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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Equipment
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I made this today it tasted delicious! I did find mine came out quite marshmallow like and when I was trying to ice a cake there were lots of air bubbles and I couldn’t get a really smooth finish, any tips?
Hi Geraldine – sometimes IMB will get spongy if it’s been sitting. You can whisk it a bit by hand before icing the cake to get rid of some of those bubbles. Also, As you’re smoothing the cake wipe the spatula clean with a damp cloth to create a really smooth surface. You can watch this video to see how I ice a cake.
Awesome recipe! For those of us who are newish, is there a way to cook the sugar without a candy thermometer? I don’t have time to go buy one ( source not near where I live)
Hi Gina, Yes, you can cook the sugar without a thermometer (you can buy them on-line too). You can test the temperature of the sugar syrup with the ice water test. The sugar is cooked the to “softball stage” for this recipe. The name comes from the fact that if you drop a spoonful of the syrup into ice water it will form a ball that barely holds its shape and can be easily squeezed – a “soft ball”. To do the test have a container of ice water next to the stove while the sugar cooks. After the sugar is boiling for a few minutes, dip a small spoon into the pot and scoop out a little of the syrup. Dip the spoon into the ice and hold it there a few seconds until it’s cold. Use your fingers to try and scoop the sugar off the spoon. If the syrup won’t clump together and drizzles into strings it’s at the “thread stage” because it forms threads but not a clump. If you can form the sugar into ball that barely holds it’s shape, that is the “soft ball” stage. If it form a ball that firmly holds it’s shape that’s the “firm ball” stage, meaning the sugar has been cooked too long. You can add a few drops of water and test the sugar again if you boil it too long.
Thank you very much!
Can you ice cupcakes with the recipe the night before serving or do you have to make the icing on the day?
Hi Mandy, Italian Meringue Buttercream can definitely be made ahead. You can make it and ice cupcakes the day before, or make the buttercream ahead of time and ice whenever you’re ready. The prepared buttercream can be kept at room temperature for a couple of days. If it becomes stiff (which always happens to me in the cold weather months) just put it back on the mixer and whip it up a bit.
I tried this recipe and it turned out fantastic! I definitely got praise for the buttercream 🙂 I do have one question, however. When I poured the softball stage syrup into the egg whites, it took a very long time for it to cool down to 80 degrees fahrenheit. When perhaps 15 or more minutes passed (with the mixer on) it still hadn’t cooled all the way. I had to stick the bowl in the fridge for a bit. The final result was still tasty, and no one seemed to notice (they all thought it was great) but I couldn’t help but feel it was over whipped due to waiting for it to cool before adding the butter. How long does it take your syrup/egg mixture to cool to 80, before you add the butter?
Hi Rudy. How long it takes to cool will depend on the room temp and the temp of the whites when the syrup goes in. I have found that in a warm kitchen it can take a while for it to cool down. Did you use a stand mixer or a hand mixer? Once the sugar and sugar syrup are added to the whites it’s pretty hard to over whip them. If you whip them at a steady, medium-high speed you shouldn’t have a problem. You can also try putting a bowl of cool water under the mixer bowl to help it along (like I did with warm water in one of the the photos above). There is a little bit of a cheat if you’re willing to try it. Sometimes, when I’m impatient, I keep my butter a little cooler than normal (maybe 65 degrees F) and put it in when the egg whites are still a little warm. I don’t mean that the butter is out of the refrigerator cold, but that it is still fairly cool in the center. Quickly throwing the cool butter into the slightly warm whites will cool down the whites and at the same time the slightly warmer whites will warm up the butter. I will admit that this trick does take a bit of experience with meringue buttercream and knowing how far you can push the temperature limits. If you’re willing to experiment you can give it a try in when your kitchen is on the warm side.
Is it possible to make the IMB frosting raspberry flavored? Should fresh berries, cooked berries, or jam be used? Or possibly make a raspberry sugar syrup? And what quantity of raspberries/jam would you suggest? Thanks, looking forward to using this recipe!
Hi Ann. I’ve made raspberry buttercream with IMB many times. I use raspberry puree for the best, fresh-raspberry flavor. I find that raspberry preserves don’t have a bright enough flavor. The easiest way, I think, to make raspberry puree is to buy frozen raspberries. Let them defrost then puree and strain out the seeds. The amount will be to taste. I would start with about 1/4 cup then taste. Also, a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice will heighten the raspberry flavor. Thanks for visiting the blog!