Has anyone ever used meringue powder mixed with water in place of egg whites in a Swiss Meringue Buttercream? I'd really like to try making Swiss Meringue Buttercream but I'm not crazy about using raw egg whites. I didn't know if it would work or not. I'll probably try it anyway... I just wanted some advice if anyone else had dones this before.

Thanks!

I haven't tried it, but many stores now carry pastuerized egg whites in a carton (like milk). You shouldn't have any worries with that.

On some of the pasturized cartons they state that the whites have been heated and cannot be used for meringue. I have not used powder but use SMBC for every cake I do. I have used it for Seven years with no problems. If you temp your whites to 160* in the double boiler you will be fine.

Thanks for the replies. I'm just really scared of someone getting sick from something I make. I read on the meringue powder box that mixing certain amounts of powder with water could make a substitute for egg whites. I'm off to try it. We'll see. It's just for experimentation anyway. I'll let you know how it works.... or if it works.

Ok, update. I tried making a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I failed miserably. I think the directions I have are missing some parts at the end. It didn't work for me. I used egg whites, not meringue powder. I'll try again sometime when I have more time to play. Anyone have any tips for Swiss or Italian Meringue Buttercreams?

What I came up with though is exactly what I was looking for. I whipped up some homemade whipping cream and set it aside. I mixed up some butter and powdered sugar. I added the whipped cream a little at a time. It got very runny and started separating so I added some shortening and scraped down the sides. I whipped it all together for quite a while. It turned out to be a very creamy, lightly sweet buttercream frosting. I'm so happy I worked it out! I've been looking for a creamy buttercream that's not sugary/gritty. This is perfect. I am taking it to a bridal consult tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I get some good, honest feedback about it. My husband tasted it and he wasn't sure what to think at first. It's so different from my normal frosting, I think he figured I did something wrong. But he said it was good.

I have used powdered egg whites for SMBC with no problems. It takes quite a bit of whipping and looks really horrible right before it turns into this amazingly creamy frosting. Temperature has a big effect, I think. The butter can't be too cold and your egg white mixture has to be beaten until it's fairly cool before you start adding the butter. Do try it again when you get the chance. Most people seem to really appreciate the "grown-up" taste of meringue buttercreams.

Thanks DoubleODanish, I will try again.

Yes, I make IMB with "Just Whites" dried pasturized egg whites and it works very well. I was making a lot of baby shower cakes and had the same concern as you about using raw egg whites. "Just Whites" is expensive but I just found Honeyville egg whites on Amazon.com "Just Whites sells for $14.69 (8oz.)here and has 57 egg whites in it where as Honeyville has 309 egg whites (2.25lbs)and sells for $14.95 plus $5.00 shipping.
Jacqui