Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC)
Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC) is my favorite cake frosting. This is the exact recipe I used for 10 years in my wedding cake business.
Table of contents
Why this is my favorite buttercream
Italian Meringue buttercream has the perfect balance of rich flavor from the butter, and lightness from the meringue. It’s not overly sweet and it can be flavored with an endless variety of add-ins. It’s strong enough to pipe buttercream roses and stays soft at room temperature so it melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
- Water – To make the sugar syrup.
- Granulated sugar – Added in two stages. Dry sugar starts the meringue, then sugar syrup “cooks” the meringue.
- Egg whites- Fresh or in-shell pasteurized egg whites can be used. If you use frozen egg whites read the label to be sure they can be whipped for meringue.
- Salt – Just a touch to balance out the flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Softened butter is whipped into the meringue base. Unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Vanilla extract – Use natural vanilla extract for the best flavor. You can also use vanilla bean if you don’t mind the little specks.
Process Photos
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Combine some of the sugar with water in a small saucepan. Bring the syrup to a boil.
- While the syrup cooks, whip the egg whites with the remaining sugar.
- Bring the syrup to the softball stage (235°-240°F). Immediately remove from the heat.
- With the mixer running, add the syrup in a steady stream. Try to keep the stream of syrup between the whisk and the side of the bowl.
- Whisk until the whites are cooled to about 80°F.
- Add the room temperature butter a tablespoon at a time.
- Add the vanilla.
- The buttercream may look a bit curdled after adding the vanilla.
- Keep whipping until the buttercream is silky smooth and airy. Use immediately or keep at room temperature until ready to use (up to 1 day).
How to Store Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Because there is relatively low moisture in the buttercream, and high sugar content, Italian Meringue Buttercream can be held at cool room temperature for up to a day. After 1 day the buttercream should be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for up to a month.
Proper syrup temperature is important for a silky smooth Italian Meringue Buttercream
This is a fairly standard Italian Meringue Buttercream recipe except for the temperature of the sugar syrup. A lot of recipes have you boil the syrup well into the firm ball stage (248°F), but I find this makes a buttercream with a texture that is too tight and marshmallow-y.
I like to boil the syrup to the softball stage (235°-240°F) for a slightly softer buttercream that whips to a little lighter.
How to fix Italian Meringue Buttercream
- If you’re working in a warm kitchen and your buttercream is a little too soft you can refrigerate it briefly and then re-whip it until it’s light and fluffy.
- If your buttercream is a little too cold you can warm the bowl and then whip it until it’s light and fluffy.
- To rewhip cold Italian Meringue Buttercream first bring it to room temperature. When you start whipping the IMB it may separate the look curdled.
- Use a blow torch or a bowl of warm water to warm the sides of the bowl as the buttercream whips.
- You’ll see the edges soften and and buttercream will come back together. Whip until the buttercream is silky smooth.
Pastry Chef tips for making perfect Italian Meringue Buttercream:
- If the meringue and/or the butter are too warm when they’re combined the buttercream will break down. If the buttercream becomes soupy and grainy the meringue has broken down and the buttercream can’t be fixed.
- If the butter is too cold when it’s added to the cooled meringue you’ll end up with lumps of butter that can’t be whipped out. Make sure the butter is soft and pliable, but not at all greasy or melted. The best temperature for the butter is about 70°F.
- Any extra buttercream can be double-wrapped in plastic (so it doesn’t pick up any off flavors) and frozen for a month. Bring it back to room temperature and then re-whip.
- The only limit to the flavors you can make with this buttercream is your imagination. You can add melted chocolate, lemon curd and/or lemon extract, orange zest, raspberry puree, instant coffee, whatever you can think of to create your favorite buttercream flavor.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is very similar to IMBC except that you warm the sugar and eggs over a water bath rather than making a sugar syrup.
If you want a buttercream that is just as light and airy as a meringue buttercream, but with a slightly richer flavor and color, try making classic French Buttercream. It’s made with egg yolks instead of egg whites.
Now that you’ve made this recipe what should you do with the extra yolks? Check out this collection of recipes that use extra yolks for some great ideas.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please consider leaving a 5-star review.
Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces water (¼ cup)
- 8 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup, divided)
- 5 egg whites (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter (room temperature, cut into 16 pieces)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Other flavorings to taste
Instructions
- Combine 2 ounces water with 3/4 cup (6oz) granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Cook the sugar syrup on medium high heat, stirring, until the sugar is melted. Once the syrup begins to boil do not stir the syrup. Allow it to cook to 235°-240°F (soft ball stage).
- While the syrup is boiling, whip 5 egg whites on medium high speed. When the whites are at soft peak reduce the mixer to medium low and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and ¼ teaspoon table salt. Increase the speed to medium high and whip to full peak.
- As soon as the syrup is at the correct temperature, remove the pan from the heat. With the mixer running on medium low, pour the hot syrup in a steady stream between the edge of the bowl and the whisk. Increase the speed to medium high and continue whisking until the whites are cooled to about 80°F.
- When the whites have cooled, with the mixer running on medium, add 1 pound unsalted butter one piece at a time. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and increase the speed to medium high and whip until the buttercream comes together.
- Store at room temperature for up to 1 day then refrigerate or freeze.
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Hi Eileen. I’d love to make this chocolate. Does cocoa work better, or melted chocolate? About how much? And would I then increase the sugar?
Thanks. This looks like the buttercream I’ve been waiting for.
Hi Jody! I make a chocolate version of this all the time. No need to make any changes to the basic recipe. Melted chocolate is best. You can do it to taste, but I would start with about 4 oz of melted semi or bittersweet chocolate. After you’re done making the buttercream according to the recipe you can add in the melted chocolate with the mixer running (make sure the chocolate has cooled, you don’t want to melt the butter). The color will look pale but the flavor will be chocolatey.
I made your recipe yesterday and frosted a cake. It was chilled prior to taking to the venue where it was left at room temp for approx 3-4 hours. The b/c was still surprisingly firm and tasted quite buttery. Any idea what I might have done wrong? I think it could’ve been a bit sweeter so how much extra sugar and water could I add.
Just like a stick of butter, this buttercream will remain firm in a cool room. I can tell you from 10 years of selling cakes that it always surprised me how long a cake will stay chilled. There’s a lot of mass from the center of the cake outwards so they can take quite some time to soften up. In cool weather, unless there is a perishable filling there is no reason to chill the cake if it will be eaten within a day or two. As far as the buttery taste, IMB is more buttery and less sweet than powdered sugar based frosting (what I call “American” buttercream).
hi there,
I have tried twice now to make Italian buttercream and the issue I have is that my bowl never ever cools down after I add the syrup. I even tried an ice bath. So by the time it is maybe cool (still feels warm), my butter is not rt anymore and i have over whipped my egg whites.
i want to avoid this issue before I even try your recipe. Help!
Hi Katie. Temperature is the biggest variable when making IM buttercream. Do you mean your butter is too soft or too cold when it’s ready to go into the whites? Also, I’ve noticed that sometimes the bowl still feels warm but if you shut off the mixer and stick your finger into the meringue you’ll find that it’s cooler than it seems by feeling the outside of the bowl (especially in the warmer months). In general, I prefer to have the egg whites a little warm and the butter a little cooler. Once the egg whites are completely cooled if the butter is at all cool you can get lumps. Also, room temperature butter is about 65-70F and should still be somewhat stiff, not completely softened and melting. Please let me know if I can answer any other specific questions. Eileen
Hi Erica. I do weigh my eggs when working in my professional kitchen. A large egg white weighs slightly more than an ounce. I would use just over 5 ounces of egg whites. Depending on the type of scale you use and how exact it measures, I would use between 5.25 and 5.5 ounces. You could go up to 6 ounces and the recipe will still work. The only caution with carton egg whites is to be sure they can be used for a meringue. I’ve found that some ultra-pasteurized egg whites don’t whip very well. Hope you daughter enjoys her cake!
Thank you so much for your help Eileen! My icing turned out absolutely perfect, and the cake was beautiful. You were right about the egg whites: the ones in the carton didn’t work so I switched to real eggs. Lesson learned! I’d like to ask you one more question for next time I do this icing, if you don’t mind: I felt like the final product could have been a little sweeter. Is there a point at which more sugar could be added to this recipe to get a sweeter icing? I dislike American buttercream mainly because it’s too sweet, but I’d like to find a happy medium. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!
Oh, I’m so glad Erica! If you’re on Instagram I would love if you’d post a photo of the cake and tag me eileen.bakingsense.
Thank you so much for the detailed instructions! I’m attempting this for my daughters birthday cake. Do you ever weigh your eggs? If so, could you provide your weight measurement? I prefer to use weights, plus I’m using a carton of egg whites, so it’s easier. Thank you!
Thank you so, so much for posting this recipe with such clear instructions! I made it today for a celebration, & it was the first time ever that I was able to make a successful buttercream that I was proud to share with others.
Thanks Victoria! I’m so glad it worked well for you. It’s my absolute favorite buttercream!!