Does anyone use a meringue buttercream? I heard Antonia76 mention it, but does anyone else use it? I have never tried it and was wondering if it tastes good. On Antonia76's new champagne cake, it looks so smooth and perfect. So I want to try it and see how it tastes. Also, how does it hold up in heat with all that butter? Thanks for you help. Keli
Okay, I guess I'LL reply to you! Ha ha! 
Firstly, it tastes absolutely beautiful and light. It spreads and masks perfectly. I use it all summer (indoors) and it holds really well.
It's more complicated to make than the regular icing sugar/butter frosting, but once you master it you'll never go back! It requires a mixer and boiling sugar with a thermometer, which can be a bit frightening at first...but the results are SO amazing! 
Antonia is a great inspiration. I'm so happy someone with her talent hangs out on this board. 
If you do a search, theres should be a couple of recent threads on meringues. I find the meringue very easy to smooth. I tried Martha Stewarts recipe first and it was perfect the first try. However, it is very humid here in Indiana and I found the meringue too soft to pipe. When the weather cools, then I will try practicing with meringues again. They are delicious! The taste is 100X better than a pwd sugar frosting.
It is definitely much better than the typical icing...It's for the more refined pallate... I mean, dont' get me wrong, I like a Costco cake, but it cant' beat this one.
Like Antonia says, it's very delicate and subtle...You can flavor it as you please. I use it all the time to fill and frost my cakes...My favorite combination is the Amaretto and espresso. Also a plain batch mixed with lemon curd pairs lovely with a white poppy seed cake, lemon butter cake...
Once you try this you will most certainly stick with it...Yum!
i used Nick M's SMBC recipe but i substitute half of the butter for 1 cup of shortening. a very popular bakery in town uses this recipe and they are well-know for their icing. they call it their "whipped cream buttercream", my good friend worked for them and gave me the recipe! 
Sorry, I have no idea what a Nick M is. 
Can you elaborate on the recipe?
Does anyone use a meringue buttercream?
Keli:
I use it occasionally. Believe or not, as good as this icing taste, I have people that tell me they prefer regular buttercream (I make 100% Crisco) to this icing.
It does have a high content of butter and therefore can be expensive to make compared to regular butter and it is bit more complex to make. My thermometer broke when I was making the syrup, but I knew how much time it needed to boil to reach the right temp that I didn't panic.
Anyway, give it a try. Its pretty cool and its much easier to smooth than regular buttercream.
My favorite is Italian Meringue buttercream. Swiss is a bit different and is not as easy to smooth as Italian meringue.
I use the pasteurized egg whites but you must buy the brand that says that it is good for meringue. Like Egg Beaters brand.
Good luck!
Ok. Found Nick's recipe. He heats the eggwhites with the syrup and only lets the temp reach 140deg.
http://www.woodwrecker.com/recipes/Desserts/Cakes/Easy%20Meringue%20Buttercream.html
From the USDA
8. Use Safe Egg Recipes
Egg mixtures are safe if they reach 160°F, so homemade ice cream and eggnog can be made safely from a cooked base. Heat the egg-milk mixture gently. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature or use a metal spoon (the mixture should coat the spoon). If in-shell pasteurized eggs are available, they can be used safely in recipes that wont be cooked.
Dry meringue shells are safe. So are divinity candy and 7-minute frosting, made by combining hot sugar syrup with beaten egg whites.
Meringue-topped pies should be safe if baked at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Chiffon pies and fruit whips made with raw, beaten egg whites cannot be guaranteed safe. Substitute whipped cream or whipped topping.
To make key lime pie safely, heat the lime (or lemon) juice with the raw egg yolks in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F. Then combine it with the sweetened condensed milk and pour it into a baked pie crust.
Cook egg dishes such as quiche and casseroles to 160°F as measured with a food thermometer.
Hello,
I had to reply to this topic because I just tried to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream this weekend. It didn't work out for me. I don't know what I did wrong but when I started adding the butter it was like water. I kept adding more butter to see if it would thicken up but I was still like water. How long are you supposed to beat the egg whites for? Soft peaks, stiff peaks? Any help would be greatly appreciated because I would like to have this icing as an option to use. I found several recipes but the one I used was a vanilla buttercream from Food Network. Know any better?
Thanks in advance for any info,
Heather
Bubblezmom,
This is a dumb question, arn't all eggs you buy at the grocery store pasturized? So they can be safely used in recipes that are not to be cooked? Sorry maybe I just an confused. So what is the difference between italian and swiss meringue buttercream? Anyone know? Keli
OK, this is probably a stupid question but do you guys not worry about using the egg whites? Have you ever had a problem with anyone getting sick?
I use pasteurized egg whites.. Egg Beaters brand because they are okay to use for meringue type consistency....
I was told that you were not supposed to used them, but they worked great for me... They also come in powder form but I find them more expensive...
Bubblezmom,
This is a dumb question, arn't all eggs you buy at the grocery store pasturized? So they can be safely used in recipes that are not to be cooked? Sorry maybe I just an confused. So what is the difference between italian and swiss meringue buttercream? Anyone know? Keli
Keli:
Its the process. Swiss meringue is made by warming up the egg whites in a water bath and then whipping them while you add the butter...
The Italian Meringue is where you whip egg whites to meringue and then you add the sugar syrup to it...
ok thanks so much for your tips, would you guys post your recipes so that I have a couple to try? Thanks so much. Keli
Keli:
Here's one of the recipes I've made:
Italian Meringue Buttercream
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 238° on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage). If you don't have a thermometer, boil for 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat.
With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes. Add butter bit by bit, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes; beat in vanilla. If icing curdles, don´t panic! Just keep beating until smooth.
Now can you use this to decorate also, or just to ice the cake? Do you decorate with regular buttercream instead? Thanks Keli
Sorry so many questions!
You can ice the cake, do borders, do designs on the cake like scrolls, etc.
I haven't tried making roses, but it is thick enough, so you can try it.
I made a small batch and froze it for future use. I am going to try to remember to make some roses next time.
Ok I made some tonight. It is really good!! It is a very different taste, though. I tried it out on my family, My dh liked it, my dd loved it, and my dm did not like it at all. So I guess you can't please everyone. Thanks so much for all of the post on this thread, you have all been so very helpful. Where would we all be without a network like this one! Thanks again. Keli
the recipe that i used (nick m's) is different than the one that was posted. here it is in case anyone want to give it a try, its very easy. i actually attemped to make IMBC a couple times before giving this recipe a try.
3/4 cups of egg whites (about 5 large eggs)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
pinch of salt
4 sticks of butter softened ( i used 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of shortening)
1 teaspoon vanilla
half-fill a saucepan with water, just 1/2 inch or so and bring to boil over med. heat. lower heat so water simmers. hand whisk together the egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and gently whisk until all is dissolved (about 130 degrees). attach bowl to mixer and whip with whisk attachment on med. speed until outside of bowl is cool to the touch, (usually 15 min or so). stop mixer and remove whisk and add paddle attachment instead. beat in the butter and shortening in 8-10 additions on low speed. buttercream will look very soft and fluffy. after all the butter and shortening has been added increase speed to med. and beat until buttercream is thick and smooth (about 5 or so min). at one point, the buttercream will appear to be seperating-this is normal, just keep on beating! use immeditley or store in fridge or freezer. add flavorings right before using. makes about 2 pounds
enjoy!
dailey,
When I made my IMBC tonight I noticed that it had a lot of air bubbles in it. Is that normal, and what should I do get rid of them so they don't appear in the cake? I was looking at Antonia76's cake again and there is no air pockets to be seen. Thanks Keli
keliames,
i tried making IMBC twice and failed miserably! 
someone then told me SMBC was basically the same icing as IMBC but much easier to make, they were right! i've had great success with it, since i never actually made the IMBC i can't really be sure about the air bubbles that you are experiencing. i've never really had a problem with air bubbles. once, i over mixed my icing and i noticed my icing wasn't as smooth as it usually was. i know some people swear by letting their icing set overnight and then useing a hand-mixer the next day to mix the icing before they use it, i never really felt the need to do that though. maybe you could give that a try? good luck!
Heather- You said your icing turned watery when you started adding the butter. The recipe I've used (Martha Stewart's) says to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. As I add the butter, the mixture turns kind of liquidy, but after beating for a while it starts thickening (it's kind of magic!) and turns into frosting consistency. Maybe you didn't beat it long enough after adding the butter?
dailey,
When I made my IMBC tonight I noticed that it had a lot of air bubbles in it. Is that normal, and what should I do get rid of them so they don't appear in the cake? I was looking at Antonia76's cake again and there is no air pockets to be seen. Thanks Keli
Yes, that's normal considering all the high speed beating. Most people say that using the paddle attachment instead of the wire whip will reduce the amount of air bubbles... but (for me anyway) that's always seemed to make the matter worse.
What works for me is to get the icing all whipped up nice 'n fluffy, then replace the wire whip with the dough hook and run it on low for 10-15 minutes.
HTH.
Never had a problem with air bubbles with a meringue frosting. Crisco frosting makes GIANT air bubbles. Mixing on slow speed for a few min helps get rid of those.
dailey,
When I made my IMBC tonight I noticed that it had a lot of air bubbles in it. Is that normal, and what should I do get rid of them so they don't appear in the cake? I was looking at Antonia76's cake again and there is no air pockets to be seen. Thanks Keli
That's odd! I didn't get any air bubbles on mine.... It came out really smooth and creamy.... I think I only went once around the cake with my spatula and it stayed nice and smooth.
keliames,
i tried making IMBC twice and failed miserably!
someone then told me SMBC was basically the same icing as IMBC but much easier to make, they were right! i've had great success with it, since i never actually made the IMBC i can't really be sure about the air bubbles that you are experiencing. i've never really had a problem with air bubbles. once, i over mixed my icing and i noticed my icing wasn't as smooth as it usually was. i know some people swear by letting their icing set overnight and then useing a hand-mixer the next day to mix the icing before they use it, i never really felt the need to do that though. maybe you could give that a try? good luck!
Really? You found SMB easier? I didn't like the whipping the egg whites over water bath! 
My arms were getting tired!!!
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