Jeanne
Thanks for the recipe, pics etc, I made a batch this morning and it is so silky smooth - you would almost think it was full of chemicals and additives to get the consistency. 
This tastes too good to be natural 
Can I please ask a further question? ( you are probably sick of hearing that on this thread but that's the occupational hazard of being so fab and providing us with such delicious recipes!)
Apologies if this question has been answered already but could you tell me how long a shelf life this has:
a. stored in the fridge
b. in the freezer and
c. under fondant ( obviously due to lack of refridgeration)
Thanks again
AnneMarie
ps belated thanks to junny629 for the butter stick question
To get white SMBC you will have to use high ratio shortening or a mix of un-salted butter and high ratio. Butter isn't white, but before you add the vanilla it's pretty white. If you don't mind the flavor of clear vanilla you can use that and it stays pretty white even using all butter. I don't like the flavor of clear vanilla, but I have used it for brides who want a whiter frosting. 
Smoothing it takes practice. I put it on with a #12 round tip and smooth it out with my bench scraper. Then run my scraper under hot but not REALLY hot water and dry it off and use that to swipe around the cake. If you look at the pink cake with the bow on it.. that is SMBC and it is very smooth. It is easily smoother with patience, and it's nice because it does not crust at all so you can work with it for a long time and add more and take some away if you need to.
You can leave SMBC out on the counter for a day or two, so if you use it under fondant and your filling doesn't require chilling, you can just leave it out. Fondant can be chilled.. you must allow it to come to rm temp before touching it or you'll get finger prints, but when it looks dry.. it's good to go. MMF is more tempermental though and doesn't liek to be chilled. I suggest using Michele Foster's Delicious Fondant Recipe here on CC.. it's marvelous stuff.
You can keep it in the fridge for a week well wrapped so it doesn't absorb smells of your chicken parm. In the freezer it'll last for a long time.. at least a few months double wrapped in plastic wrap and put in a zipper bag. When I get mine ready for the freezer I tear a piece of plastic wrap and plop the icing right on that and wrap it up removing asmuch air as I can then wrap it again and pop that into a zipper bag with the air taken out.
Oh I almost forgot.. you can use it under fondant with no issues.. When you prepare your cake for fondant put on a layer of SMBC and smooth it as best you can and then pop it in the fridge for a while so the icing can get firm. Once you have this take your cake out and roll out your fondnant and cover your cake and smooth out your fondant. If you have some bumps don't worry because once your cake some to temp and your fondant is no longer tacky you can smooth it out a bit more.
Seriously, SMBC has become my new best friend. Plus, I still have some chocolate SMBC in my freezer (it tastes just like the smoothest ice cream! i love it!).
Also, there is dye-free butter (why they put dye in our butter to make it yellow is beyond me) but it's usually organic. I know the longer I whip mine the white it gets so if you start with dye-free, maybe you can get white?
jkalman i have another question. do you use SMBC to dam your fillings? you use it as it is or do something special to it?
When I dam in my fillings I use SMBC. You have to make sure it's not really soft. I usually will let it sit in the piping bag for a while if it's soft. When you get used to working with it you will get a feeling for when it's good to go. Make sure not to put your fillings too thick. I torte my layers so my filling layers are only about 1/8" - 3/16" thick.
SMBC stands for swiss meringue buttercream. It is made by heating egg whites and sugar and then beating that into a meringue and adding butter to that and then flavoring. It is a delicious and silky smooth icing for cakes, cupcakes, fingers.. you name it.. 
Oh.. and there are NO stupid questions..
First of of I want to thank you soooo much for all your help. Okay, I did exactly what you said before you even said it. I used clear vanilla and it still came out pretty yellow. I made a practice cake and tried piping light blue onto my cake and it came out turquois. What am I doing wrong? I let it beat for a very long time. The first time I used regular vanilla and this time I used clear vanilla. Another question.. What do you mean by the whole ratio thing? I'm supper confused, but I love the taste of SMBC.
Oh.. and there are NO stupid questions..
First of of I want to thank you soooo much for all your help. Okay, I did exactly what you said before you even said it. I used clear vanilla and it still came out pretty yellow. I made a practice cake and tried piping light blue onto my cake and it came out turquois. What am I doing wrong? I let it beat for a very long time. The first time I used regular vanilla and this time I used clear vanilla. Another question.. What do you mean by the whole ratio thing? I'm supper confused, but I love the taste of SMBC.
CMIIW but i think jkalman meant hi ratio shortening like sweetex or alpine, as compared to what i would presume is regular shortening like crisco.
when i made my second batch of SMBC i couldn't get it really white but it was like ivory, lighter than ivory but not really bright white. it rendered color very well too. i use americolor gels.
Yes.. I was talking about hig ratio shortening which is different than using crisco. I am not sure how crisco would behave. SMBC made with butter will never be bright white.. it is always going to be yellowish and you will have a bit of a time achieving true colors like blue and purple.. they will always be a bit on the grey or yellow side. I find that Land-o-Lakes butter is the white-est butter you can easily get. If you truely require bright white SMBC, the only way to get it is to use high ratio shortening such as alpine or sweetex. You could try adding some bright white to it or even a TEENY bit of violet to it since violet is on the opposite side of the color spectrum of yellow and in VERY small quantities can cancel eachother out. If you try this do it slowly.. toothpick tips at a time.. or you;ll end up with grey icing.. not as appealing.
Yes.. I was talking about hig ratio shortening which is different than using crisco. I am not sure how crisco would behave. SMBC made with butter will never be bright white.. it is always going to be yellowish and you will have a bit of a time achieving true colors like blue and purple.. they will always be a bit on the grey or yellow side. I find that Land-o-Lakes butter is the white-est butter you can easily get. If you truely require bright white SMBC, the only way to get it is to use high ratio shortening such as alpine or sweetex. You could try adding some bright white to it or even a TEENY bit of violet to it since violet is on the opposite side of the color spectrum of yellow and in VERY small quantities can cancel eachother out. If you try this do it slowly.. toothpick tips at a time.. or you;ll end up with grey icing.. not as appealing.
Is there a big difference in taste if I use shortening?
What a cool thread. I'm so excited to try this out now. Sounds DELISH! I have a question about making it chocolate, though.
Do you have to add ganache? Or can you just use melted chocolate? Or cocoa? Does anyone have a ganache recipe they swear by?
I'm so excited to try this!
I personally haven't made it with the shortening since I don't mind the color, but I would imagine there would be a slight difference. I know a few people who use it and they say it's still REALLY good. You could try 1/2 and 1/2 to start and go from there.
Jeanne,
Awesome recipe and directions, thank you! I had to make an "emergency" red velvet cake for a friend of mine, who know one had remembered to get a cake till the last minute. The SMBC tasted delicious on it! I hadn't made it before, but you inspired me and it turned out wonderful my first time at bat!
Thanks again,
Jen
OK, so what did I do wrong? I have tons of bubbles...
When I make SMBC I usually just add some melted chocolate to it.. melt it and let it cool until it's cool to the touch but still pourable and add it in.
For ganache I do 8 ounces of dark chocolate and 1 cup of cream. Bring the cream to a boil in a sauce pan and take it off the heat and add the chocolate into the cream and let it sit for a few minutes and then stir until smooth and glossy. Let it come to room temp before adding it to your SMBC.
Jen I am so glad that it worked well for you!
Chillysmom.. that looks about right for the before you run a warm spatula over it stage. Mine gets bubbles too. I like to use my culinary torch and warm up the SMBC while mixing on low and let it mix for a while and turn it off and let it set for a while. But if you take that cake and warm up your spatula and run it over the top and side.. those bubbles will come out.
OK, so I had it in the fridge for a little while and then tried to smooth it again. It might be my imagination, but I think it helped a LITTLE. Is that what the problem might be, or could there be something else I'm missing... thanks!
OK, so I did it backwards. I cooled instead of warmed. Actually, the picture is after I used a warmed up a benchscraper with warm water like was mentioned before. Maybe it should have been warmer. So, I am on the right track though, the bubbles are ok at first?
You can chill it completely and scrape it to smooth it, but I think that comes out streaky. I always smooth it before I chill it.
i use half a cup of shortening to 1 cup of unsalted butter. it tastes really good.
i have two sticks of unsalted butter left in the fridge and am dying to bake a cake so i can make smbc out that butter. i'm pathetic, aren't i? LOL
jkalman when you add the ganache to your SMBC, what's the texture like? have you tried whipping the ganache first before adding it to SMBC?
i have so many questions because i really think this is the buttercream for me. i could eat it without cake. which is scary for my hips LOL
I usually just run a spoon through it and plop it in. The texture is nice.. a bit soft, but workable. It tastes like chocolate mousse.. it's BAD for the diet..
diet??? what diet??? LOL
i have to bake something this weekend. i need an excuse to make SMBC lol
LMAO.. I think I'll have to follow your lead.. Chocolate cake.. filled with peppermint SMBC.. topped with chocolate SMBC sounds just about right to me..
has anyone tried adding espresso powder or cofee to SMBC?
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