Ultra smooth, creamy, and perfectly sweet, this Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is quite possibly the BEST frosting you'll ever taste! Step by step photos AND how-to video below! Download my free Buttercream guide here!
Yield:
1 recipe is enough frosting for a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes
Prep Time:25minutes
Cook:5minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Tons of rich chocolate flavor with just the perfect amount of sweetness! If you find regular buttercream too sweet, you’ll adore this recipe. Texture: Outrageously smooth, creamy, and fudgy yet light. Ease: This is definitely more advanced than regular American buttercream, but I’ve loaded tons of tips, pictures, and a how-to video into this post so you have everything you need to make this recipe with success. Pros: Possibly the best buttercream ever! Cons: A little more time consuming and messy than American buttercream. Would I make this again? YES.
Today we’re making quite possibly the BEST frosting you’ve ever tasted. This Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream requires a little extra work, but I’ve laid out all my best tips and tricks below so you can make perfect Swiss meringue buttercream.
Not only does this buttercream icing taste absolutely incredible, it’s also super easy to work with. It makes frosting a cake a breeze! Seriously, it’s so light and creamy you don’t even need a crumb coat. It also pipes onto cupcakes beautifully.
It’s a little too smooth for really intricate designs, but I prefer simple cakes and cupcakes anyways. Let’s get right into the nitty gritty because I have a LOT to share to ensure your SMBC is perfection every time.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Tips
There are step-by-step photos down below as well, but these tips are super helpful to read before you make your own SMBC!
1. Use a thermometer
The first step in making Swiss Meringue Buttercream is to cook egg whites + sugar over a double boiler. You can cook the egg whites either in the metal bowl of your stand mixer over a saucepan of simmering water, or if your bowl doesn’t fit without touching the water you can use a standard double boiler.
We want to make sure we cook it to the correct temperature the frosting comes together properly and so we make cook the eggs enough so they’re safe to consume. You can use either a candy thermometer that clips onto the side of the bowl, or an instant read thermometer. You’re looking for the sugar to dissolve completely and for the mixture to become slightly thickened and foamy. Don’t step away while this is cooking! You want to whisk the entire time so it doesn’t stick to the pan. I find a flat whisk works best for this.
2. Don’t freak if it looks curdled!
99% of the time, if your buttercream looks runny or curdled as you’re whipping it in the stand mixer it CAN be saved. Just keep beating away until it becomes smooth! This forces the fat to emulsify completely. If it still doesn’t come together, your butter may be too warm. Try refrigerating the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes then continue beating until smooth.
3. Use high quality ingredients
This particular recipe relies heavily on the quality of both the chocolate and the butter. There’s a LOT of butter here. Use high quality chocolate and fresh high quality unsalted butter for the best chocolate flavor and texture.
I definitely prefer semisweet chocolate in this recipe, but feel free to use milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. I haven’t tried this recipe with white chocolate or dark chocolate. Note: chocolate chips will not work here as they have added ingredients that prevent them from melting down. Save those for cookies!
How to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
After you’ve cooked your egg whites, beat them with the whisk attachment in your mixing bowl until they’ve cooled off slightly and are thickened in consistency. Now we start adding in the butter!
Add pieces of cool room temperature butter, one chunk at a time.
Again, if your mixture becomes curdled, soupy, or otherwise gross looking – don’t worry!!
Just keep beating until it becomes smooth:
It may take several minutes. If you can’t get to this point, try refrigerating the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes then continue to beat until smooth.
If you still can’t get it to smooth out, then the egg whites may have been overcooked or your ingredients mis-measured. I always recommend using a kitchen scale when you bake!
Next up, add in the cooled and melted chocolate! It may seem like a lot of chocolate, but believe me the final result will be perfectly rich, creamy, and fudgy.
Scrape down the sides as needed until everything is beaten together in the stand mixer bowl.
And voila! If you’ve never had chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream you are in for a REAL treat. There’s seriously no frosting out there that’s as smooth and creamy with just the perfect amount of sweetness. Even people who don’t usually like frosting LOVE this stuff.
Yield:1recipe is enough frosting for a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes
Prep Time:25 minutesminutes
Cook Time:5 minutesminutes
Total Time:30 minutesminutes
Ultra smooth, creamy, and perfectly sweet, this Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is quite possibly the BEST frosting you'll ever taste! Step by step photos AND how-to video below! Download my free Buttercream guide here!
Ingredients
2/3cup(133 grams) granulated sugar
4large egg whites
1/4teaspoonsalt
3sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and at room temperature
12ounces(340 grams) semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Directions
Combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with 1-inch of gently simmering water. Whisking gently and constantly, heat mixture until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened and foamy and registers 150°F on a candy thermometer or a digital thermometer, about 3 minutes.
Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat the egg white mixture on medium speed until slightly cooled and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. If the mixture looks curdled, that’s okay. Just keep beating until it becomes smooth. This may take several minutes. If the butter becomes too warm and greasy, refrigerate the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes then continue to beat until smooth.
Add chocolate and vanilla and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light, fluffy, and well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Make Ahead:
Frosting can be made 1 day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm frosting in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds and stir until creamy again before frosting cake.
Frosting can also be transferred to a ziptop bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge overnight then rewhip in the stand mixer until light and smooth.
Course :
Dessert
Cuisine :
American
This post contains affiliate links. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I really loved this frosting. I just have a question about the consistency. When I just made the frosting it was really silky, light and smooth. However, after a while the frosting became more dense and hardend. Is there any way I can make sure the consistency will remain smooth and silky for a longer period?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— March 27, 2023 at 8:55 am
Hi Maxine! We are so glad to hear that you enjoy this frosting! Most of the time, if you simply pop the buttercream back on the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on the lowest speed for a couple minutes, this will help the frosting maintain its beautiful silky-smooth consistency. Swiss meringue buttercream can be temperature-sensitive, so it could just be that the ambient temperature in your kitchen was a little chilly, and the butter firmed up a touch as the buttercream sat. If this is the issue, take a couple tablespoons of frosting, place in a small bowl and heat a little in the microwave (if it melts that’s okay – that’s why we take such a small amount). Mix the warmed frosting back into the remainder of the batch and mix on low until fully incorporated. This will help raise the temperature of the remainder of the batch and restore the silkiness, without running the risk of overheating and ruining the whole lot! I hope that helps! 🙂
My oven crapped out on me today with stressed me out. Naturally I had to make something to de-stress and came back to this recipe which I have been dying to try. This has officially become my new favorite frosting recipe. It’s so smooth and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Love the moist and tender cakes! The cream is smooth and piped beautifully but it’s a tad too sweet for my family. I don’t want to change the cake texture so I’m not gonna decrease the sugar in it but what’s the max amount of icing sugar I can cut down before the cream turns to a soupy mess?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— February 27, 2023 at 2:23 pm
Hi Debbie! I see your follow-up comment that you meant to post this on the Best Chocolate Cupcakes, as it’s referencing the frosting that goes with those 🙂 I would actually recommend trying out this frosting recipe, as I find Swiss Meringue Buttercreams to be less sweeet typically – and this recipe is incredible. If you wish to play with the sweetness level of the other frosting recipe, I would recommend instead upping the salt in the recipe, and trying a dark or even bittersweet/unsweetened chocolate instead, to lower the sweetness without messing with the frosting consistency. I hope that helps! 🙂
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— October 19, 2022 at 7:55 am
Hi Minerva! Thanks so much for your feedback. There is a little button, right below the title of each recipe, that says ‘Jump to Recipe’. You can click that to skip everything else on the page and land right at the top of the actual recipe. I never recommend doing that on Tessa’s recipes, however; there is SO much useful, valuable information that will be so helpful while making any recipe – especially something as tricky as Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— July 29, 2022 at 11:44 am
Hi Ines! As stated in the recipe, we used semi-sweet for this recipe. Check out all Tessa’s expert tips and tricks in the pink tip box, above the recipe, so you’re a total expert before you even start 😉
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— June 23, 2022 at 6:42 am
Hi Sam! Absolutely! Start with just a little (even a 1/4 teaspoon – that stuff is strong!) and mix it in and taste. Keep mixing just a 1/4 teaspoon in at a time, until it tastes perfect to you! Enjoy 🙂
Hi tessa. Hoe u are well. I am doing something very wrong. The chocolate smbc is just divine.
I use the same recipe for white smbc and it curdles. No matter how much I beat it (I have a hand beater). If I reheat it on the boiling water it gets better, smooth but runny. As soon as it start getting colder the curdling starts and leaves a liquid like whey. But when I add the melted chocolate in it it gets together.
I have tried microwaving it and then but no luck.
Help
Hi Fatema! I’m pretty sure I understood your question correctly. So this recipe works great for you as a chocolate SMBC, right? But you’re having issues removing the chocolate and making this into a vanilla SMBC, correct? If that’s the case, this recipe was actually specifically designed to be used as a chocolate SMBC – the amount of chocolate that is added to this specific recipe is quite a lot, and it does add extra fat from the cocoa butter of the melted chocolate, and structure, so we don’t need quite as many egg whites. It also has more sugar in the ratio compared to our classic SMBC recipe.
Due to that, I would not recommend using this recipe as a vanilla SMBC recipe. Instead, try using our classic SMBC recipe, which also includes flavor customizations above the recipe. If I misunderstood your question, please let me know, and I’ll help troubleshoot further, but hopefully this helps!
Hi Mollie! We don’t normally recommend chocolate chips in place of baking chocolate because they have added ingredients that help them maintain their chip shape when exposed to heat, and they won’t melt down as smoothly as a chopped baking bar. If you’re in a pinch, feel free to give them a try, but just know the results may vary a bit. Please let us know how it goes!
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I have been baking for many many years and this frosting is THE BEST I have ever used. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Love love love it!
I really loved this frosting. I just have a question about the consistency. When I just made the frosting it was really silky, light and smooth. However, after a while the frosting became more dense and hardend. Is there any way I can make sure the consistency will remain smooth and silky for a longer period?
Hi Maxine! We are so glad to hear that you enjoy this frosting! Most of the time, if you simply pop the buttercream back on the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on the lowest speed for a couple minutes, this will help the frosting maintain its beautiful silky-smooth consistency. Swiss meringue buttercream can be temperature-sensitive, so it could just be that the ambient temperature in your kitchen was a little chilly, and the butter firmed up a touch as the buttercream sat. If this is the issue, take a couple tablespoons of frosting, place in a small bowl and heat a little in the microwave (if it melts that’s okay – that’s why we take such a small amount). Mix the warmed frosting back into the remainder of the batch and mix on low until fully incorporated. This will help raise the temperature of the remainder of the batch and restore the silkiness, without running the risk of overheating and ruining the whole lot! I hope that helps! 🙂
My oven crapped out on me today with stressed me out. Naturally I had to make something to de-stress and came back to this recipe which I have been dying to try. This has officially become my new favorite frosting recipe. It’s so smooth and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Love the moist and tender cakes! The cream is smooth and piped beautifully but it’s a tad too sweet for my family. I don’t want to change the cake texture so I’m not gonna decrease the sugar in it but what’s the max amount of icing sugar I can cut down before the cream turns to a soupy mess?
Hi Debbie! I see your follow-up comment that you meant to post this on the Best Chocolate Cupcakes, as it’s referencing the frosting that goes with those 🙂 I would actually recommend trying out this frosting recipe, as I find Swiss Meringue Buttercreams to be less sweeet typically – and this recipe is incredible. If you wish to play with the sweetness level of the other frosting recipe, I would recommend instead upping the salt in the recipe, and trying a dark or even bittersweet/unsweetened chocolate instead, to lower the sweetness without messing with the frosting consistency. I hope that helps! 🙂
Do you hav3 a recipe for strawberry SMB?
Your chocolate SMB here is fabulous!
Hi Kathleen! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this buttercream! Here is the recipe for Tessa’s Perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and scroll up a little above the recipe for all Tessa’s flavor combos, including strawberry 🙂 Enjoy!
I love that your informative, but sometimes I just want to get straight to the recipe.❤️
Hi Minerva! Thanks so much for your feedback. There is a little button, right below the title of each recipe, that says ‘Jump to Recipe’. You can click that to skip everything else on the page and land right at the top of the actual recipe. I never recommend doing that on Tessa’s recipes, however; there is SO much useful, valuable information that will be so helpful while making any recipe – especially something as tricky as Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Did you use dark chocolate?
Hi Ines! As stated in the recipe, we used semi-sweet for this recipe. Check out all Tessa’s expert tips and tricks in the pink tip box, above the recipe, so you’re a total expert before you even start 😉
Hiya,
Could i add orange extract to this recipe to make it chocolate orange SMBC?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Sam! Absolutely! Start with just a little (even a 1/4 teaspoon – that stuff is strong!) and mix it in and taste. Keep mixing just a 1/4 teaspoon in at a time, until it tastes perfect to you! Enjoy 🙂
Hi tessa. Hoe u are well. I am doing something very wrong. The chocolate smbc is just divine.
I use the same recipe for white smbc and it curdles. No matter how much I beat it (I have a hand beater). If I reheat it on the boiling water it gets better, smooth but runny. As soon as it start getting colder the curdling starts and leaves a liquid like whey. But when I add the melted chocolate in it it gets together.
I have tried microwaving it and then but no luck.
Help
Hi Fatema! I’m pretty sure I understood your question correctly. So this recipe works great for you as a chocolate SMBC, right? But you’re having issues removing the chocolate and making this into a vanilla SMBC, correct? If that’s the case, this recipe was actually specifically designed to be used as a chocolate SMBC – the amount of chocolate that is added to this specific recipe is quite a lot, and it does add extra fat from the cocoa butter of the melted chocolate, and structure, so we don’t need quite as many egg whites. It also has more sugar in the ratio compared to our classic SMBC recipe.
Due to that, I would not recommend using this recipe as a vanilla SMBC recipe. Instead, try using our classic SMBC recipe, which also includes flavor customizations above the recipe. If I misunderstood your question, please let me know, and I’ll help troubleshoot further, but hopefully this helps!
Can you send use quality choc chips for melting
Hi Mollie! We don’t normally recommend chocolate chips in place of baking chocolate because they have added ingredients that help them maintain their chip shape when exposed to heat, and they won’t melt down as smoothly as a chopped baking bar. If you’re in a pinch, feel free to give them a try, but just know the results may vary a bit. Please let us know how it goes!