Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
12 oz of egg whites from about 12 eggs
18 oz sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
7 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Fill a 3-quart pot with 1 1/2 inches of water and place over medium-low heat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Place over steamy water, stirring and scraping constantly with a spatula until thin, foamy and 175 degrees on a digital thermometer, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high until glossy, thick and quadrupled in volume, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium and continue whipping until the bowl feels cool to the touch.
- Add butter a tablespoon at a time, waiting about 5 seconds between each addition. As the frosting comes together, you can add a little more of the butter at a time. Once the butter is all incorporated, whip at medium-high speed to make sure all the butter is fully incorporated.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.