Swiss meringue buttercream

Face Your SMBC Fears!

I've heard many stories about people saying they tried to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream and it looked too wet or goopy. I cringe when I hear people say, "It just ended up looking like soup so I threw it away." Noooo! All that delicious, perfectly good frosting wasted! SMBC is my favorite frosting, and it's so easy to make. It does look soupy at first, but if you're patient it will turn into the best frosting your tongue ever tasted!

Makes about 4 cups (enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes)

Ingredients
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).
Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add vanilla extract and continue beating 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles.

For Chocolate SMBC: Reduce vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon. Add 1/2 cup melted and cooled semisweet or bittersweet chocolate and 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder while beating on low speed.