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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Is this the type of buttercream they use to coat continental cakes? I’ve been looking for the name for so long!
I’m not sure what you mean by “continental cakes”. Do you mean European style cakes?
Hi! This looks amazing! If I need enough icing for a crumb coat, final coat, and piping, should I make a double batch/1.5 batch of the icing?
This recipe should be enough for filling, a crumb coat, final coat and border on an 8″ or 9″ round cake.
Thankyou for the detailed explanation and precise temperatures, this has explained why my buttercream has been collapsing. My room temperature is far higher than 70 degrees, hence, my butter has been too soft. Thank you.
Hello! I want to make a cinnamon flavored IMB will I have to make any substitutions to do that with this recipe? How much cinnamon would you suggest?
You can definitely make cinnamon flavored buttercream, I’ve done it. Just add cinnamon at the end to taste. I would say to start with a teaspoon and go from there.
Thank you so very much!
This recipe is wonderful. Made it today for the first time with real vanilla and tasted gorgeous. However, I want to cover a cake with chocolate version and after adding nearly cooled chocolate to the wonderful vanilla IM it started to shrink down and looked like it started to curdle? I’ve put it in the fridge quickly and hoping I havent ruined it? Should I leave it and whip it up again or have I ruined it by not having cold chocolate added? I also want a bit firmer as covering a cake and want straight sharp edges. Please help xx
This is a very resilient buttercream and you can almost always bring it back. The biggest problem with chocolate is when the chocolate cools as it hits the buttercream. If you got little lumps of chocolate in the buttercream there’s not much you can do about it. If the butter started to clump from the cooled chocolate it might be possible to rewhip it and bring it back. It’s hard to say without seeing what you’ve got. The key with adding the chocolate is to have the buttercream at room temp and the chocolate cooled but still flowing. I got straight sharp edges with this buttercream all the time. It’s the only buttercream I used in my wedding cake business for 10 years. It’s easiest to ice the cake if the layers are chilled and the buttercream is at room temperature.
Thankyou for such a quick reply:)
I’ve tried re whipping after being in the fridge but the mix still looks a bit split and slightly slippy when I move the bowl? However, no lumps. Before I added the chocolate the IM was delicious. Maybe the quality of chocolate I used was not the best. Do you whip on high speed when adding chocolate and other flavours or does this not matter? How long would you whip for at this stage of would you just incorporate with paddle mixer attachment instead of whisk? XX
If you whip the IMB while it’s still chilled it will separate and can slip around the bowl. Try warming the bottom of the bowl a bit as it whips and it should come back together. I use a blow torch lightly over the bottom of the bowl, but you can also slip a bowl of warm water under it or wrap the bottom in a warm towel.