Egg Whites in Action: Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Egg Whites in Action: Swiss Meringue Buttercream

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The Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 470 g Egg Whites
  • 680 g Sugar
  • 1190 g Butter
  • 5 g Vanilla Bean Paste


Method:

  1. Cream the butter until smooth.
     
  2. Combine the egg whites and sugar over a bain-marie and whisk gently until the sugar is completely dissolved and the temperature reaches 60°C.
     
  3. Transfer the egg white mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip to medium-firm peaks, then add vanilla.
     
  4. Switch to a paddle and incorporate the butter in increments until homogenized.
     
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Tips for Success

  • Remember that when you whip egg whites, you're forcing air into the whites, causing the protein chains to stretch and create thousands of tiny bubbles. As you whip them they reach different stages: soft, medium and stiff peak.
     
  • If you over-beat the egg whites the stretched protein will eventually break allowing the water and the proteins to separate, creating a useless mix of eggy water and foam.
     
  • When you stir the sugar into the egg whites, the whisk moves through the egg white mixture, generating force, which starts the denaturing process. This process continues with the addition of heat and further whipping later.  

The Stages of Meringue

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    This has been whipping for about a minute. It is still very liquid.
    This has been whipping for about a minute. It is still very liquid.
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    Shiny and fluffy! This meringue is close to finished.
    Shiny and fluffy! This meringue is close to finished.
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    Whoops! This one was whipped too long. The protein bonds are breaking, and the mixture has deflated.
    Whoops! This one was whipped too long. The protein bonds are breaking, and the mixture has deflated.
A firm-peak meringue showing the perfect tip

Soft, Medium, and Firm Peaks defined

Soft Peaks:
The meringue doesn't hold its own weight when lifted with the whip.

Medium Peaks:
The meringue holds up when lifted but does not form a stiff, tall peak; it forms a hill rather than a mountain.

Firm Peaks:
The meringue forms a "bird's beak" when lifted with the whip. Think of the tip of a picture-perfect soft-serve cone - it has a sturdy peak with a little loop on the top.