Chef Carrie's Luscious Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

Here, she whips up the version taught in ICE’s Pastry & Baking Arts programs (which is also Chef Carrie’s go-to “at home” recipe).

"The basic ratio is very simple," she says. "It's one part egg whites, two parts of sugar, two parts of butter." 

Using pre-pasteurized egg whites is fine, but if you're feeling ambitious, you can pasteurize your own. (Just make sure you gently bring your egg whites and sugar mixture to 140 degrees Fahrenheit by stirring it over a bain-marie on the stove.)

One of best parts of this recipe is its flexibility.

"You could get away with using brown sugar to make a brown sugar buttercream, coconut sugar too," says Chef Carrie. "Date sugar might give you some problems because of the texture in the dates, but [it] would be delicious."

She also suggests using half salted butter and half unsalted butter to create a salted caramel-like flavor. Additionally, you can veganize the recipe by substituting aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) for the egg whites and a plant-based fat source for the butter. 

In total, the process takes about twenty minutes and yields a fluffy, smooth buttercream that's perfect for piping.

Watch Chef Carrie's step-by-step process in the video below, then use the recipe to make Swiss meringue buttercream at home.