This Italian Meringue Frosting can be used on its own to create a fluffy, pure white frosting, or it can be turned into an Italian Meringue Buttercream with a few additional steps. The buttercream can be tricky the first time, but once mastered it’s a go-to recipe for frosting – silky smooth, creamy and easily flavored or tinted.
Ingredients
Italian Meringue Frosting
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (72ml) water
- 5 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract*
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
Buttercream
- 2 cups (454g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (or other flavoring)
Directions
- Italian Meringue Frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and set over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once sugar has dissolved, increase heat to medium high (bubbles should start rising up). Cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until the sugar reaches the soft ball stage (at 234-240°F). Remove from heat.
- Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk until foamy.
- Slowly stream the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the egg whites, with the mixer running on medium-high speed. Whisk until a meringue forms soft peaks and the bowl feels slightly warm to the touch. When you lift the whisk up, the meringue should still be warm and hold its shape. Use this frosting immediately.
- To make this into an Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting, make and add the buttercream immediately: Replace the whisk attachment with a paddle attachment and add the 2 cups of room-temperature butter to the meringue mixture, one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition. Continue to mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Switch back to the whisk attachment, add 2 teaspoons of clear vanilla extract, and whisk until fluffy.
*Use a clear vanilla flavoring to keep the frosting a crisp white. Real vanilla will add a yellowish hue.
KITCHEN TIPS:
Butter is naturally yellow, so adding the buttercream will result in frosting with a slightly more yellow tone. To whiten the buttercream, add a tiny drop (the size of a pin prick) of violet food gel to the buttercream and mix well. Adding too much will result in a violet buttercream.
The buttercream can be sealed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for several months. The refrigerated buttercream should be brought to room temperature before using and might need to be gently whisked to be reconstituted. Frozen buttercream should be defrosted in the refrigerator overnight and then brought to room temperature and gently whisked before using.
