I keep meaning to take pictures of the process of making SMBC, and today I finally did. 
I didn't take a picture of the beginning.. it's egg white and sugar and it looks like a big bowl of snot. But you place the sugar and eggs in your mixer bowl and whisk them until they reach 160-170 degrees then pop it on the mixer.
My recipe is large, but you can find the scaled back version here:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-5453-1-The-Well-Dressed-Cake-Swiss-Meringue-Buttercream-with-variations.html
For this batch (made in my KA Pro 5) I used:
20 large egg whites
4 cups of sugar
12 sticks of room temp unsalted butter
6 TBSP real vanilla (which I didn't add because I am making some of it chocolate so I will add the vanilla after I remove some)
Place the sugar and egg whites into your mixer bowl and whisk over a double boiler until the mixture reaches 160-170 degrees and then transfer the bowl to your mixer and mix with the whisk attachment on medium-high until it comes to stiff peaks and the mixer bowl feels neutral when you touch it with your risk.. not hot but not cold either. This brings you to picture #1.. a big fluffy beautiful bowl of perfectly whipped meringue. (It is lovely.. and tastes pretty damn good and could top a pie shell filled with lemon curd and be perfect.. but that's another story 
)
Switch to the paddle attachment and break open your butter and begin to add it (picture #2) mixing on low one TBSP at a time until it is all in the bowl . While you are adding your butter you will notice a few things. The first thing is picture #3.. your beautious meringue will begin to fall.. and picture #4.. fall some more.. and look soupy. Don't worry... this is TOTALLY normal. Around the end of adding your butter you will notice something like picture #5.. your soup will start to look lumpy and curdled.. and #6.. more lumpy and curdled. Again, don't worry.. this too is completely normal. Soon after you are done adding your butter you will notice, provided your butter wasn't too cold, that your curdled mess begins to start to maybe look like it might be getting better.. picture #7. Then like magic it gets smooth (picture #8 ) and you end up with beautifully smooth and silky SMBC (picture #9)
Awesome!
I have a question. Can you add ganache to make chocolate IMBC or does it only work with melted chocolate?
You can decorate with it fine. It does get rather soft with the heat of your hands so it is good to have a couple of bags going so you can put one down if it gets too soft. It tastes like vanilla ice cream if you add vanilla to it. You can add almost anything to it. Thickened fruit purees are my favorite.
Yes.. you can add ganache to make chocolate with no problems. 
Thank you very much. I'm a visual learner and this really helped! I am still working up the courage to try this.
Is this easy to smooth? I think I'll need to find the other posts about this and then put on my big girl panties and get over my fear of it!
Thank you very much. I'm a visual learner and this really helped! I am still working up the courage to try this.
Is this easy to smooth? I think I'll need to find the other posts about this and then put on my big girl panties and get over my fear of it!
It really isn't hard to smooth. It is so smooth in consistency. All I use is an angled spatula and a bench scraper. It takes some practice, but it's not hard to make or use. I'll have to post another series of pictures about trouble shooting re-whipping it.. but that's for another day..
Thanks so much! I was afraid to try it but it looks amazing!
Jeanne, thanks for the pictures. and really you're one of the people on here who was quite adamant at telling people to try SMBC. i'm so glad i finally listened.
I swear when you're making it, it looks like your witnessing a miracle. I had my cousin drop the butter in because i'm using a handmixer (RIGHT! I did it with a handmixer, so if i can do it, so can you!) and the moment it came together both of us went "ooohhhh!!!" and it tasted like caramel vanilla ice cream since i used brown sugar. so YUM! i think i ate two tablespoonfuls before I stopped myself.
jkalman,
Thanks so much for posting the visuals.
2 questions for ya.......... can I substitute shortening instead of butter, or can I substitute with margarine. My cakes need to be dairy free.
Plus, in the Floridian heat, will the SMBC covered cake hold up at an event not refrigirated for a couple of hours untill they decide to cut the cake?
I was always afraid to use this recipe for that reason. I keep on picturing the cake melting because the butter is too soft.
I love the taste of SMBC and it's what I always used. . . but i was taught to whip the butter until light and fluffy, set aside and then basically follow the steps you provided.. . . so time consuming. I'm excited to try your way, reducing one step might make it worth my while to go back to SMBC.
I hate regular buttercreams for there sweetness and the gritty texture you get from powdered sugar, SMBC is so much easier to smooth and also has a cooked taste if that makes sense,. . . yummy!!
jkalman,
Thanks so much for posting the visuals.
2 questions for ya.......... can I substitute shortening instead of butter, or can I substitute with margarine. My cakes need to be dairy free.
Plus, in the Floridian heat, will the SMBC covered cake hold up at an event not refrigirated for a couple of hours untill they decide to cut the cake?
I was always afraid to use this recipe for that reason. I keep on picturing the cake melting because the butter is too soft.
i used some shortening in place of butter in the recipe i used, like 1/3 of it. it worked out fine but i'm not sure about using shortening for all of the butter,
You can use all shortening or margarine.. it will change the flavor, but it will still work. It will be bright white if you use shortening and I would use high ratio shortening over crisco if you can find it.
I have never used margarine, but it might be a bit more yellow if you do. I haven't seen a stick of margarine in YEARS.. LOL.
I have never made it with the egg whites in a carton, but I know some do. I'd get the ones for meringues since that is what you are making. Heating them serves 2 purposes.. it pasturizes them and they whip up easier when they are warm.
I was going to try it by whipping up the butter before hand, but it works perfectly fine if you don't.. just make sure that it's room temp butter.
SMBC can sit on the counter for a couple of days so don't worry about it for a few hours.
The sugar would dissolve if you didn't heat it.. it would just take much longer to do so.
No problem.. I am going to attache a picture I have posted before showing how I ice a cake..
I use a #12 round tip and a bench scraper most of the time with my angled spatula to help if needed.
ice the top and smooth it leaving a 1/8" gap around the outer edge.. then ice the sides so the icing come up over the top of the cake and smooth the sides then take your angled spatula and knock the top ridge off with a quick inward and upward motion.
LMAO Christi.. you know I love you so I won't smack you for the oreo comment..
I take my pics. I have a DSLR (a Canon XTi) and a 50mm 1.4 lens and I love them. The collage was taken with my lil'point and shoot though.
Now I have to peel myself away and get this wedding cake done. 
Oh and to answer about how big my mixer is.. it's a Pro-5 plus. I think it's a 5 qt. It BARELY holds the batch I make.. LOL. I need a 6 and I'd LOVE a 10qt.
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