Italian Meringue Buttercream {Step-by-Step Instructions} (2024)

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.

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.

Italian Meringue Buttercream might seem a bitcomplicated at first glance. But, please trust me when I say – it’s really not.

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.

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 degreesF (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

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.

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.

VanillaItalian 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. Add½ cup fresh strawberries, stems removed, to a blender and puree (you should have about⅓ 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 BerryItalian Meringue Buttercream:

Try it on thisLemon 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 CurdItalian Meringue Buttercream:

For every 2 cups of buttercream, beat in ⅓ of a cup of lemon curd.

Liquor FlavoredItalian 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

Best Cakes for Italian Meringue Buttercream

• 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

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, ortake a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddoughon Instagram.

📖 Recipe

Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Yield: 7 cups

Prep Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

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

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.)
8. 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.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 28Serving Size: ¼ cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 222Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 18mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

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