Italian Meringue Buttercream

Meringue butter cream is soft and sweet with a light vanilla flavor. In other words, it's "lightly" flavored, fluffy and white, but with a structure and shine that can be used for frosting or filling cakes and pastries.

Italian meringue buttercream is an art form, a wonderful blend of flavor and soft texture that is so good and easy to make at home.

Meringue, sugar and flavorings are the main ingredients for Italian butter. An Italian or Swiss meringue may be the ideal foundation for a meringue based butter cream. Only egg whites are used to give a very light texture and a pale color, which are the hallmarks of Italian buttercream. Italian buttercream light color and texture makes it a popular choice for wedding cakes or pastries that need white coloring.

How to Make Buttercream

Allow the butter to rise to room temperature, or heat it slowly in a microwave at intervals of 5 to 10 seconds to avoid melting. 

In a saucepan , combine sugar and water and boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue cooking until you reach the ball stage (240 ° F/116 ° C) Tip : Make sure you use a heavy bottom pot because it heats evenly. 

Whip the egg whites at medium speed on the mixer until they are smooth and shiny. The critical step is that the meringue is not overly whipped and too stiff and dry, as the over-whipped meringue does not blend well with the butter.

Once the sugar syrup reaches 240 ° F/116 ° C, add it to the meringue at a medium speed, with a slow and constant flow. Speed up until the meringue cools down to room temperature and becomes shiny and smooth.

Gradually add the softened or room temperature butter, then whisk until butter is incorporated, stop mixing and scrub the sides of the bowl, and mix well. Scraping down the sides of the bowl guarantees a perfectly blended, creamy butter cream.

Add the vanilla and mix well. You can use buttercream immediately or it can be wrapped in a cling film and stored in the refrigerator until it is used.

Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients

101⁄2 ounces of butter. 

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

Three white eggs 

1⁄4 of a cup of water 

1 cup of granulated sugar

Storage

Butter cream keeps well in the refrigerator for up to two days when you're ready to use it again until it's smooth again.