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.
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.
Italian Meringue Buttercream Is My Favorite Frosting
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.
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.
Making Italian Meringue Buttercream is Easier Than it Looks
Italian Meringue Buttercream might seem a bit complicated at first glance. But, please trust me when I say – it’s really not.
It requires only 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 all 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.
What tools do you need?
As you will see, 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.
How to Make Italian Meringue Buttercream
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.
For Successful Italian Meringue Buttercream Temperature is Everything
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.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them:
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 Make Different Flavors of 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.
Use Italian Meringue Buttercream to Make These Cakes:
- Champagne Cake
- Mini Chai Cupcakes
- Caramel Cake and Gluten Free Caramel Cake
- Lemon Blackberry Layer Cake
- Coconut Cream Cake
- Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
- Strawberry Pistachio Cake
- Strawberry Mojito Cupcakes
- Perfect Vanilla Cake and Perfect Gluten Free Vanilla Cake
More Buttercream Recipes:
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.
Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Italian Meringue Buttercream is silky smooth, creamy, & gorgeous. Here's how to make the perfect buttercream for cakes and cupcakes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g/ 118ml) water
- 1 ¼ cup (250g) plus ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (3.38g) cream of tartar
- 8 large egg whites, at room temperature (*See note below for what to do with the egg yolks.)
- 24 oz (678g; 48 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Combine the water and 1 ¼ cups (250g) 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° F (120 - 121.1° C).
- 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 (67g) 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° F (120 - 121.1 ° C). 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 there 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 (28g) of the butter at a time. Beat until each addition of the butter is incorporate 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 trouble shooting 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
What can you do with the leftover egg yolks?
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.
How to Store and Reconstitute Italian Meringue Buttercream
You can 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 buttercream that is still a bit too cold. If it gets too warm, place 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.
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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
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!!:)