanksgiving… If I make & frost this cake today, will it still be good if kept in the fridge for thanksgiving/Thursday?
Thank you in advance,
Lacey
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lacey! Yes! A cake covered in Italian Meringue Buttercream and stored in the refrigerator will keep for several days. Make sure the cake is wrapped or covered so that the buttercream doesn't dry out and doesn't absorb any other flavors from the other foods in the refrigerator.
I did want to offer another option, incase it's helpful: Bake the cake today, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put the cake layers in the freezer. Make the buttercream today and store it in the refrigerator. Thanksgiving morning, remove the buttercream from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for an hour or two to soften up. (OR, check out the options in the notes section of the recipe card for ways to bring the buttercream to room temperature quicker.) Pull the frozen cake layers from the freezer and assemble and frost the cake. By the time everyone is ready for dessert, the cake will have plenty of time to thaw.
Either option will work well, although the cake will taste a bit fresher if you freeze it and decorate it on Thursday. BUT, if assembling the cake and keeping it in your refrigerator makes the week less stressful and more enjoyable for you, by all means do that. The minimal difference in "freshness" between assembling the cake today and on Thursday isn't worth any added stress or headaches. 🙂
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
xo
Julie says
Hi there,
Just wondering if you switch to paddle attachment when adding the butter? I so this with SMBC, but did not see that in the directions.
Kind Regards,
Julie
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Julie! I don't switch to the paddle attachment when adding the butter. When adding butter to IMBC, it's important to add it slowly while the mixer runs on medium-high to high speed so the butter fully emulsifies into the egg whites. The paddle attachment would probably still work, but I think the whisk attachment is the best tool for this task. Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, if you make this buttercream, I'd love to hear what you think of it and how you feel it compares to SMBC (which is also fabulous). xo
Rachel says
I absolutely love eating and making Italian Meringue Buttercream. I always worry about making anything other than the regular vanilla because I worry I will destabilize it. I really like piping swags and shells with it. Does the addition of other ingredients, like the caramel sauce, make it softer and less pipeable?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Rachel! One of the best things about Italian Meringue Buttercream is how well it accepts flavoring ingredients. IMB will hold a surprising amount of dessert sauce, extract, fruit puree, fruit jam, etc., without breaking down. My suggestion is to just add whatever flavoring ingredient you want slowly so you can pay attention to the consistency. If you start to notice that the consistency getting thin, for example, that's when you know to stop adding the flavoring. The thicker the flavoring, like caramel sauce, the more you can add. I hope this encourages you to try it! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Sharon says
Decorated cupcakes are put in the refrigerator until serving? Could they be decorated 2 days in advance?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Sharon! Yes - you can keep decorated cupcakes in the refrigerator for a couple of days before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Charissa says
I can officially say that I have no more questions!!!
I have made IMBC TWICE now with complete success both times and I think I found my screw up from the previous attempts... I quit too soon, got scared and didn’t add all of the butter.
And I’m officially IN LOVE. omg it’s heavenly and light and so stable and everything that I dreamed it would be and MORE!!! 😍😍
Thank you so much for all your guidance!
And to those scared to try this recipe, I found it was less about the temperature and more about the continuous beating. But make sure you add in ALL of the butter and let it beat til emulsified before you decide to call it quits because chances are, you won’t have to quit after all!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hooray!!!! This comment just made my whole day, Charissa! I am so glad you stuck with it! This is exactly how I felt the first time I made a successful batch of IMB. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you've had success with this recipe! I truly appreciate it! xo
Charissa says
Okay I have new questions...
I’ve heard for other recipes that using a butter with 80% fat is essential. Is that the case here? Mine seems to only have 11% fat... I thought butter would be almost entirely fat!
Also you say unsalted butter, mine is salted... is that also a crucial thing or could I get away with salted butter?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! Yes - the amount of fat matters quite a lot. You are correct that butter is made of at least 80% fat - even more if you get European butter. I don't think a product with only 11% fat could rightfully be considered butter. What kind of a product/ brand is it? Also, using unsalted butter in this buttercream is quite important. There is so much butter in Italian Meringue Buttercream that salted butter will make the buttercream taste quite salty. My suggestion is to pick up some unsalted butter before trying this again.
Charissa says
I realized I needed to calculate as I was actually looking at the daily percentage 🤦🏼♀️ . So yes it was 80% fat after all haha
Megan says
Sorry for the confusion, is it 24 oz or 32 tbsp butter? 24 oz of butter equals 48 tbsp. Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Megan! I'm the one that should be apologizing for the confusion - the correct amount is 24 ounces/ 48 tbsp/ 6 sticks of butter. So sorry!
Megan says
Thank you so much! I'm such a technical person so I wanted to make sure I had the correct measurements. I got the full amount of butter just in case.
Charissa says
Okay...
I’m trying this now but I’m a tad worried that I may have already set myself up for failure...
You mention room temp egg whites but I got nervous and started everything before I read that so my egg whites were still cold. Would that temperature difference ruin it.?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Charissa! You'll get more volume from using room temperature egg whites, but using cold ones should still work fine. I see that you asked this question yesterday, so my answer is a bit late... how did it come out for you???
Charissa says
So I actually just stopped at the meringue part because I had a hunch that it was going to fall again.
I have another question... sorry...
When I was allowing the meringue to keep mixing to try and cool down (which has never happened for me in the 4 times I’ve tried this now - my mixer starts overheating from so much use and the glass mixing bowl holds the heat too well I think) it felt like I was losing a lot of the air it initially had. The longer it mixed, the smaller it became. And less stiff too... it was odd. I followed the directions like you said and then with the long mixing afterwards during the cool down phase.. it was like I was going backwards.
I saw one recipe where the woman stopped at stiff peaks and then scooped it onto a tray and put it in the fridge/freezer to fully cool down before continuing and adding the butter. She did that successfully and so I thought perhaps I should try that since mine never cools down enough for the butter?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Charissa! Very interesting... I've actually never encountered an issue with the meringue never cooling down. I think allowing it to mix and cool for a while and then putting it in the refrigerator should work well. I don't know that it's necessary to scoop the meringue onto a tray - I think you could just put the whole mixing bowl in the fridge for a bit. I think I would try putting the bowl of meringue in the refrigerator for just about 15 minutes, removing it and beating it on low, testing the temperature, and then repeating that process if necessary. Please let me know if this works for you! If you're having this issue, someone else is bound to encounter the same problem and might be helped by having this solution! Thank you so much for reporting back!
Charissa says
I have not yet made this recipe but I have tried 2 other recipes for IMBC a total of 3 times. All of which were failures. I’m terrified of screwing up again and can’t seem to figure out what exactly went so wrong. The meringue part seemed perfect every time and then I added the butter and it immediately fell. Tried freezing to cool and even that didn’t work to bring it back after whipping for 3-5 mins. Any ideas as to my mistake? This is the first time I’ve had zero success with a recipe and I have a cake order in a couple weeks so I’m decently worried it won’t work out again if I try this recipe (even though you make it sound so cut and dry!)
Could you help define what room temp means for you? My kitchen temp can run between 20-30C so room temp isn’t very clear.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Charissa! First of all, I want to say that your experience with IMB isn't unusual. I've talked to a lot of people over the years who've struggled to get it right and in almost every case, once they successfully made it once, they never turned back. As you know, temperature is everything with this buttercream - which both means that temperature can mess it up BUT also means that temperature can fix nearly every problem. So, if you run into problems again, please know that altering the temperature and continuing to beat the buttercream can fix nearly every problem.
In general, room temperature is going to be around 70-75° F (21-24° C). If the meringue falls after adding the butter, it generally means that the butter is too warm... cooling it down and re-beating usually works. Since that didn't work for you the last time, try this trick if it happens again: Put the buttercream in the refrigerator until it's quite cold, about an hour. Then put about one cup of the not-coming-together buttercream in the microwave for about 30 seconds until it melted. Turn the mixer on high and quickly poured the melted buttercream into the mixing bowl. Keep beating and it should come together.
When you add the butter to the meringue it’s important that the meringue be completely cool and the butter be around 75 degrees - it will be soft to the touch but not greasy. If it looks greasy, it means that it’s a bit too warm. If this happens and you have more butter in the refrigerator just swap out a couple sticks of warm butter for a couple sticks of cold butter. Add them in alternating bits; the cold butter will help to maintain the buttercream as you add the warm butter.
Not knowing anything about the recipes you used, another possibility for the buttercream breaking is that the meringue wasn’t stabilized with enough sugar or cream of tartar. Beating the egg whites with a bit of cream of tartar and sugar helps stabilize them; this is important to help them retain their volume as you add the sugar syrup and will also help maintain their volume while adding the butter.
One more important tip is to add the butter slowly. You’re creating an emulsion which requires that the fat be added bit by bit, beating on high as you add it. Adding the butter too quickly can cause the buttercream to break.
I hope that helps! Please do let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you give it one more try and that you find success with this recipe.
xo
Charissa says
Thank you so much for your very in-depth reply! I greatly appreciate that! I am hoping to try your recipe sometime this week and give IMBC one more go in the hopes that your tips will make it successful!
Andrea Kaplan says
Hi Rebecca,
I love this out of tis world recipe! I am making a wedding cake for my friend's daughter and obviously I'm going to need a lot of buttercream for frosting and decorating. Can I double the recipe so I won't have to make as many batches of frosting?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Andrea! I'm so happy to hear that you like this recipe! Unfortunately, doubling it doesn't work out very well because of the volume you get on the egg whites after adding the sugar syrup. I have a 6 quart mixer and have tried to double the recipe and just ended up with meringue spilling out over the sides of the bowl. So, every time I've made a wedding cake, I've just made successive batches. Sorry to not have a better answer!
Melissa says
Just wondering if I can use pasteurized egg whites from a carton for this Recipe? If so - how much would be needed?
Thank you! I am very anxious to try this!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Melissa! Sorry for the delay on this answer! I’ve never made this with pasteurized egg whites from a carton, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The important thing is that the egg whites incorporate air while beating, creating a meringue. I believe egg whites from a carton will beat into a stable meringue, so I think you should be good! xo
Pam says
I have a question. I use your Italian Meringue Buttercream all the time. It's got a great consistency and easy to work with. I have to make a 3 tiered cake over the weekend. The cake will consist of three layers of a 10, 8 and 6 inch cakes all different flavors and fillings. The entire cake will be frosted with your chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream. My question is regarding how many cups I would need to make in total?? My filling will also be made using your IMBC but flavored differently. So I would need to figure how many recipes for the chocolate to frost outside of entire cake and then figure out how may recipes of your vanilla version which I will then flavor with freeze dried strawberries, mocha BC and Caramel IMBC. Any help would be much appreciated.
Pam
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Pam! I think two batches of chocolate and one of vanilla will be enough - depending on how much IMB you need to decorate the cakes. 1 Recipe will easily cover the 10 inch cake and another will cover the two smaller cakes. Between the two batches, you should have some left over to decorate with unless you are planning a lot of decoration. What I would do is plan on making two batches of chocolate and then make sure I had enough ingredients to make another batch of chocolate just in case I needed it. One batch of vanilla will easily make enough to fill all three cakes.
I hope that helps! All your flavors sound so delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Pam says
Thank you so much for your quick response. I was really stressing about this thinking I would need much more BC. This is a big help to me so many thanks again!!
Pam says
I have one more important question. Now that I have made a ton of the Italian Meringue Buttercream and a ton of "Chocolate Spheres" to
spiral up the three tiered cake I am concerned about how to attach to the buttercream as IMBC tends to be soft! Should I just use the buttercream to attach the spheres or use a Royal Icing to act as a glue? The cake will be going out onto the party table at around 6:00 p.m. and will be served at around 8:00 p.m. It's in an air conditioned room but I'm worried about the horror of sliding off the cake!! The event is this Saturday. Thank you so much for your. help!!
Pam
Rebecca Blackwell says
Great question, Pam. It depends on how heavy the spheres are. Since you have a couple days before the event, I would test it. Make a quick batch of cupcakes, or use a slice of bread, or a bagel, or muffin. Something like that. Cover one side of the baked good (no need to waste IMB by covering the thing completely) with a layer of IMB and attach a sphere. Put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then take it out and let it sit at room temperature for the length of time the cake will be sitting out to see if the sphere stays put. Does that make sense?
Pam says
Great idea. Never would have thought of that. Thank you so much!
Rebecca Blackwell says
My pleasure! Good luck! And please do let me know how everything works out! xo
Jordyn says
Hello!
I have made a pistachio buttercream using pistachio jello mix. Will this work the same with IMB? I am making vanilla cupcakes and would love to try to frost them with this recipe but would like to add a little flavor too!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jordyn! Is the pistachio jello mix a powder? When you've done it in the past, have you just sprinkled the powder directly into the buttercream? I usually make pistachio Italian Meringue Buttercream by beating one 8-oz jar of Pistachio Paste into a finished batch of IMB. Using jello mix might work too, but I'm curious about how you've used it in the past.
Erica says
Hello Rebecca, I have been eyeballing your Fresh Strawberry Cake with Pistachio Italian Meringue Buttercream for months but was too intimidated by the buttercream to try it. I have a holiday potluck party at church tomorrow and decided to tackle it. I did decide to do cupcakes instead of a full cake so when I read the instructions for the buttercream, I thought that there was no way I was going to need that much so I cut the recipe in half. I am so happy to say that it was a success. It really wasn't difficult - your instructions were spot on! But I did notice that, once I incorporated the butter, the buttercream really shrank down in volume. It is still silky and smooth and cloud-like, but the volume just dropped. Is this normal? I'll be making a second half-batch today just in case what I have is not enough for the cupcakes. Thanks in advance!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Erica! I'm so glad you decided to give this recipe a try! To answer your question, it is normal for the volume to drop when you add the butter. In the end, 1 full recipe should amount to about 7 cups of buttercream. But, when you add the butter, you will lose some of the air in the whipped meringue. Adding the butter slowly helps to fully emulsify the fat into the meringue, resulting in a fluffier, creamier buttercream than if you add it quickly, all at once. But, no matter what, the meringue will deflate when it's added.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Emma says
I was so excited to try this recipe as I don’t like overly sweet frosting. I had some trouble with it but followed your troubleshooting advice and thought I managed to save it. I put it in the fridge to use later. 3 days later and I left it at room temperature then mixed it to use it. It looked too buttery and eventually found liquid at the bottom of the pot. I couldn’t use it. I am so sad, what did I do wrong? I am hoping to try again.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Emma! I'm so sorry to hear that your first attempt at IMB didn't work out but so happy to hear that you want to try again! Nearly everything that goes wrong with Italian Meringue Buttercream has to do with temperature. So, a couple of things might have happened... the buttercream might have just needed to re-whip for longer. The butter in the buttercream might not have been warming to room temperature at the same rate. Cold butter can account for IBM that is too buttery (the butter needs to be at room temperature for it to blend into the buttercream completely). And the liquid at the bottom of the bowl might have been condensation. Again, beating and beating and beating the buttercream is the answer.
The other thing that might have happened somehow is that the buttercream "split" - the ingredients separated. If that happens here's a surefire way to fit it: Put about one cup of the not-coming-together buttercream in the microwave for about 30 seconds until melted. Then turned the mixer on high and quickly pour the melted buttercream into the mixing bowl. Beat until the buttercream comes together. At this point, if it is a bit on the soft side, pop it in the refrigerator for 10 or 15 minutes, beat again and you should be good to go.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I do hope you try this recipe again. I've heard from countless people that it didn't work out for them for one reason or another but they tried again and now make IMB all the time. I hope that's your story as well. 🙂
xo
Emma says
Thank you Rebecca! I tried it again this morning and went better this time, I am sure the first time there were some temperature errors. I put it in the fridge as I am gonna decorate my son’s birthday cake on Friday. I do hope it turns out okay. I might make another batch since it will be a two level cake. I want to mix raspberries but my question is do you recommend fresh berries or frozen? Is there a difference? I am concerned about the water in the frozen berries or just overall liquid when I purée.
Thanks for your reply!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that your second attempt worked out better, Emma! About the raspberries, fresh raspberries will work better; however, you can still use frozen if you like. Here's what you do: Allow the raspberries to thaw and then puree them. If the puree is quite watery, pour it into a saucepan and set it over medium high heat. Bring the puree to a boil and let it simmer until it's thickened up a bit. (Stir from time to time to prevent the bottom from scorching) Boiling will allow all the excess water to evaporate. You'll probably only need to let it boil for 10 minutes; but one super quick way to check the consistency is to put a small plate or bowl in the freezer before you start cooking the puree. After the puree has been boiling for 10 minutes, pull the plate from the freezer and drop a bit of puree onto it. This will cool it quickly so you can see what the consistency is like. If it's thickened up to at least the consistency of maple syrup, you're good to go. Put the thickened puree in the refrigerator to let it cool before beating it into the buttercream (or the freezer to encourage it to cool faster).
By the way - If you do make a second batch and have leftover buttercream, just dump it into a zip-top bag or other freezer container and pop it in the freezer. It will keep in the freezer for at least 3 months.
Good luck with your son's birthday cake and happy birthday to him! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear how the cake comes out for you! xo
Emma says
Hi Rebecca,
I have to say I was a little skeptical going into this but thought I would just jump right in and follow your instructions and let me tell you I am so glad I did! The cake turned out delicious! I received so many compliments on the cake including the buttercream. And in the end I realized it’s not hard at all to make. There are so many opportunities to save it!
I did make another batch and saved the rest in a zip lock bag. Maybe I can make cupcakes later. And the combination of the raspberries was delicious. Thank you so much for your help and prompt replies!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hooray!!! I'm so happy to hear that the cake was a success! Thank you so much for taking the time to write an update! I truly appreciate it! xo
Em says
Hi Rebecca,
I tried looking through the comments and could not find an answer to this - my apologies if it is there!
I'm making a 3 layer cake covered in IMBC in advance, and putting it in the fridge. Any ideas how long to leave out in an air conditioned room before eating? Any suggestions are appreciated!!
Thanks,
Em
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Em! Glad you reached out. The cake should be fine for hours as long as the room doesn't get too hot, especially since it will be in the refrigerator first. I'd be comfortable leaving it out for 8 - 10 hours in a room that's cool-ish. The only thing you have to be careful about is the buttercream, getting too soft if it's in a room that's quite warm. So, if the room stays cool, the cake will be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Jenn says
A few questions about this lovely recipe!... I can't wait to try it - but would love some input before I start my trials. I have been asked to do a small wedding (which I have NEVER done before) I am so excited and think your recipe will be my new go to!! I am doing a 6" cutting cake - champagne cake with champagne frosting. The bride has asked for a few pressed real flowers and gold leaf on the cake. Do you think this frosting will hold the pressed flowers and the gold without sliding down the sides - or will the grease soak through the flowers? (maybe press them on right before delivery)?? It is an outside summer wedding, but the desserts will be stored inside until serving time. Also - I will be doing "cookie stacks" - two soft, melt-in-your-mouth, lavender shortbread cookies with a layer of frosting piped in between and a rosette piped on top - I would like to use this frosting, but if it stays too soft I am afraid the frosting might "ooze" out from in-between the layers as it is bitten down on and eaten..? Do you think this would work - or should I go for a crusting buttercream for the cookie stacks? Do you think the lavender and champagne frosting flavors will go together - I think it sounds tasty?? I would love any input you can give me!! Thank you!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jenn! Congratulations on your first wedding cake! How exciting! I was a cake decorator for years and made my share of wedding cakes in the middle of the summer. Here's what I learned.... Whenever possible, freeze the cake after it's frosted and then add the finishing touches on site. Transporting a frozen cake in the summer is much, much easier and less stressful than trying to keep it cool enough to not melt. I always tried to do as much on site as possible - assembling tiers, adding decoration, etc. But, that's not always possible.
In your case, if you can add the flowers and gold leaf on site, that's your best option. If not, add them at the last minute - whatever the "last minute" is in your situation. Unless the cake gets too hot, the gold leaf and flowers should stay put just fine and won't become greasy. This really is my favorite buttercream for all wedding cakes because it's so easy to work with. I've made several cakes with pressed flowers and fresh flowers and you don't have anything to worry about. Just be sure to keep the cake as cold as possible before they are transported to the reception site.
This buttercream should be perfect for your cookie stacks because it will taste much, much better than a crusting buttercream. It might squeeze out a bit as people eat it, but I don't think the guests will mind a bit. I'd rather have something taste good and be a bit messy than see evidence of not-eaten remnants of neat looking dessert on everyone's plates. 🙂 Just as with the cake, keep it as cold as possible for as long as you can.
I think your flavor combinations sound positively delicious! I don't know your friend but I wish I was attending the wedding just to try everything!
Please let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck! And, I'd love to hear how everything comes out for you. xo
Candy says
I have had great success following your recipe. Thank you so much! Just one question, can I further reduce the sugar or even use sugar substitute? As some of my family members have diabetes. Thank you so much,
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Candy! So happy to hear that this recipe is working out well for you! This recipe already has less sugar than most Italian Meringue Buttercream recipes, and I'm not sure that you could get away with going much lower. You could probably reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe by as much as 25%, but I wouldn't go any lower than that. The way that sugar, egg whites, and butter combine contributes to the creamy texture and stability of Italian Meringue Buttercream. You really need all three ingredients. I'm not sure that reducing the sugar a bit will be enough for your loved ones with diabetes, so a sugar free version might be a better option.
I haven't made these personally, but I did find this recipes for sugar free Italian Meringue Buttercream that might be worth trying:
https://www.ungatoenlacocina.com/en/sugar-free-italian-meringue/
There's also this recipe for sugar free Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which is very similar to Italian Meringue Buttercream:
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-sugar-free-frosting/#wprm-recipe-container-31821
Those might be a better option when baking for people with diabetes.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Candy says
Thank you so much Rebecca! I will try all the options here 🙂
Nicky says
I'm about to make a test batch (with raspberry preserves) for a friend's birthday cake that I have to make in a couple of weeks. Wish me luck! I've never made IMB and I'm really excited.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Good luck! Although, I know from your Facebook message that it turned out great and wishing you luck is not necessary. 😊 xo
Leny says
THANK YOU for this amazing recipe! 😋😋😋
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank YOU for taking the time to leave a comment telling me that you liked this recipe! I truly appreciate it! xo
Katie says
Hi Rebecca, can’t wait to tell you it’s a huge success for my 2 tier cake today!! The IMB of your recipe tasted really light and fluffy and creamy and not too sweet as the other buttercream. Was so impressed it was just my first attempt! And so glad that I decided to switch the cake filling entirely from whipping cream into IMB, even IMB turned quite soft already (not melting) under the sun for just 1.5 hours, and even it was stored in the fridge before. The cake held so nicely by the buttercream and it just looked gorgeous. Everyone loves it and said delicious too!! I can’t wait to share the cake picture with you, how can I do that?
Just one small question I wanted to ask: I put the leftover IMB into a uncut pipping bag and stored in the fridge last night. I took it out in room temperature for 2 hours today and I kneaded it a bit in the pipping bag and it was already soft. However I thought it was separated, there’s quite a lot of liquid coming out... Why was it so, was it ruined? Anyhow it didn’t matter much as then I decided to hide the gap between the 2 tiers by putting fruits instead of smoothing by buttercream. But still wanted to know how should I do next time. 🙂
Thank you so much :))
Rebecca Blackwell says
I can't wait to see photos of the cake! You can either post them to instagram and tag me @ofbatteranddough or send them in an email - rebecca@ofbatteranddough.
I'm so happy to hear that the buttercream came out well for you on the first try! It really is my all-time favorite frosting to use for decorated cakes. Even people who don't typically like frosting (like me!) tend to like it. It's wonderful that it held up even after sitting out in the sun for a bit. 🙂
To answer your question about the buttercream that was in the pipping bag overnight... If that ever happens again, just dump the buttercream back into the mixing bowl and re-beat it for a while. Almost everything with IMB can be fixed by beating, and sometimes beating some more. I'm not sure if you adding any kind of flavoring to the IMB? If so, that's probably what separated. If not, it could just be condensation. Either way, re-beating the buttercream should bring it back together and make it as good as new. Good for you for coming up with a solution with adding fruit to fill the gap! It sounds like that might have worked out even better.
Thanks for checking back in with me to let me know the cake worked out well for you! I can't wait to see the photos! xo
Katie says
Sorry for the late reply! I have just sent you the photos through your email! I will try next time to re-beat the buttercream after putting in the fridge! Thank you again for such amazing recipe!! 🙂
Katie says
I am planning to do a two tier cake (8” + 6”) soon and it will be a very sunny day with 70F. Therefore I am considering changing from a fresh whipping cream into an Italian buttercream as the frosting (although I really love the whipping cream taste and prefer that...but sadly I just afraid it’s too hot for it and will easily collapse).
I have been comparing a lot of your recipe to the other (as I wanted to be sure it will turn out perfect...it’s for the celebration of my supervisor newly born baby!!) I found that your recipe is generally less sugar than the other...
1. So would it have less support or less structure in the frosting? Can I prepare more syrup for your recipe? Although I am unsure about the sweetness and personally I prefer less sweet (like I used only 8% sugar in my fresh whipping cream)
2. Most recipes asked for cooking the syrup until 235-240F, yours is 248-250F, would it be too high and more difficult to incorporate into the meringue?
Thanks a lot for your guidance and I can’t wait to start making the cake!!!! Although very nervous at the same time hahaha
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Katie! You have the same name as one of my daughters, so you must be a delightful human. 🙂 You are making the right decision to frost the cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream instead of whipped cream. It will hold up much, much better. To answer your other questions... I've been making this same recipe for IMB for over 20 years, using it on lots of different cakes, many of them wedding cakes, that were served in all variety of weather/ temperature. It's not overly sweet, which I LOVE (and it sounds like you will too), and the structure, in my opinion, is perfect.
You do have some wiggle room in the temperature of the sugar syrup. I like to cook mine to 248, but if you cooked yours to a slightly lower temperature, it will be fine. The syrup has to be hot enough to cook and stabilize the egg whites quickly, before they deflate, so cook it to at least 235... and, I feel, a bit hotter is better, as long as you keep it at or under 250.
One other tip: If you decorate the cake a few hours in advance, and can let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, the buttercream will harden and be less likely to melt even if it gets direct sunlight for a while. In my cake decorating days, when I had to do a wedding cake in the middle of the summer, I would freeze the decorated cake. This extended the amount of time the cake could be outside, or in a warm room, significantly.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to see a photo of the cake once you've completed it! xo
Katie says
Hi Rebecca thank you so much for such detailed and wholehearted reply! You are really sweet and kind, I have never seen any baker who will reply that patiently, quickly and warmly to everyone’s questions! Being your daughter must be so luckily as well especially they can always enjoy your delicious cake! Great I am going to make the IMB tomorrow and decorate the cake, which will only be stacked on the next day;) I will then follow your recipe with lower sweetness! Hoping for the best and will definitely let you know how it goes!!:)
Haidyn says
Hi, this recipe looks very detailed and nice! I'm making cupcakes for my brother's graduation party soon (well in a few months) and wanted to make Italian meringue buttercream for them. I was just wondering how you colored the buttercream as I wanted to make them the school colors. I have Wilton icing colors and the school colors are orange and black. Do you think I could achieve those colors with this buttercream? Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Haidyn! Great question. I've found that gel colors work best for coloring this buttercream, which is probably what you have. Having said that, making icing black can be difficult. Here's what to do...
If your coloring kit came with a black gel color, start by using that. It will likely create a kind of grey color. From there, you can make it more black by adding 1 part blue food coloring with 2.5 parts green food coloring and 3 parts red food coloring. I always like to start with a small(ish) amount of color and add more and more until the buttercream is the color I want. For the orange icing, start with the orange in your color kit and see if it gives you the shade of orange that you want. I almost always add a touch of brown or black to my colors because using the straight colors generally produces a very bright color. Adding a touch of brown or black can add some depth to the color that I tend to like.
I hope that helps! Will you be making a test batch before making the graduation cupcakes? If so, please let me know how the buttercream, and coloring the buttercream comes out for you and if you run into any issues with any of it! Feel free to leave questions in this comment thread or email me directly at rebecca@ofbatteranddough.com.
xo
bMorpheus says
I've been making and frosting cakes using just the Italian Meringue, since I was quite young. I'd watch my mom and learned all about the cooking of the sugar and it turning into molten lava ;¬) and drizzling it down the side of the mixing bowl ever so slowly. Then watching the white peaks form into mountainous mounds of fluffy clouds.
I love eating it by the spoonfuls! It's funny the recipe we used was called Susan's Fluffy Frosting. I never knew any other name for it until I started watching cooking shows. And then to find out you can add butter to it. Pure Alchemy!
I am wanting to try your recipe and was curious if the IMBC will work with the Russian piping nozzles. I just bought some and made some ABC and I didn't even use very much powdered sugar and it was terrible. Not sure why it effected me that way, tastebud changes (?) but I wanted to try the nozzles and most people on the net suggested ABC, gross!
Anyways if you know whether this frosting will hold up to those nozzles that would be awesome.
Thanks for the recipe
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! What wonderful memories of watching your mother make Italian Meringue - or Susan't Fluffy Frosting! 🙂 What a delightful story. I also share your feelings about American Buttercream, but have developed a recipe for American Buttercream that I actually like: https://ofbatteranddough.com/american-buttercream/
I've never tried either Italian Meringue of my American Buttercream recipe with Russian piping tips... I even have a set. I just haven't gotten around to playing with them yet. I have read similar feedback about using American Buttercream to pipe designs with Russian piping tips. I'd suggest trying my American Buttercream recipe with the tips first and seeing what you think. If they work well, you could always frost the cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream and decorate with American. Although, I am curious about how the tips would work with Italian Meringue. I need to pull out my set and try them out!
Would you please let me know if you try them with either of those recipes and what you thought? Thank you so much!
Heather McCue says
I can't wait to try the champagne version of this recipe on your champagne cake for my granddaughter's wedding (cake & cupcakes). I've been decorating for decades, but my cakes are usually ornate fondant designs with fondant, royal icing, and gum paste detailing. The bride, however, dreams of a more natural looking buttercream-only design with florals using the palette-painting technique, which I've never tried before. Fortunately, I have a year to test recipes and practice with my newly purchased set of palette knives. I've read that the best icing to use for palette painting is a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, so I have several questions for you.
Can you explain the difference between the Swiss and Italian?
Have you ever tried this technique with your recipe?
I usually freeze my cakes post-crumb coat, then keep them chilled while decorating by popping them back into the fridge every now and then. It has been my experience that the thawing of a frozen cake adds moisture, which is great for the cake itself, but can create an issue for the [American buttercream or decorator] icing, which then tends to sweat. That said, and considering that I expect the actual decorating to take several hours, is there any additional advice you would offer? Is this icing prone to sweating? How do you think it will hold up moving from fridge to table and back again over the course of a couple days? I would hate to make something beautiful for my beloved first granddaughter, only to have it melt or wilt. Naturally, I want for her only the best.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Heather! Your granddaughter is so fortunate to have you making her wedding cake! Painted cakes are so beautiful! I'm sure it's going to be a stunning cake. To answer your questions...
Swiss and Italian Meringue Buttercream are quite similar in flavor and texture. Either will work well for the type of cake and decorating you're planning to do. In my personal experience, I find Italian Meringue a bit easier to work with and think it holds up better. I've also heard many people say that Swiss Meringue is easier to make than Italian Meringue, but I feel that the opposite is true. Italian Meringue requires no hand whisking and you never have to worry about overheating the egg whites. But honestly, it's the stability of IMB that matters the most to me when doing a wedding cake. IMB is more stable at a wider range of temperatures and holds up better to the addition of flavorings and colors.
I have played around with watercolor painting on cakes using IMB and it works beautifully! Even better, I've received quite a few messages and photos over the years from incredibly talented decorators who've used IMB to make the most gorgeous painted cakes. So, it will definitely work.
I've made quite a few wedding cakes over the years using IMB and have frozen every one, just as you plan to do, either with a crumb coat of buttercream, or fully frosted. I only had an issue with sweating a couple of times and the "problem" was easily solved by simply dabbing at the surface of the cake with a paper towel. Every time I made a cake during the warmer months, I would freeze the layers and transport them frozen, assembling them on site. This worked great. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the buttercream holds up to freezing and thawing.
The one thing to watch out for is cracking, which can happen as the buttercream constricts and expands with temperature changes. Smooth out the cracks with an icing spatula that's been dipped in very hot water. The heat from the metal spatula will melt the butter slightly and it will smooth right out.
When decorating the cake, you can certainly start with a frozen cake that's been crumb coated in IMB, but make sure the buttercream you are using to decorate with is at room temperature. There's so much butter in there that if it's too cold, it will be difficult to work with.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions along the way! And, I know it's a long ways off, but I would LOVE to see a photo of the cake if you think to send one to me! xo
Heather McCue says
Rebecca,
Thank you for your thoughtful and impressively prompt response to my many questions. I'm grateful for your input and interest, and excited to be whipping up my first batch for practicing today. I'll definitely let you know how it goes.
Quick question about the egg whites. I was disappointed at first to discover that my husband bought "Large" eggs because I usually use much larger, Jumbo eggs when baking, but I was relieved to find that your recipe calls for "Large" egg whites. Then it occurred to me that one person's idea of large could be another's medium, or in my case small (and there's the occasional double yolk that could decrease the white). I'm nit picking, I know, and I'm moving ahead with what I've got for now, but for future reference it would be helpful to know the volume I'm aiming for. At the size of my current egg batch, eight whites come in at 10 fl.oz. or 1/4 liter. In your experience, does that sound about right?
HV
Tracy says
If I’m wanting to make a white chocolate espresso imbc how would I do that?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Tracy! White chocolate espresso IMB sounds delicious! I would suggest adding both melted white chocolate and espresso powder dissolved in water: For every 2 cups of buttercream, beat in 4 ounces of melted chocolate that has cooled to room temperature and 1 tbsp instant espresso powder that has been dissolved in 2 tsp boiling water. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'd love to know how this comes out for you! What flavor of cake are you planning to use this on?
ROBIN L Bittner-Montoya says
I want to make a Salted Caramel version. Can I use dark or light brown Muscovado sugar instead of the white sugar and skip the caramel sauce (except for the drizzle)?
Leah Lawrence says
I made this and it came out great. I'm shocked. I'd never done anything like this before. Any tips on making the final product whiter? Mine was quite yellow. I'm assuming from the butter.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Leah! I'm so happy to hear that your buttercream came out well! And, I'm thrilled that even though you'd never made anything like Italian Meringue, you went ahead and tried it anyway!
The yellowish color is from the butter, and unfortunately, there's little you can do about that. I've found that for most cakes, the slightly yellow color doesn't matter. Unless you are displaying the cake next to something that's stark white, the iced cake should look like it's iced in white buttercream. Having said that, there are differences in the types of butter you use. Butter made from corn fed cattle tends to be much whiter than butter made from grass fed cattle. This is because the diet of grass fed cattle contains a lot of beta-carotene, which colors the milk.
If you are ever in a situation where you want a whiter buttercream, I'd suggest this American Buttercream Recipe. Italian Meringue will always be my favorite, but the American Buttercream recipe is pretty good too. 🙂 American Buttercream still contains butter, but less than IMB, so it tends to be a bit more white. You can also substitute vegetable shortening for some of the butter in American Buttercream to get the color even whiter. (I'd stay away from substituting all fo the butter for shortening because you'll loose the butter flavor.)
Please let me know if you ever have any other questions! And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Brynn says
It was fun making it all and instructions were spot on! My opinion way way way too much butter. The frosting tasted just like pad of thick butter.
Maybe I did something wrong. 😌 thanks for the recipe
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Brynn! It sounds like the butter didn't fully emulsify into the meringue. Ideally, adding the butter to the meringue slowly while the mixer beats continuously, causes all those little fat molecules to evenly distribute and suspend themselves throughout the meringue. When this doesn't happen, you can end up with buttercream that tastes like sweetened butter. If this happens again, try this trick: Put about one cup of the buttercream in the microwave for about 30 seconds until melted. Then, turned your mixer on high and quickly pour the melted buttercream into the mixing bowl. Beat and beat and beat. This should help to fully incorporate the buttercream. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions the next time you make this! xo
Juli M Lederhaus says
Have you ever tried using champagne instead of water to make the syrup for the champagne version of this frosting? Do you think that would work?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Juli! Intriguing idea! I've never tried this, and my hunch is that the sugar and alcohol content in the champagne would interfere with the syrup achieving the right temperature and consistency. Still... it's worth a try! If I try it, I'll definitely let you know. And if you try it, please let me know if it works! xo
Remy says
I'm planning to decorate a cake with this recipe of Italian Meringue Buttercream,,, usually people suggest to whip it up after refrigerating so I'm wondering if you know if the consistency would change? Would adding a vegetable shortening affect it positively and, if so, how would I go about doing this?
Remy says
Oh and that is, I'm planning to refrigerate it overnight after decorating the cake.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! Because there is so much butter in Italian Meringue Buttercream, the consistency is highly dependent on the buttercream's temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator for days, but it must be brought to room temperature before it is of any use. After it's been allowed to come to room temperature, re-beating it with an electric mixer is important because it will ensure that all the butter has softened and you don't have any little clump of hard, cold butter. Re-beating it also allows incorporates a bit more air, which makes working with it easier.
The process is not unlike creaming butter and sugar for cookie or cake recipes. Creaming the butter aerates it and makes it smooth and fluffy. There's no need to add shortening; in fact, I think adding shortening would probably interfere with the consistency and flavor of Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Does this help? Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Doc Dave says
Hello, can I ask a question to clarify on the ratio of lemon curd to the frosting? Is it 1/2 cup to every two cups of frosting (and not 1/2 cup to an entire batch of frosting)? And from the other posts you replied to, should I add some lemon juice and zest as well? I’m looking forward to trying it. I made your pastry cream last week and it was so good. Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! I recommend beating in 1/3 cup of lemon curd for every 2 cups of buttercream. This recipe will make about 7 cups of buttercream, so if you used a full batch, you'd need a little over 1 cup of lemon curd. BUT - when adding any kind of flavor to Italian Meringue Buttercream, add it bit by bit until it tastes right to you and being mindful about how the flavoring is altering the consistency. In many cases, you can add more or less than the recommended amount of flavoring to suit your particular tastes without interfering with the buttercream's consistency. But, if the curd is on the watery side, you'll want to watch to make sure it's not making the buttercream too soft. Does that make sense?
If you want a stronger lemon flavor, I'd suggest lemon zest and either lemon extract or lemon oil. Lemon extract is usually available at most supermarkets. I usually order lemon oil online. It's stronger, so you only need to add a few drops.
I hope that helps! I'm so happy to hear that you liked the pastry cream recipe! Please let me know if you have any more questions about Italian Meringue Buttercream. And, I'd love to hear what you think of it after you make it!
xo
Pam says
I have made 4 batches of Italian Meringue Buttercream for a 3 tiered wedding cake for next Saturday. Once I deliver the cake at the wedding destination it will be in an air conditioned room from about 3:30-8:00 p.m. until it's cut. I have frosted and filled the cake layers with IMBC as well. I too when making the buttercream bring my sugar syrup to 248 degrees. I freeze my buttercream right after making and bring it back to room temp to frost and immediately refrigerate. My question and concern is that the cake has to arrive early and will be standing out in the room for a longer period of time than I am used to so I am concerned about "safety" issues. I would so appreciate any advice. I usually do smaller cakes and only let them stand at room temperature for about 2 hours. So safety is always my concern.
Thank you
Pam
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Pam! I totally understand your concern. From my personal experience, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I made wedding cakes for years, some of them quite large, always using IMB, and often they sat out for hours before being cut. There were never any problems - especially if the room is kept at a reasonable temperature. I think the only time you'd need to worry is in the summer if the cake was sitting in a warm room, or outside. Although, in that case, your bigger problem would be the buttercream melting. 🙂 If the room is under 85 degrees or so, the cake can sit out for as much as 12 hours without concern. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Vidhi Dalmia says
Hey, I love your recipes. I was just wondering if I can make it without cream of tartar. Will it make any difference?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! Thank you so much! Yes - you can make this without cream of tartar, but leaving it out *could* make a difference. Cream of Tartar stabilizes the egg whites so they are less likely to deflate when you pour in the hot sugar syrup. You want the egg whites to be able to hold as much air and water as possible, and Cream of Tartar preserves the stability network that allows egg whites to hold on to both of those essential elements. Having said that, people have been making IMB for years without Cream of Tartar. It can work - you'll just have to be very careful to not overheat the egg whites and add the sugar syrup very slowly. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Cat says
Would Italian Meringue or Swiss Meringue work better for macarons? I'd like to put just a pinch of lemon curd in the middle but I don't know which version would work better for it?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Cat! You could use either one. The flavor of both Italian and Swiss Meringue Buttercream is very similar, so whichever way you go, you'll have the same result in that department. However, I find Italian Meringue a bit easier to work with and I think it tends to be more stable. So, IMB is my preference. A bit of lemon curd and some IMB in the middle of a macaron sounds like heaven! xo
Lorraine says
Thank you so much, finally mastered the art of Italian merangue buttercream, this recipe is perfect. I was getting a bit worried when it went a bit soupy until I added the last 2 sticks of butter. Once again thank you
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that this recipe worked out well for you, Lorraine! I love this buttercream so much and am always so pleased when it's successful for other. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I truly appreciate it. xo
Tammie says
I haven't gotten up the courage to make IMBC but one day I sure hope to. I have 2 questions. I do make SMBC which I do love (I'm not fond of ABC because it's just far too sweet) but I'm wondering what is the difference between SMBC and IMBC taste wise? My other question? Have you ever subbed in lime or lemon juice for the water in IMBC? I'm asking because I watch the baking shows on Food network. In this weeks episode a baker did just that (he used lime). I've never seen a recipe for IMBC doing that nor did it ever come to my thought process that it could be possible. As someone who's very familiar with IMBC have you heard or tried it before? Hope to hear back from you soon. Thanks for your time...
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Tammie! I hope you do make IMBC soon! It seems considerably more difficult than it actually is. After making it once, you'll have a feel for it and it will be a breeze from that point on. I know other bakers will disagree with me on this, but I think IMBC is easier to make than SMBC. It takes longer to make IMBC, but nearly all the time is hands-off. Italian Meringue is also more stable than Swiss Meringue. I used to decorate wedding cakes for a living and only used Italian Meringue for that reason. Swiss tends to melt and fall easier, while Italian holds up well in most situations. Taste wise... there isn't much of a difference. IMBC tastes a bit richer to me, but is also slightly sweeter. Other than that, their taste is quite similar. On a completely different note, I hear what you're saying about American Buttercream being too sweet. I never liked it for that reason. BUT, I found that a few modifications created an ABC that I actually like. Here's the recipe.
I've never heard of anyone replacing the water in IMBC with citrus juice, but now I'm intrigued. My biggest concern is how the acid in the juice might affect process.... I did a bit of online research trying to find anyone who has cooked lemon juice with sugar to 248 degrees and/or added it to IMBC, and can't find any information at all. But, now I really want to try it! I'll let you know what happens!
Melanie Butt says
Hi rebecca, I'm making your IMBC at the moment and I made sure everything was at the right temp before adding the butter, but as soon as i put in the first couple of table spoons its gone really runny. I've put it in the fridge but I'm freaking out cause its for a first birthday party for twins tomorrow heeeelp lol
Thanks mel
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Melanie! It looks like you left this comment last night, but putting it in the refrigerator was totally the right move. It sounds like the egg whites were still a bit too warm and the butter just melted. Refrigerating it for a bit and then re-beating it should have done the trick. Is that what happened?
Artemis says
Hello. First of all congratulations to you for your detailed recipes. Till now I have made a similar recipe for IMBC and turned great, so I'm sure it will be great yours too. I want to to make a double amount of the recipe in once, but I only have a 4,7lt mixer bowl. Do you think that I can do it in once in this bowl? Sorry for my English... Greetings from Greece!!! 😊
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hello! Great question! It's really impossible to double this recipe with anything less than a large industrial size mixer. The bowl will simply not hold all of the ingredients. You'll be much better off making two successive batches, one right after the other. Even with just one batch at a time, the egg whites can beat up so hight they will threaten to spill over the sides of the bowl. Your English is wonderful, by the way! Greece is one of the places outside of the US that I most want to visit. I can't wait to get there someday!
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Sarah R. says
Made this frosting today to go along with your champagne cake recipe, added the champagne reduction and strawberries to it. This is an absolute melt in your mouth buttercream recipe. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong with this recipe though; first the meringue was too warm when I started adding the butter so I had to chill it, then it got too cold and separated so I had to use a warm towel on the bowl to get it to mix together. At that point I thought all hope was lost and about tossed it in the trash but thankfully I powered through and finished adding the butter. It finally came together after beating the crap out of it, it does not like the mix with the alcohol reduction very well but I got it to work. Overall I loved the recipe and will probably make it again but will definitely make sure and check temps better. Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Sarah! I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that you didn't give up on this buttercream! As you discovered, temperature is everything with Italian Meringue, BUT, in almost all cases, the buttercream can be "fixed" by adjusting the temperature and just continuing to beat and beat and beat. I've heard from other readers who've had similar challenges and given up when it totally could have been fixed by doing what you did. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! Hopefully others will read it and not give up if they find themselves in a similar situation. xo
Jessica says
Hello! Forgive me if this has been asked, I tried reading all the comments but there are so many!
Can a cake be frosted and decorated with this icing one day in advance without the consistency of the frosting changing? I assume just let it come to room temp before serving?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jessica! I don't blame you for just asking the question. Reading all the comments could take hours. 🙂 Yes - you can absolutely ice a cake with this buttercream in advance. Because it has such a high butter content, it's best to refrigerate it. But, iced cakes will keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Allowing the cake to come back to room temperature before serving is recommended because the buttercream gets hard when cold (all that butter!). You can even freeze cakes iced in Italian Meringue Buttercream for up to 3 months. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Tammy says
I have a question. I'm making a lavender earl grey tea cake for my sister's graduation. I'll have some leftover earl grey lavender milk tea. Do you think I can incorporate that into the frosting? Or is that not a good idea
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Tammy! Sorry for the delayed response. You might have already moved forward with this, but I think incorporating some tea into the buttercream would be delicious! Just add it in small amounts, bit by bit, beating as you do, until the flavor and consistency is where you want it. Will you let me know how this works out? xo
tammy says
The frosting turned out perfectly. I was a bit worried when I was making the frosting at first since I thought I saw the butter separating from the meringue, but I just let it whip up for a little longer and it all came together. I added about four tablespoons of tea in all to the buttercream in small increments. It incorporated really well. It also turned into a light brown color because of the tea, but it's okay since I was going to put food coloring in it anyway. I was a little bit worried when I had put the buttercream in the fridge to come back to it later. I had taken the cold buttercream out of the fridge to let it come back to room temperature. I had no idea what happened, but I saw that the tea was leaking out of the buttercream. I was a bit concerned, but I stuck it in the microwave to soften it up a little and whipped it up with a hand mixer. It was completely fine after that.
My sister and mom both loved the frosting. They dislike the american buttercream frosting, since it's too sweet for them. They liked the airiness of the italian meringue frosting and it wasn't overly sweet. There was enough frosting for me to decorate a 3 layer eight inch cake along with making some cake balls with any of the left over frosting.
I do have a question though. When I had tried the frosting, it didn't taste bad, but there was a bit of a tangy aftertaste. I thought it might have come from the tea, but the tea didn't have a tangy aftertaste. Do you have any idea why it could have tasted like that?
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that this worked well, Tammy! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me (and other readers) know. I'm now anxious to try it... I'm thinking a green tea version might be delicious. To answer your question, I'm wondering if the acid in the tea reacted with the butter to produce the tangy aftertaste. I'm just guessing, but tea is slightly acidic, and might have cultured the butter slightly - Kind of like adding vinegar or lemon juice to milk to create buttermilk.
Samara Scheckman says
Do you recommend regular butter or European butter with the higher fat content? I know my French buttercream recipes is specific in using the 84% fat. Thanks!!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Samara! Great question. I've always used regular butter to make Italian Meringue Buttercream and have never had any problems. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to know what you think of this recipe after you make it! xo
Samara Scheckman says
This recipe is amazing! I'm really impressed how easily it incorporates flavor. I made the salted caramel sauce yesterday for today's baking adventures making your carrot cake cupcakes with the salted caramel IMBC and it's wonderful. I was testing the buttercream to make the champagne cake with strawberry next week for our "quarantined wedding ceremony". I'm very excited to give it a try. Also very much appreciate your troubleshooting tips, as my buttercream broke half way through, but it was nothing a bit of refrigeration and more beating couldn't fix!
Jenna says
I made the strawberry champagne version of this frosting and when I brought it back out of the fridge to frost my cupcakes it was not completely at room temperature so I took a small portion of the frosting and microwaved it for about 20 seconds and then added it back into the butter cream But when I started beating the butter cream it's separated and part of it turned into complete liquid. I'm not sure what went wrong here but this is the 2nd time I had to make the butter cream. Is there any way to salvage it now?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jenna! I hope I'm answering you in time... it sounds like the buttercream is just getting too soft OR the strawberry is separating out of the frosting as it thaws. Regardless, my suggestion is to keep beating it. You may have to let it beat for quite a while - perhaps as long as 10 minutes - but continued beating should bring it back together. It's also possible that your buttercream is a bit too warm which is causing the butter to melt. If that's the case, beat it first to bring it back together. Then, once it's homogenous, put it in the refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes at a time, beating it for a minute or two in between refrigeration periods, until it's the consistency you want it.
Does that help? Please let me know if you have any other questions!
xo
Celine Edwards says
Love, love, love your recipe! I’m making a birthday cake for my granddaughter and want to use American buttercream for the filling (some family members like the sweeter taste - I can’t bear to use it on the outside as well - too, too sweet for me.) Can I then put a crumb coat using the ABC, let it crust over then follow with the IMBC?
Thanks so much!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Celine! I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe! Have you tried my recipe for American Buttercream? I generally can't handle how sweet it is either, but finally came up with a recipe that is still pretty sweet, but not as sweet as most. I don't generally really like frosting (except IMB!), but actually like this version of American Buttercream. Here's that recipe: https://ofbatteranddough.com/american-buttercream/
To answer your question - I don't see any reason why you couldn't ice a cake first in American Buttercream then coat it in IMB... Although, per my suggestion above, you might try my recipe and see what you think before going to the trouble. 🙂
Please let me know if you have any more questions! And, happy birthday to your granddaughter! xo
PepperPod says
Hi everyone -
Here are metric conversions for this recipe:
Butter: 1 lb 8 oz (1.5 lbs) = 680 grams
Sugar: 1.25 cups = 265 grams
Water: 1/2 cup = 105 grams (I tared the scale to zero and then added the water to get the weight in grams.)
Good luck!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you!!! I'm going to add this to the recipe notes as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this information for other bakers! xo
Amanda says
How would you go about adding whiskey to this?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! After the IMB is made, just beat in whiskey, 1 tbsp at a time until you get the flavor you want. Adding it slowly will allow you to not only monitor the flavor, it will help you gauge the consistency. IMB will accept a reasonable amount of liquid; but there is a point where the consistency gets runny. Just add it very slowly, bit by bit, and you should be good. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Gofaone says
Thank you so much for such informative recipe and all the information in the comments which I attentively scrolled through. I will be trying your recipe tomorrow after so many times of failure and wastage. Hopefully this time I will nail it as your instructions are straight forward and well explained.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Please let me know if you have any questions along the way! And, do keep me updated... xo
Olivia says
I had never made IMBC before, and a few weeks' ago I made three batches of this recipe using a hand mixer only (for a 2 tier cake) - it turned out perfect every time! I had seen so many recipes that spoke about how difficult IMBC is to make which almost scared me off - thank you for providing a simple recipe that doesn't over-dramatize how hard it is!
It tasted divine and is so sturdy in humid 40 degree weather - I'll be using this recipe from now on! Also - it's definitely do-able with a hand mixer, just takes patience 🙂
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Olivia! I am so happy to hear this!!! It's so difficult to explain to people that IMB really isn't difficult while also providing enough instructions to prevent anything going wrong and to know what to do if it does. Because, as you discovered, it truly isn't difficult - but it can be finicky if you don't get the temperature right. I'm so happy to hear that you went ahead and tried it, even with a hand mixer! It really is hard to beat... the first time I made it, I knew it was going to be my go-to buttercream for almost every cake. Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a comment for me! I truly appreciate it! xo
Christine says
Hi Rebecca,
I've been making both SMB and IMB for years. I've found it's easiest to use powdered egg whites for all recipes that use only egg whites. They stay good for a long time when stored in a cool, dry place (I used a 1lb package over the course of 2 years with no problems). They whip up better than fresh egg whites and much better than egg whites from a carton according to side-by-side tests done at America's Test Kitchen. And there are no questions about food safety.
I reconstitute egg white powder with hot tap water, stirring well with a fork or whisk to make sure all of the powder dissolves.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Christine! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment! I've honestly never even thought about using powdered egg whites but now I'm anxious to give it a try! The next time I make Italian Meringue Buttercream, I'll try using them and report back. Thanks again!!! xo
H Lawrance says
Hello. I plan to make the salted caramel cake with Italian buttercream for Christmas Eve dinner this year. Can the cake be made ahead and left at room temperature for a day or so, or does it need refrigeration? I’d like to make it on Sunday for Christmas Eve on Tuesday. If it does require refrigeration, how long does it need to be out of the fridge before serving? We keep our home 67° so it will not be warm. Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! Yes - the cake can be made a couple of days in advance with no problem. I would suggest either freezing the cake layers or storing them at room temperature (tightly wrapped, in both situations). Storing cake in the refrigerator tends to dry it out. Personally, I like to freeze cake layers whenever possible because it makes frosting and decorating much easier. You can also keep cakes fresh longer (storing them at room temperature) by brushing the layers with simple syrup. Just combine equal amounts sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Cook until the water boils and the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Then, brush over cake layers after they've cooled. I usually use a couple tablespoons of sugar syrup per layer. It really goes a long way towards keeping cakes fresh for days.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, if you have time, I'd love to hear how this cake comes out for you! Merry Christmas!
H Lawrance says
Thank you for the reply. To clarify, I would like to make and decorate the cake in advance. Will the finished frosted cake keep at room temperature from Sunday to Tuesday? Or do I need to refrigerate it. I have never made Italian meringue and since it has egg whites in it I just wanted to be sure that it’s safe. Merry Christmas to you, too!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Oh! Glad you clarified. I didn't realize you were going to frost the cake on Sunday. Yes - in that case, definitely refrigerate the cake. The frosted cake will keep well from Sunday to Tuesday IF it's refrigerated. 🙂
Elva says
Hi Rebecca,
Im so excited to try this recipe for Christmas. I have a quick question regarding the butter content. I made a swiss meringue buttercream frosting once and i felt the butteriness was over powering. Would this frosting come together just the same if I reduced the butter to 1 pound? Also I plan on making this a 3 tier 8 inch cake. Will this frosting recipe be enough to frost the whole thing? Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Elva! I'm excited for you to try this for Christmas as well! There is a lot of butter in there... it's not called buttercream for nothing. 🙂 I wouldn't recommend reducing the butter, but it is really important to add it slowly so that it fully emulsifies. When Italian Meringue Buttercream tastes too "buttery", usually it's because the butter hasn't completely emulsified into the meringue. Essentially, what you end up with in that case is layers of meringue and butter, with the taste of the butter coming through too strongly. Just add the butter bit by bit to the meringue once it's fully cool and the result should be a creamy buttercream that doesn't taste like eating a stick of butter. 🙂
This recipe makes about 7 cups of buttercream, so I think you'll have plenty. When you say "3 tiers", do you mean three layers of cake or three layer cakes stacked on top of each other?
Elva says
Thank you Rebecca! It makes a lot of sense. So how slow are we talking about? I guess it's kinda hard to judge if the butter is fully emulsified or not when you are blending them. I have a kitchen aid pro mixer. Is there a mixing time for every oz of butter that goes in? And yes 3 layers is what I meant. 3 tier is way too ambitious! lol
Rebecca Blackwell says
You are most welcome! I'd suggest beating the butter in with your mixer at medium-high to high speed, adding 2 or 3 tablespoons at a time, and letting the mixer beat for roughly 30 seconds after each addition. One thing you don't have to be afraid of with this buttercream is over beating. So, when in doubt, let it beat longer. 🙂
Thanks for the clarification on the size of the cake you're making. 🙂 One recipe of this buttercream will give you plenty for an 8-inch three layer cake. You might even have some left over. If so, it freezes really well.
Just let me know if you have any other questions along the way! xo
Elva says
Will do! Thanks again.
Antoinette says
I really loved this recipe and your explanation of steps. This icing can be very intimidating.
My only real question is how much vanilla to add? I used your 1 1/2 teaspoons to every cup (I read you said this recipe makes 7 cups) also added a little lemon. I still felt like it needed more flavor to cut some of the butter. Do you have any tips on how much to add for vanilla?
Thank you so much!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! You can add as much vanilla as you like to this buttercream. One of the best things about Italian Meringue Buttercream is how well it incorporates flavorings. You can go as far as adding several tablespoons of liquor, cups of fruit puree, or several ounces of melted chocolate. I usually suggest adding flavorings bit by bit so you can taste as you go and also watch the consistency. The buttercream will accept a lot of flavoring, but there will come a point when too much is too much. 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Michelle Winscott says
Holy mackerel! I made this with the champagne reduction and it is absolutely dreamy. It will be paired with your champagne cake, cream cheese mousse and strawberry filling. It’s the second time I have attempted meringue buttercream. It will be a regular recipe from now on. Yummy!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Michelle! I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe! Italian Meringue Buttercream is my all-time favorite frosting. Although, I finally did make an American Buttercream that I like as well. If you're ever in a pinch and need to make frosting fast, you might want to give it a try. A champagne cake made with cream cheese mousse and strawberry filling sounds incredible! I would love to see a picture, if you're inclined to share! xo
Kj says
I tried my hand at this buttercream and it was a disaster. I have no idea why! The cake was amazing, but when it came to the frosting when it came time to add the butter into the meringue it turned into soup. I threw it out, ran to the store for more butter, started over again, and the exact same thing happened... What in the world was I doing wrong?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kj! Thanks so much for reaching out with your question. It's so frustrating when something like this doesn't turn out well. My first thought is that the meringue was too warm when you added the butter. The meringue has to be completely cool or it will melt the butter and turn into soup. Do you think that might have been the issue?
Jeanette says
Hi,
Are all of the flavoring options added at the very end, after the butter has been totally incorporated?
Just asking, because I'm interested in making the White Chocolate option, and it says to melt the chocolate, then let cool to room temperature. When it cools to room temperature, won't it be too hard?
Thank you for a delicious looking recipe. I will let you know how the White Chocolate version comes out! 🙂
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! I can see where that might be a bit confusing.... Yes, you do want to add any flavoring ingredients to the Italian Meringue Buttercream at the very end, after the butter is fully incorporated. The important thing about adding the melted white chocolate is that it not be warm, or it will melt the butter. So heat it gently, stirring often, just until it's melted. Then, let it cool, stirring every now and then. When it's still melted, but also not warm to the touch, go ahead and add it to the buttercream.
If the chocolate is too warm when you add it, and the butter starts to melt, no worries! Just beat the chocolate into the buttercream until it's fully incorporated and then put it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up the butter. Re-beat it for a couple of minutes and you should be golden. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I can't wait to hear what you think! xo
Noon says
I have 1 more question, for your recipe. how much the cake can I use for decorate, 1 or 2 ponds??
Rebecca Blackwell says
This recipe makes 7 cups of Buttercream, Noon. How far that will go, will depend on how thickly you want to frost your cakes, but for me it's enough for a 12-inch layer cake or about 32 cupcakes. I hope that helps! xo
Noon says
thanks for your knowledge, I will try with my bakery!!!
It's very helpful to find some recipe of buttercream that can frosting out leave in room temp.
Rebecca Blackwell says
You are most welcome! Please let me know how this buttercream comes out for you! xo
Sharon says
I live in Colorado at about 6200 feet. I have found that candy recipes cannot be cooked as high as the temperature calls for in the recipe or it will be rock hard! What alteration would you suggest for the final temperature of the sugar syrup at this altitude? Thank you for your help, your directions are amazing!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Sharon! I live in Colorado too! We are in the Denver metro area, so not quite 6200 feet, but I've never once had any issue with the sugar syrup and I've made Italian Meringue Buttercream hundreds and hundreds of times over the past 20+ years. Having said that, you can get away with cooking the sugar syrup to as low as 230 degrees. Since you've had issues with sugar syrups getting to hard in the past, I'd suggest cooking it to 230 degrees max and you should be fine. Will you keep me updated? And, please let me know if you have any other questions! xoxo
Valarie Okazaki says
So Good! My new favorite and with your detailed instructions and my new found patience it turned out perfectly! BFF and thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that this recipe worked well for you Valarie! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I appreciate it so much. xoxo
Lynne Dionne says
Hi!
I can't wait to make this cake for my daughter's friend's wedding. I just don't see anywhere how to make the Champagne Flavor frosting. Do I boil down the Champagne and use it instead of the water that is called for in the recipe?
Thanks so much! and I just love your page 🙂
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lynne! I have instructions for making Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream in this recipe for Champagne Cake: https://ofbatteranddough.com/champagne-cake-champagne-italian-meringue-buttercream/
BUT, I should totally include those instructions on this page as well! I don't know why I haven't done that yet, but adding it now. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! Please let me know if you have any more questions! xo
Gwen Wright says
Hi Rebecca, My niece has asked me to make her wedding cake. I am a novice baker, so I've been doing a lot of reading regarding different types of buttercream icing. I decided to try your recipe, because it sounded amazing!
I have made your IMBC icing twice, but each time the mixture becomes very thin when I start to add the butter. On the 2nd attempt, I actually measured the temperature of the egg whites (70 degrees F), and the butter was at room temperature (soft but not melting). I was able to rescue it by putting it in the refrigerator for a bit, but am wondering what I could/should do differently.
I also made some sample cupcakes, so the bride and her family could taste the IMBC. It seems like they all had he same questions/comments. Did you use sugar? This has a weird fatty texture in my mouth. Is it possible to sweeten the IMBC, so it is somewhere between IMBC and ABC? What about the fatty/oily texture?
I love your blog, and appreciate the information and your assistance.
Thanks in advance, Gwen
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Gwen! Thank you so much for reaching out! It sounds like the butter isn't completely emulsifying into the meringue for some reason. Let's trouble shoot! First of all, it could be that you're adding the butter too quickly. When you add the butter to the egg whites, you are creating an emulsion. To do this effectively, it's important to only add a couple of tablespoons of butter at a time, making sure that it incorporates completely before adding more. Another thing that might be happening is that the sugar syrup isn't getting to 248 degrees. Are you using a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the sugar syrup? Is it possible that the thermometer isn't quite accurate? Just two ideas that might help us narrow down the problem. I'm confident we can figure it out! xoxo
Funmi says
Hello, I'm glad I stumbled on your page whilst looking for storage instruction for ISMBC. I only use ISMBC since learning how to make it at a Japanese buttercream flower class 3yrs ago. It beats the taste of ordinary buttercream hands down. Plus I don't have to deal with icing sugar dust mess (and getting it down my lungs, lol!)
I have cakes for pick up next Tues, Fri and a cake class on Saturday. I want to see if I can make a batch of ISMBC to use for all. From what you say, I should be able to keep in fridge for a week and just whisk batch I need when I want to use. Is it possible to fill cakes with ISMC, ganache and leave in fridge till I cover cakes with fondant a day before pickup (saving having to whisk up cake batches)? or will filling separate in ganached cake (as it does in storage container in fridge)?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Funmi! You should be able to fill and frost your cakes up to 2 days in advance, store them in the refrigerator, and they'll be fine. The only thing I would be careful about is condensation building up between the buttercream and the fondant. To avoid this, I'd suggest allowing the frosted cake time to come to room temperature before covering it in fondant. Does that answer your question? xo
Funmi says
Hi Rebecca, thank you for your reply. I meant ganached cake (I dont cover with buttercream). Will ganache and filling be ok inside fridge and how long in advance can I keep pls. I cover in fondant day before collection. Hope this is ok
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Funmi! I think a cake covers in ganache will be fine kept in the fridge for a day or two. I don't think I would try and keep it for longer than 2 days, but see no reason why it wouldn't keep well until then. Please let me know if you have any more questions! xo
Funmi says
Thanks Rebecca. I kept ganached cake refrigerated a day before covering and delivering the cake and it was fine. Thanks so much for your advice x
Marina says
Can I ice the cake in italian buttercream then freeze the whole thing, and ensure i taker it out 1 day before eating? I am thinking of using it for a semi-naked cake which I am trying to make in advance
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Marina! Yes! You can freeze a cake that's been covered in Italian Meringue Buttercream for up to 3 months. The only thing to pay attention to when the cake is thawing is condensation. If you notice little drops of water forming on the buttercream as the cake thaws, just use a tissue or paper towel to gently blot the little drops and you'll be good to go. Depending not he size of the cake, you'll only need about 4 hours for the cake to thaw completely. Please let me know if you have any more questions! xo
Marina says
Thank you so much!
Can I use icing sugar (powdered sugar) for the buttercream or is that risky considering the cornstarch and anti-caking agent that icing sugar normally has?
Carolyn Buckner says
Your directions speak of making a syrup using 1-1/4 cups sugar and adding 1/3 cup sugar to make the meringue. However, your recipe for print shows 2-3/4 cups sugar. I don't see any further use for the extra sugar mentioned in the ingredients list. Is this is typo?
Thanks!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Carolyn! I believe you've uncovered a weird glitch in the recipe plug-in I'm using. The recipe does say to use 1 & 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar - unless you click on the little button (1x, 2x, 3x) to double or triple the ingredients. Clicking on those buttons messes up the original ingredient amounts. When I clicked on the button to double the ingredients and then went back to the original amounts, the sugar showed up as 2 & 3/4 cups, when it should be 1 & 1/4 cups. So sorry about that! I've submitted a support ticket to the developers of the recipe plug-in asking them to take a look. But, in the meantime - the ingredients should be:
½ cup water
1¼ cup plus ⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
8 large egg whites, at room temperature
6 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear how your buttercream comes out!
xo
Trusha says
Thanks for straightening this up. Of course, I’ll let you know the outcome!
Lane says
For making the caramel buttercream, how would it be if I added brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in the recipe?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lane! I wouldn't recommend using brown sugar because it tends to burn easily. Granulated sugar can be cooked to much higher temperatures before burning. Please let me now if you have any more questions, and I'd love to hear how your cake and buttercream come out! xo
Nancy says
Wow! I was SO intimidated to make this and turns out...it’s not that hard! And oh boy, talk about light, fluffy and delicious! Big hit for those who prefer less sweet frosting. Great recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am SO glad to hear this Nancy! I want to copy and past your words to the beginning of the post because I am always trying to convince people to try Italian Meringue Buttercream saying, "Just trust me. It's not that hard." 🙂 I'm thrilled that your frosting turned out well and that everyone liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! And thanks for participating in the Bake Club! xo
Christa says
Hi! I made this buttercream last night and put it in the fridge, my question is, once it comes back to room temperature, should I give it a whisk in the mixer again?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Yes! Absolutely! You don't really have to be afraid of over-beating Italian Meringue Buttercream. When in doubt, beat! 🙂
Luna says
I made Italian meringue buttercream, for the first time, last night. I only flavored it with vanilla, but used salted butter, instead of unsalted. It was absolutely, unbelievably delicious and when slathered onto a butter pecan cake, did give it an almost salted-caramel taste. I know every recipe I've ever seen, for this type of frosting, calls for unsalted butter, but I love the salty-sweet taste combination so much, that I may never make it that way. I could see using just 1/2 or 1/3 salted butter, with the rest unsalted, though -- depending on what flavor of cake it's going to be on. Have you ever used salted butter in yours?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Luna! I am so glad to hear that you liked this Buttercream! And I LOVE the idea of slathering it on a butter pecan cake! YUM!!! I actually usually add one or two sticks of salted butter because I am a salt fiend. I've considered adding a note in the the recipe about doing that for other salty-sweet fanatics like you and me. After your comment, I think I might. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Rose Wilson says
As promised, this is my new favorite kind of icing! I love an excuse to make it even just for making cupcakes from a box! My favorite flavor so far has been the strawberry champagne from the Champagne Cake recipe. ABSOLUTELY the best! I've done some troubleshooting with it, thought I completely lost it a few times, but it always comes back if you beat it into submission. It's been very forgiving for this novice baker 🙂
Rebecca Blackwell says
It's forgiving nature is one of my favorite things about it. It can almost always be saved. And, I'm with you about the strawberry champagne flavor. That might just be my favorite as well. Although, I really love the pistachio flavor. And the Chai. (Really, I love them all.) Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Samantha says
Hi there - planning on making the icing this weekend. I'm getting married next August and will be baking my own 5 tier wedding cake.... so am practicing well in advance (with birthday cakes etc!).
Also any recommendations for sturdy doweling would be much appreciated...
I'm based in the UK - are the temperature suggestions in F or C?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Samantha! Congratulations on you upcoming marriage! I'm so impressed that you're making your own wedding cake! Yes - the temperature suggestions are in F. For Celsius, you'll want to cook the sugar syrup to 120 C. Other than that, just be sure to read through all the instructions before you begin and I think you'll be fine. Italian Meringue Buttercream seems complicated at first, but once you make it, you'll realize it's quite simple. The most important thing to pay attention to is temperature. With all that butter in the recipe, most of the problems people have with it is because the butter is too cold or to warm.
As far as dowels are concerned, these are the dowels I have in my kitchen right now. Personally, I like to use dowels that are quite thick and sturdy. That may not be necessary... I would just rather be safe than sorry. 🙂
Please let me know if you have any other questions along the way! And, after the wedding, if you think about it, I would absolutely LOVE to see a picture of your wedding cake! xo
Marsha says
Hello, like everyone else, I'm loving your recipe for IMB, which seems easier than SMB and FMB. However, I can never seem to find the answer to my question. After decorating my cakes and cupcakes, how long can I leave them sitting on the counter? Most storage questions seem to refer to taking the cake outside. However, I would just really like to know how long I can leave frosted cupcakes on the counter. Like, if I frost them on Friday, can they sit out until Monday afternoon safely? With American buttercream, to sugar safeguards against bacteria growing, but there is not as much sugar in this recipe comparatively. I also don't have fridge space to store a 3 tier cake in the fridge, or 2 dozen cupcakes. Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Marsha! So, probably you're having trouble finding the answer to your question because no one wants to stick their neck out and say that you can leave it out at room temperature for a few days because of all that butter. But, you totally can. There's a lot of conflicting information out there about whether it's safe to leave butter out at room temperature, but I can tell you from personal experience that I've left cakes frosted with IMB out on the counter for 3 days (probably longer) and they've been perfectly fine.
The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that most cakes start to get a bit stale tasting after sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 days. But in all the years of making this frosting (over 20!), I've never once had an issue with leaving it out for a few days. One word of caution: the butter will melt if it gets too warm in your house. But, as long as your house stays (roughly) under 78 degrees, you'll be fine.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! I'm so glad you like this recipe! xo
Mandy Waters says
Can I make this using salted butter instead of unsalted?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Mandy! From time to time, I substitute one of the sticks of unsalted butter for salted butter, but one stick is as much salted butter as I would use. Using all salted butter will make this buttercream taste quite salty. I really like higher salt content in sweet foods, but more than one stick of salted butter is too much even for me. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Suzanne Morse says
I had never made an Italian Meringue Buttercream before this. I had watched many baking shows where this was made, but stuck to the same old royal icing I had always known. This seemed intimidating, but wasn't once I made it. I made the blackberry for the lemon layer cake and that was the part of the cake that everyone talked about. I have enough leftover that I can make something else with it for easter. Not sure I'll ever go back to the other frosting. I'll make this every time! Definitely versatile, especially with all the suggested flavors!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I absolutely LOVE this comment, Suzanne! You expressed my exact feelings the first time I made Italian Meringue Buttercream, which is why it's pretty much the only frosting I've used for over 20 years. I'm so glad you took the plunge and gave this buttercream a try! xo
chahinez says
Hello Rebecca!
I love this Italian meringue recipe you have here and your blog is a great source of amazing recipes:)!
I just recently posted a small batch cream cheese frosting recipe on my blog and I made sure to link back to this Italian meringue recipe in case my readers were curious about how to make it!!
Hope you have a great rest of your day!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you so much! I appreciate the shout out! Happy Baking! xo
Tammy Gegel says
Hi!
I am wanting to make lemon flavored Italian Meringue Frosting. How much lemon zest should I use? I am also wanting to add either lemon juice or extract, which one and how much do you suggest?
Tammy
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Tammy! I would actually suggest adding a combination of lemon curd, lemon extract, and lemon zest. I'd start by adding about 1/2 cup of lemon curd and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and lemon zest. Blend it in to the buttercream, taste, and keep adding more until it's as lemony as you like it. You can probably add up to a cup of lemon curd before it starts to mess with the buttercream's consistency. And, if you want a strong lemon flavor, you might add up a full tablespoon of lemon extract. Does that help? Please let me know if you have any questions and I'd love to hear how this comes out for you!
Nathan says
Is this a scalable recipe? I’m trying to make it 1/3 size. I cut all ingredients by 1/3 based on weight. It seems to turn out like whipped butter. The meringue broke while adding the butter but then eventually it came back a bit I guess but it still seems to tast mostly like butter.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Nathan! This might sound like weird advice, but I'd suggest adding a bit more butter. It sounds to me like the meringue and butter haven't quite emulsified, which can cause the buttercream to taste too much like butter. If this is what's happened to you, beating in a bit more room temperature butter will help. Add one tablespoon at a time, beating as you do, and tasting often. Will you let me know if that works?
Melissa says
Hi, I really want to try the salted caramel flavor. My question is, can I add blue food coloring to this to make a light blue color? I’m looking to make a bubble guppies cake and worried that the caramel color might not work with the blue I’m trying to achieve. Do you know how much that will mess with the color?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Melissa! I've honestly never tried to color the salted caramel buttercream, so I'm not sure it would work. However, you are correct to wonder how the color of the caramel will react with the blue. My guess is that you'll end up with a brownish blue color. If you want a bright blue color, you'll probably need to stick to vanilla or white chocolate. However - you could fill the cake with Salted Caramel pastry cream and serve it with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. For the salted caramel pastry cream, don't add the whipped cream at the end; if you do, the filling will be to soft for a cake filling. Does that help? xo
Sarah says
This recipe is perfect and taste great.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Yeah! I'm so glad to hear that you like this recipe - and the buttercream! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
Anna says
Can I substitute erythritol for the sugar?
Lauran says
Hello again!!
I’m about to embark on this frosting. Any suggestions how much cream cheese to add to make a cream cheese version?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! About the cream cheese.... don't add any. I've tried it, and it's not good. 🙂 It's one of those things that sounds like a good idea, but in reality, is not. I mean, I have seen recipes that add cream cheese to IMB, so I assume there are people out there that like it. So, perhaps I'm being to hasty. But... I'm not a fan. There's already so much butter in Italian Meringue; because cream cheese is just too much like butter, it ends up being way too heavy and almost pasty.
If you want a great cream cheese buttercream recipe, might I suggest the one I used on this Red Velvet cake? It's not too sweet (because I hate super sweet frosting) and super creamy and buttery.
Lee Chavers says
Hi Rebecca....I will be making your IMB to frost your best vanilla cake recipe. I am wanting to pipe a trout (fish) design onto wax paper (so I can trace a pattern), freeze, then transfer the design onto the top of the frosted cake. My question is, do you think this fish design will hold up after being frozen, transferred, and then thawed. I'm afraid it might separate or the colors will bleed as the design thaws out on top of the cake. My skills aren't good enough to pipe right onto the cake directly as I need it to look like a fish. I don't have any experience with fondant. If you don't think it would thaw good, I could just frost the overall cake with your frosting and do the fish design with a simple shortening frosting.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lee! Italian Meringue Buttercream freezes solid, so I think transferring a frozen buttercream fish to the cake will work, but I do have a few concerns. First of all, I'd be worried that the fish might crack or break in the transfer. Second, as you already mentioned, there might be some color bleeding that happens as the fish thaws.
Honestly, I'd suggest making the fish with royal icing. Most cake decorating supply shops cary packets of royal icing powder that you simply mix with water. Fill a pastry bag that's fitted with a very small tip with the royal icing and pipe out the outline of the fish first. Then, you can fill in the rest of the shape. Royal icing is a bit runny - so outlining the design first is helpful. It dries fairly quickly, so you can add other colors and details over the top if you like. What do you think?
Carol says
I've been dying to try IMBC for ages and I loved seeing this site. But I forgot the directions on my desk and decided I knew it well enough. I went back to look afterwards and I did everything wrong!! And it still came out PERFECT. My egg whites and butter were room temp, but after that things went haywire. I didn't have cream of tarter, so I added a couple of drops of lemon juice. I heated the sugar syrup (2 cups sugar and half cup water because I was winging it from 'memory') to well over 250 (more like 262, but decided to drizzle it in anyway. Then I DID let it cool about 20 minutes until the bottom of the bowl was cool and started adding the 4 sticks (yes I know) to the fluff. I shut off the beater and didn't think that it was smooth enough to pipe, so I turned it back on high for about 15 seconds and it tightened up perfectly! It Generously frosted 3 dozen large cupcakes. I can't wait for another good excuse to bake cake!! Absolutely the best frosting I've ever had in my life. I'll never go back to American BC again.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Carol! This is the best comment! I just love that you made so many "mistakes" and the buttercream still came out perfectly. It's such a great example of how forgiving this frosting is. I hope your comment encourages others who might be hesitating to jump in and make it! I felt the same as you the first time I ever made Italian Meringue Buttercream - that I'd never make American buttercream again. Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment! xo
Laurie V says
Hi,
I am making a double layer sheet cake for my son's wedding engagement party. (I'm using your Best Vanilla Cake Recipe) The party is this Saturday. What would be my time line to frost the cake? Can I make the buttercream in advance, put it in the fridge, , decorate the cake Thursday or Friday, then refrigerate it until Saturday?
Also, how far in advance can I make the cakes?
Thank you so much!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Laurie! Congratulations to your son! And kudos to you for making the cake! You can make the buttercream as far in advance as you like. The only important thing to remember when you make it ahead of time is to allow the buttercream time to come back to room temperature. The easiest way to accomplish this by letting it sit out on the countertop for several hours, or even overnight. Once it's at room temperature beat it for several minutes to make sure it's homogenous and creamy. If you need to bring the buttercream to room temperature more quickly, there are some instructions at the end of the recipe for options on how to do that.
You can make the cake up to 3 days ahead of time and it will still taste moist and delicious. If you freeze the layers, you can make it further in advance than that. In fact, I often freeze cake layers before decorating them simply because it makes frosting them easier. Regardless, you could frost the cake on Thursday or Friday and as long as it's refrigerated until Saturday, it will be perfectly fine. If it were me, I'd make the cake layers on Thursday and decorate on Friday, just so that everything is as fresh as possible. But, baking the layers on Wednesday and decorating on Thursday will be work well also.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy baking! I'd LOVE to see a picture of the decorated cake!
Beverly Ibanez says
I am so excited to try your Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting recipe! I have been asked to make some cupcakes for a friend's son's wedding, 250 cupcakes, to be precise! I have never done anything on this scale before, never more than one batch of 24, so you can imagine I'm feeling just a little nervous! My biggest concern is that I will be making the cupcakes over a period of 2 days, say Wednesday and Thursday, and icing them (complete with nonpareils and 'glitter' on Friday. I will be driving them to their destination on Saturday, arriving Saturday evening. The wedding is scheduled for 11:30 Sunday morning, with the reception to follow immediately following. My question is: will the icing and decorations stay stable from Friday until Sunday if they are kept cool, say around 70 degrees? I am in a bit of a rush for the answer as the wedding is this weekend. Thank you so, so much!
Rebecca Blackwell says
How exciting!I think the cupcakes will be fine. The closer you can bake, ice and decorate them to the wedding, the better. So, if possible, I'd suggest baking them on Friday and icing them on Saturday. You can make the buttercream on Friday, even, refrigerating it overnight. Let it come to room temperature and beat it for a few minutes to restore it's creaminess. To speed it to room temperature, you can put the bowl of buttercream in a larger bowl filled with hot water. The butter in the buttercream will melt on the outside of the bowl, and the inside will still be solid. This is ok. Beating will mix the melted parts with the solid and it will all come back together. Of course, if you have time Saturday morning to make the buttercream and ice the cupcakes, then you won't have to deal with bringing it back to room temperature. Just giving you an option. 🙂
All that to say, that if you do need to ice the cupcakes on Friday and store them, I think they'll be fine. Keep as cool as possible. I'd also suggest adding the glitter and nonpareils at the reception site. My concern is that if they sit on the buttercream for too long it will seep into the frosting, or at least bleed into it a bit. Is it possible to decorate them once you get there?
Mansi says
I used this recipe and added fresh strawberry puree based on your instructions for my nephew's 5th bday bicycle cake. It turned out beautiful!!!! (I just slightly reduced the sugar since it was for kids).
Now its time for my husband's 30th birthday cake. I am doing an open book cake and am thinking of doing a pineapple buttercream. how you tried that before? would you be able to provide details on what kind of pineapple to use and in what quantity?
Thanks a ton for this versatile recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Mansi! I'm so glad your Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream turned out well! And, a bicycle cake sounds so intriguing... do you have a picture you could send to me? I'd love to see it!
I've never added pineapple to Italian Meringue Buttercream, but now I'm dying to try it because it sounds so delicious! Here's what I'd suggest: Pureed fresh pineapple should work well IF the pineapple is ripe and sweet. I'm not sure where you are in the world, but here in Colorado, there's no guarantee that fresh pineapple is going to taste sweet and flavorful. Sometimes it does, and sometimes not so much. 🙂 So, I'd have a can of pineapple on hand just in case. Or, just go with the canned pineapple in the first place. Puree it just like you did with the strawberries and then add a bit at a time. The goal with adding fruit purees to IBM is to add as much flavor as possible without watering the buttercream down. If you really want to add a boost of pineapple flavor, you could even add a few drops of Pineapple Flavoring.
Let me know how it goes and if you have any more questions! xo
Lisa Baldini says
I just want to thank you for this flawless recipe. My first time making Italian buttercream and it was exceptional. Can you believe I used a hand held mixer???!!!!! I prepped everything first so I did not have to stop the mixing process. I decided to add Raspberry’s that I puréed . Wow. Thank you for having this gift that you share.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lisa! Thank you so much for your comment! I am so glad this recipe worked well for you and that your Buttercream was a hit. I can't believe you used a hand held mixer! That is amazing to know and will hopefully encourage others without a standing mixer to go ahead and give it a go. Your kind words mean more than I can say. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you! xo
Cathy says
Can you substitute cocoa powder for the melted chocolate? I made this and it was awesome but it seemed like some of the chocolate solidified in the frosting when I tried piping with it and it kept clogging the tip. Wondering if cocoa powder will work better or will it e grainy?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Cathy! I've never tried it with coco powder, but I think it would work. I'd suggest stirring a small amount of coco powder into a small amount of buttercream to test before mixing in enough for the whole batch. My concern would be that it might add a bitter element to the frosting. If that seems to be the case, add in a bit of powdered sugar as well, which should take care of it. If you try it, will you let me know how it works? I'd love to know if this was a good option! xo
Amita says
I know you said this recipe will make about 7 cups of IMBC. Even if I were to halve the recipe, I would have some left over because I plan on making it for the filling for macarons. How long will the IMBC stay in the freezer? Would adding any additional flavorings affect how long it will keep in the freezer? Thanks in advance!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Amita! Mmmmmmm, macarons. 😋 Italian Meringue Buttercream will keep in the freezer for at least 2 months, and I've kept it for as long as three. It's awesome stuff to have on hand. Flavorings shouldn't affect how long it will keep in the freezer. If you think about it, I'd love to see a picture of your macarons! What flavor are you making?
Tara says
Thank you for this recipe. I screwed it up and only made four egg whites instead of nine and than the rest of the full batch and it tasted a lot like butter so I did another full batch and left half the butter out and then Incorporated both together and it turned out fabulous thank you so much for this recipe.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I love this story! Your experience demonstrates how forgiving Italian Meringue Buttercream is and also how with a little ingenuity, there are few culinary mistakes that can't be rectified. Making another batch and incorporating the two instead of just starting over is ingenious. Thank you so much for sharing this with me! xo
Rachel says
Hi Rebecca!
Beautiful site - I just discovered it and I can’t wait to try the recipes! I do have one question/favor to ask regarding your Italian meringue buttercream recipe. I have pretty much converted to baking with a scale using weight measurements only and not volume (except teaspoons and tablespoons for things like vanilla, but even then I prefer weight be included as well).
Given the discrepancies and inconsistencies I have noticed (more and more recently) between the weight of one stick of butter vs. another (sometimes one stick weighing in at well over 4oz and sometimes well under), and the same issue with egg whites. Also, I think the standard weight for a cup of sugar is 198 grams, but again, different chefs might apply subtle varieties. So it would be SO awesome if you could provide all components of your recipe using the specific weight measurements that work best for you.
Kindly,
Rachel
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Rachel! Thank you for this request. I totally hear you about there being discrepancies on things like sticks of butter and eggs. I'm happy to offer the weighted measurements, however, for this buttercream, it really isn't necessary. If you have a bit more of one ingredient than another, it won't affect the finished buttercream. Even if you added quite a bit more sugar, the buttercream would turn out fine, it would just be sweeter. Adding a lot more butter or egg whites, would affect the finished product, but the slight discrepancies you're likely to have between sticks of butter or one large egg white to another won't be enough to make a difference here.
I’m so excited for you to make this buttercream! It really is absolutely delicious and a dream to work with. Please let me know if you run into any difficulties or have any more questions! xoxo
Kristie says
I've never made IMBC before, and am curious about the high heat of the syrup. Why does it need to be so hot when added to the egg whites? Also, how long should it cool before adding the butter? Does it take 30 minutes, and hour, or more to get the egg white and syrup mixture back to room temp before adding the butter? Thanks in advance for any tips you can offer.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kristie! The sugar syrup needs to be hot enough to cook the egg whites and stabilize them quickly without deflating them. Some recipes for Italian Meringue Buttercream call for it to be cooked to 240 degrees, which will also work. I've just found that cooking them to between 246 and 250 creates more consistent stability.
To answer your second question, the egg whites need to beat until they are cool. How long this takes will depend on the temperature of your kitchen, but plan on about 30 minutes. If the meringue isn't completely cool before adding the butter, the butter will just melt and you'll end up with a soupy mess. If this happens, however, all is not lost! Just put the bowl in the refrigerator for a while to firm up the butter, then continue to beat until it gets creamy. When it comes to this buttercream, there are very few problems that more beating won't solve. 🙂
I'm so excited for you to make this buttercream! It really is absolutely delicious and a dream to work with. Please let me know if you run into any difficulties or have any more questions! xoxo
Karen Chesler says
I just made this IMBC recipe for the first time and the consistency looks fantastic. I tasted it and would like it to be a little more vanilla in flavor, can I added now that it’s at the proper consistency without making it watery? Thanks for this delicious recipe!!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so glad this buttercream turned out well! You can add as much vanilla as you like. One of the best things about this buttercream is how well it incorporates other flavors. You can beat in melted chocolate, butterscotch or caramel sauce, pureed fruit, liquors... whatever you like! The key is to start by adding a small amount, taste, add more, and repeat until it has the flavor you want. What are you going to ice with your buttercream?
Karen Chesler says
I’m making a wedding cake 4 layers of chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and two layers of almond cake with a raspberry purée filling. There are 4 couples (myself included) celebrating over 200 yrs of marriage on Valentines Day! This IMBC was on my 50th Anniversary cake and I decided to try it myself. Your directions and recipe was spot on! Thank You!
Karen Chesler says
Rebecca, I just made a second batch of IMBC and it curdled so I put it in the fridge for awhile and when I went to beat it to smooth it out there is a lot of liquid in the bottom of the bowl and the mixture will not smooth out. What did I do wrong? Please help!
Kelly says
Help! I've began this recipe and as I'm incorporating the butter, it's becoming very thin. Is there any saving it?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kelly! Since you left this comment yesterday, I'm guessing my response is a bit late... but it sounds like the meringue was still too warm when you were adding the butter. If you pop it in the refrigerator for a bit to firm it up, then continue beating it, it should be perfectly fine. Is that what you ended up doing? How did it come out???
Andria says
Odd question, but after getting the peaks with the whites, and adding the syrup, are we still using the whisk attachment? Or when I incorporate the butter, should I be using the paddle? Probably doesn't matter too much, but my peculiar cooking habits need to know. Amazing site and cannot wait to try many of your recipes.
Rebecca Blackwell says
This is a great question! I really try to make each recipe as detailed as possible, but every now and then a reader asks a question that makes me think of a detail I had not thought to add to the instructions. So, I really appreciate your question! Yes - continue to use the whisk attachment through the entire process. I'm excited for you to make this Italian Meringue Buttercream. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'd love to hear how it comes out for you! xo
Kristin koss says
I wants to add color to this frosting . I use Amer colors Will it change the consistency. I do orders and roses. thanks
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kristin! Yes - you can add color to this buttercream! It shouldn't change the consistency at all. xo
Kristin Koss says
Thanks I have a different recipe for Italian meringue buttercream. My husband doesn’t like it because he said it taste like butter. And I’ve made it for 160 people for my nephews wedding and everyone said it was awesome. that recipe is 6 egg whites 1 cup of sugar 1/3 cup of water 1/4 cup of sugar goes into the egg whites with 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and a little of salt. 4 sticks room temp unsalted butter. 1 tsp vanilla. Someone was saying that if you have more meringue you will have less buttery taste is that true. I am trying your recipe tonight. I have a baptism cake to make for my nephews daughter baptism Mach 17th they’re having 100 and some people.
Amy says
This really is the best buttercream I have ever made. This is the only recipe I will use from now on. Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I felt exactly the same way the first time I made it, over 20 years ago! I'm so glad you like this recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. xo
Dar says
Can this recipe be cut in half? I only have a 4 1/2 quart mixer? Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Dar! Yes - you can cut this recipe in half. Since it's hard to cut an egg white in half, I'd suggest just using 5. For the sugar, use 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp when making the sugar syrup, and 3 tbsp added to the egg whites. Your 4 1/2 quart mixer might be just fine making the full recipe... but, it's probably good to test it with a half batch first. Then you should be able to judge whether it looks like it might hold the full amount the next time you make a batch. Let me know how it comes out for you! xo
Jessica Fortwengler says
Hi Rebecca. I am making a birthday cake for my 8 year old. Is this recipe ok to use with coloring and piping? I am using a Wilton Spongebob mold. Do you think 1 batch will be enough or should I make more?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jessica! Yes - this buttercream is a dream to decorate with. I've used it to decorate countless birthday and wedding cakes over the years and wouldn't dream of using anything else. Unless your cake pan is really large, I'm sure one batch will be enough. One batch will give you 7 cups, which is quite a bit. If you're concerned about mistakes and want to make sure to have extra "just in case", go ahead and make a second batch and then just freeze whatever you have left over. Let me know if you have any other questions. And, I'd love it if you'd let me know how the frosting - and the cake - comes out! Happy birthday to you 8 year old!
Sunny says
Hi Rebecca,
Firstly, thanks so much for all the helpful tips here and detailed responses to comments! I'll be making a tiered cake (for the first time) and after much research have decided on IMBC as the frosting - I initially planned for AMBC, but after trying a few recipes found it far too sweet. Some questions:
1) Cake will be 3 tiered with 3 layers each (10",8",6") will the recipe above be enough to frost, or both frost and fill the cake? If not, what are your recommended adjustments for the recipe (providing ample room for error and re-tries as I'm a novice).
2) Was considering filling with German buttercream for some contrast - would that be a good combination or do you recommend both filling and frosting with IMBC for either taste or ease? Both frostings would be vanilla, with the cake being chocolate, if that matters.
3) Lastly, question about how to move forward due to weather conditions!
A)Making this cake for an outdoor birthday party - at this point anticipating around 80 degrees farenheit when the cake is initially placed outside in the early evening. Table will be under an awning, away from direct sunlight all day. Do you recommend refrigerating and/or freezing the cake before hand to prevent any degeneration? If so, for how long, and how should the cake be stored/covered in the fridge or freezer? Does this affect whether or not German buttercream should be used as a filling as it's less stable?
B) I will also be placing a few pieces of fondant decorations on the cake. You recommended refrigerating overnight to another user...I'm planning on finishing making the cake two days before the event. Upon completions, csn you confirm the cake should be refrigerated overnight (with appropriate covering if needed?) then have the fondant pieces placed, then refrigerated (or frozen?) again until the following day when it will be placed outdoors in the heat and served at least 3 hours later to keep its' shape?
And looks like I have a couple more question! I did order a candy thermometer, withoug realizing there is already a food thermometer in the house, though it looks like it's made for meat. Will that suffice, or should I keep the candy thermometer?
And lastly (truly this time) I also tried a few chocolate cake recipes and did decide on one that was the overwhelming favorite. However, this fluffier, tastier winning recipe dried out the very next day (admittedly, I did not store and protect it properly), while the 2nd favorite remained moist for days despite my neglect. Will immediate covering with IMBC be able to lock in the moisture of the facorite cake even a couple days in advance of serving, or should I stick with the moister cake?
Thanks in advance for all your help and guidance!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hello Sunny! First of all, I wanted to tell you that you will not be disappointed with your decision to make Italian Meringue Buttercream. It is sublime - both in its taste and in how easy it is to work with. Now, to answer your questions...
1.) I'd suggest making 3 batches of Italian Meringue Buttercream. Two should be enough, but three will allow you extra, which is helpful for the errors and re-trys you are planning for.
2.) I think German Buttercream would make a delicious filling; however, Italian Meringue Buttercream is so tasty, it might not be worth the extra work of making two different buttercream.
3.a) Making cakes in the summer is always a challenge. I was a professional cake decorator for years and always used Italian Meringue Buttercream, even in extremely hot temperatures. Because of the amount of butter in the frosting, it will melt if it gets to hot, so keeping it cool is advisable. Here's what I found to be the ideal situation: Whenever possible, I liked to set up and decorate the cake on site. I would coat each layer in buttercream and then freeze them. The day of the event, I'd transport the frozen layers along with everything I needed to decorate the cakes. Then, I'd assemble and decorate the cakes at the event. It generally took the cakes a few hours to thaw completely, so even when the weather was really warm, the cakes were usually ok to sit out for a while. One word of caution: I live in Colorado, where we have very little humidity. I honestly don't know if condensation on a thawing frosted cake would be an issue in more humid areas. If you are in a humid area, and have time, I would test this method before the event. The other thing I'd suggest, is to just keep an eye on the cake. I had to ask a couple of brides to cut the cake earlier in the reception than they had planned simply because I could see that the frosting was getting too warm. There is, after all, only so much you can do.
3.b) Again, I am concerned about condensation building up between the frosting and fondant if you add the fondant and then freeze (or even refrigerate) the cake with the fondant on it. If possible, I'd suggest adding the fondant as close to the event as possible. If freezing the cake layers isn't an option, refrigerating them for a couple of days will be fine as well. I usually stored cakes in cake boxes (purchased on Amazon or from a cake decorating store) for refrigerating or freezing them.
For your last couple of questions... It's good that you ordered a candy thermometer. Meat thermometers don't usually measure high enough temperatures. Frosting the cake with Italian Meringue buttercream should keep the cakes from drying out; although without knowing much about the chocolate cake recipe you are using, I can't promise that. In case it's useful, this is my absolute favorite chocolate cake recipe. I've made it many, many times, and know that it stays nice and moist for days. The recipe calls for it to be baked in a bundt pan, but I've baked it in round layers, square layers, cupcakes, and even as a sheet cake, and it always works out fine.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to know how the cake (and the buttercream) turn out! I'd even love to see a picture, if you're so inclined. 🙂 Happy baking!
SAita says
I have always made homemade cakes for our family bday celebrations. I have tried many recipes for Italian Buttercream and this by far is the best!! My husband just said it was the best frosting I have ever made and I have been doing this for 20 years now. This will go in the family cookbook for sure. I love you instructions as well as the flavor options. Awesome recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how much you like this recipe! I can't even tell you how much comments like this mean to me. xoxo
Jane Looker says
Can I make and decorate my mums 80th birthday cake a day ahead or can I only make the the IMBC the day before?
Many thanks.
Jane
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jane! Yes to both! The IMBC can be made days in advance (or frozen for longer). It just needs to be brought to room temperature before you use it to frost and decorate. The cake itself can be frosted and decorated a day or two in advance as long as you can store it in the refrigerator. You can even freeze cakes that have been frosted and decorated with IMBC. I used to do that all the time in my cake decorating days when I was planning to transport a wedding cake in the middle of the summer. Transporting frozen cakes kept them from melting. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, happy birthday to your Mum!
Jane Looker says
Many thanks for your prompt reply!
That takes the pressure off with everything else I'm planning on doing with her on the day.
Cheers and thanks for the good wishes.
Matthew Tussing says
Hi,
I made tried this recipe as part of my search for the perfect icing for my sister's wedding cake. Unfortunately, it did not turn out as expected. I followed the instruction and used room temp butter which I think was my downfall. I could not make it smooth even after refrigerating for over an hour and then trying to mix again. It still looks very lumpy/curdled which I assume is the fault of melted butter.
Going to give it another go tomorrow as this recipe came very highly recommended by my aunt and use butter at a colder temp and allow the merengue to cool for even longer (although it was cool by the time I added the butter). Suggestions to ensure a smooth frosting?
Thanks!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Matthew! I'm sorry the buttercream didn't come together for you. That's super frustrating. I'm not completely sure why the buttercream didn't come together, but using room temperature butter shouldn't have been a problem. Ideally, you want both the butter and meringue at room temperature when combining them. If the meringue is too warm and melts the butter, refrigerating the buttercream and re-beating it should do the trick. I'm not sure why that didn't happen for you... but, since you're trying it again today, here are a couple of tips that will hopefully make today's batch a success:
Be sure to cook the sugar syrup to between 246 and 250 degrees before adding it to the whipped egg whites. Adding butter thats on the cold side to the whipped (and cooled) meringue shouldn't be an issue; you just might need to beat it for longer in order to get the cold butter to soften enough to incorporate. If your buttercream should break again today, try this: Scoop out a cup of curdled mixture and microwave 5 to 10 seconds, until melted but not hot. Pour the melted buttercream into the mixer while on medium speed and whip until combined.
This really is the best frosting to work with, so I really hope today's batch works out! Keep me posted! xo
Matthew Tussing says
Thanks for getting back to me. Unfortunately, my second effort was no more successful than the first. I was very careful to make sure the meringue was cool enough before adding the butter. I added the butter about a tablespoon at a time until all six sticks were in and proceeded to beat for about 15 minutes. I tried your microwaving tip as well but could not get it smooth. I then put it in the fridge for about an hour and took it out and beat it for another 15 minutes. After all of this, I could not get the butter and egg whites to incorporate. I now have a bunch of creamed butter sitting in a puddle of egg whites.
Do you think I might not have beat the meringue enough? Have you ever tried creaming the butter before adding it to the meringue? I'm also trying to make this by myself with a hand held mixer which I think is creating a lot of room for error.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I was so hoping that your second batch would turn out perfectly. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what the issue might be, until I read that you're using a hand held mixer. I am absolute sure that's the issue. Most hand held mixers simply don't have enough power to fully incorporate all that butter into all that meringue.
Having made this buttercream literally hundreds of times, I've never run into a situation where I could not get it smooth if I just kept on beating it in a standing mixer on high speed. But, I just don't think a hand held mixer can accomplish that.
I am so sorry this buttercream didn't turn out for you. I hate it when that happens, especially when I'm sure you would love working with this frosting as much as I do! BUT, it sounds to me like you now have a perfect excuse to gift yourself with a standing mixer!
Judy says
I had a similar problem some time ago and in my frustration, I switched from the whip beater to the paddle and everything was fine. My sense was that if I followed instructions perfectly, it was a matter of beating it together. BTW, I think the pictures often look like lumpy frosting.
Sharon VanCampen says
Please...I made french buttercream but it isn't sweet enough! I'm baking your cake tomorrow for a very special elderly gentleman's birthday. What can I add to this buttercream to bring up the sweetness? It came out perfectly! I only have a professional 500 kitchen aide, not 6 qts so was afraid your buttercream wouldn't work.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Sharon! I'm certain we can bring up the sweetness in your French buttercream. My first suggestion is to add 1/2 - 1 cup of melted white chocolate to the icing. French buttercream should incorporate melted chocolate well. Do you have access to some white chocolate?
PattyC says
I just found your site in my search of the perfect vanilla cake. This frosting sounds like the perfect compliment. Having never worked with hot sugar syrup, could you clarify the temp? In step #1 you wrote 248-250 degrees. In a May 29, 2017 reply you stated 246-250. I know it’s only a couple degrees difference, but you stress it’s importance, and I want to get it right. I can’t wait to make both!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Patty! Great question! Aim for 248 - 250. You can totally get away with the syrup being a couple of degrees cooler (and honestly, many candy thermometers are a couple of degrees off anyway), but getting it as close to 250 as possible without going over is ideal. I can't wait for you to try this! It's seriously my all-time favorite frosting. Please let me know if you have any other questions along the way and I'd love to hear what you think after you make it! xo
Hollie Sinclair says
Hi,
I have made IMBC quite a few times no troubles. But when I made a batch last week in preparation for a cake it went funny. I took it from fridge to come to room temperature but it just felt really slippery, oily/greasy. It wasn't curdled or split it just didn't seem right. I did beat to made smooth but when crumb coating a cake it would slide and just felt so buttery when rubbing between fingers. The taste was normal but the texture also felt slippery. Any ideas why or is this normal?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hmmm.... To be honest with you, Hollie, I'm not sure why your last batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream came out greasy. It definitely sounds like the butter just didn't completely emulsify with the meringue. This can happen for a couple of reasons. Do you remember if the meringue looked different (after adding the sugar syrup) than it usually does? If the egg whites weren't beaten to the firm peak stage before adding the sugar syrup, or if the sugar syrup wasn't at the right temperature, this will affect the consistency of the meringue and therefore affect how well the meringue accepts the butter. The other factor might have been temperature. Most issues with this buttercream can eventually be solved with enough beating. It sounds like you did beat the buttercream for a while before trying to ice your cake with it, but it could be that you needed to beat it for even longer. That would be my biggest suggestion if this ever happens again - keep beating. Better luck next time! Since you've had success with this buttercream before, you know it's delicious enough to make trying again worth it! xoxo
Lyn Kimson says
Hi there! Is there a substitute for cream of tartar? I once bought some and never used it so would like to avoid buying again as we are moving soon and I won't be able to take it with me. Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Lyn! There really isn't a good substitution for cream of tartar. The good news is, you can just leave it out altogether and the Italian Meringue Buttercream should come out fine. Cream of tartar acts as a stabilizer for the egg whites in this recipe. But, it's more of an insurance policy than a necessity. Just leave it out. Good luck and let me know how it turned out! xo
Lyn Kimson says
Ok great!! I have never had any luck making frosting here in Singapore (only tried a couple times!) as it melts and becomes so liquid. I'll let you know how. I go with your recipe!! Fingers crossed 🙂
Hannah says
This turned out great! Wondering if there is a way to make it sweeter? Would I just add extra sugar to the egg whites (instead of 1/3 maybe 1/2 or 2/3 C of sugar) ?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Hannah! I am so happy to hear that you like this Buttercream! To make it sweeter, rather than increasing the amount of sugar in the recipe itself, I would add additional sweetener to the buttercream at the very end - the same way you would add flavorings. Beating in some honey or agave would sweeten it up while also boosting the flavor a bit. Beating in some melted white chocolate (cooled to room temperature) would also be delicious. Whatever you add, just do it slowly, adding it bit by bit and tasting as you go until you get the right level of sweetness. Does that help?
James Tyler Reid says
I'm looking to try to do like a mocha icing I guess? What's your recommendation on combining the chocolate and the coffee additions for the icing in terms of what amounts of each?
Thanks!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Mocha Italian Meringue Buttercream sounds delicious James! The great thing about Italian Meringue Buttercream is how easy it is to add pretty much anything to create new flavors. To make a chocolate buttercream, beat in 4 ounces of melted chocolate that has cooled to room temperature for every 2 cups of buttercream. To give it a mocha flavor, I'd suggest adding 1 tbsp instant espresso powder to 2 teaspoons boiling water, stir to dissolve and let cool to room temperature, then beat into the buttercream. Taste the buttercream and add more espresso if you want a more pronounced coffee flavor. Good luck and let me know how it comes out!
James Tyler Reid says
Thank you I will let you know! That's what I was going to try, I just wanted to make sure that I didn't thin out the icing too much.
James Tyler Reid says
It was delicious! The white chocolate paired so well with the butteriness of the icing!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Yeah! I'm so glad! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! xoxo
Melissa says
If I ice cupcakes with IMBC, and then put them in the fridge, will the buttercream separate after the cupcakes are removed and reach room temperature, or will it hold its silky shape?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Melissa! Storing cupcakes iced with Italian Meringue Buttercream in the refrigerator and then setting them out at room temperature will not change the consistency one bit. I made a batch of these Strawberry Mojito Cupcakes for a friend's birthday party just the other weekend. They are iced with a mojito flavored version of Italian Meringue Buttercream. I stored the iced cupcakes in the refrigerator for several hours before transporting them to the party. The cupcakes sat outside in 85 degree weather for hours and held up perfectly fine, so I'm sure yours will too!
Carmen says
I really like the sound of this recipe, but would like to reduce the butter - what would be the minimum amount of butter to still get a frosting I can use to pipe decorations?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Carmen,
Good question. I'm not completely sure... however, you add the butter bit by bit, so I would suggest adding at least 3 sticks and then testing it, adding more until you get a consistency you're happy with. Good luck and let me know how you like it! xo
Lea says
I have folks who don't want fondant, but want fondant decorations. I use a crusting buttercream since it holds the decorations. Would IMB be sturdy enough to hold fondant decorations on the sides of the cake? Thank you
PS I plan to make the caramel cake and caramel IMB with caramel and chocolate ganache filled cupcakes for a luncheon this week.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hmmm.... It will probably be fine, Lea, if the frosting is kept cool. If the room is too warm, the fondant decorations might start to slide down the cake. I'd suggest refrigerating the cake for several hours (or overnight) right after frosting the cake and adding the decorations. Since the frosting contains so much butter, it will stay cool after removing it from the refrigerator for quite a while. Good luck! The caramel and chocolate ganache filled cupcakes sound absolutely delicious!
Eleanor says
Hi, When you say 6 sticks of butter, how much does that weigh or how many cups would it be? Thanks
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Eleanor! Each stick of butter is equal to 4oz. and 1/2 cup. So, total for this recipe, you'll need 24oz or 3 cups. Let me know if you have any more questions!
siti says
Hi, I'm from malaysia I was wondering if this buttercream can stand/stabilize in hot/humid climate
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! The buttercream shouldn't be affected by the humidity, but as with any buttercream containing butter, it will eventually melt if exposed to heat for a while. Having said that, I have used this frosting to decorate wedding cakes in the heat of summer. If the cake is going to be sitting out in a warm room for a while, I generally frost the cake and then freeze it. This allows the cake to sit out in a warm room for at least a couple of hours (depending on the actual temperature of the room). Try to avoid placing the cake in direct sunlight, however. Even if the cake is frozen, the butter will start to melt if placed in direct heat. Good luck, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
Rosanna says
Can I use cream cheese as a I flavor? If possible how much portion?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Rosanna! I tried to make cream cheese Italian Meringue Buttercream only once, with not great results. I thought that I could just replace some of the butter with cream cheese, but let me tell you - that does not work at all. 🙂 I haven't tried it since, although I did do some research and found that other bakers are having success by beating the completed buttercream, bit by bit into cream cheese. The recommendations are to make the buttercream as directed, whip cream cheese in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, and then add the buttercream, bit by bit, into the cream cheese, mixing the whole time. I'm sure I'll try it at some point.... If you try it sometime soon, let me know how it turned out! xo
Christine says
Hi. I was wondering if this icing would hold up under fondant? Thanks
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Christine! Yes - Italian Meringue Buttercream is great under fondant. Just make sure to refrigerate the cake if you are decorating it in advance. The buttercream will hold up for quite a while at room temperature, but any longer than 6 hours and the cake should be refrigerated. What kind of cake are you decorating?
Christy says
Just curious if you have ever used the egg whites in carton vs separating eggs for this recipe.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Christy - I have not ever used egg whites in a carton for this recipe. If they are just egg whites - with nothing else added - I would think they would work. If you try it, let me know!
CW says
That's a lot of butter. Any idea on how many cups this yields? I love that you can change the flavor so easily.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi CW! This recipe should give you about 7 cups of buttercream. If you have extra, it stores well in the refrigerator or the freezer. And yes! There is a lot of butter in this buttercream. 🙂 That's what makes it so delicious!
CW says
Thanks! Have a party coming up and I rather fancy the idea of only making one frosting and changing the flavor to make it seem like I did more work than I actually did. Plus this sounds delicious.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Let me know how it turns out CW!
CW says
It turned out delicious. I made two versions, one plain and one with chocolate. They were a huge hit. I have a zucchini cake that doesn't pair well with heavy or overly sugary frotsting, and this went perfectly. Really liked that this was not overly sweet and the airyness of it is really nice too.
Rebecca Blackwell says
CW - I am so glad! Thanks for letting me know. It really is the only frosting I ever make. I'll have to try it on zucchini cake!
Cheryl says
Hi how much in weight is 6 stick of butter please
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Cheryl! Each stick of butter weighs 1/4 lb (4 oz.). So, 6 sticks weighs 1 1/2 lbs (24 oz). Hope you love this buttercream!
Fran says
Hey if you do 200g of sugar, 4 tbs of water, 230g sugar and 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar and a dash of vanilla it’s a lot less buttery and tastes more like meringue without being overly sweet!