Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is an elegant frosting that has a silky smooth finish. This easy chocolate frosting recipe is light, fluffy, and less sweet than American buttercream. Use it with your favorite cakes and cupcakes for a gorgeous dessert!
I Can’t Get Enough Of This Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Want a frosting that’s ultra-smooth, rich in chocolate flavor, and not overly sweet? This Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is just the thing. It’s velvety, pipes beautifully, and has a luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth texture that sets it apart from traditional buttercream.
Unlike my chocolate buttercream frosting, which uses powdered sugar for sweetness, Swiss meringue buttercream is made by gently heating egg whites and sugar, then whipping them into a glossy meringue before adding butter and cocoa powder. The result? A light, airy frosting with a deep chocolate flavor that isn’t heavy or cloying.
If you’ve never made Swiss meringue before, don’t worry! I’ll walk you through the process step by step, so you’ll get perfect, silky frosting every time. Once you try it, you might just find yourself making the switch from regular buttercream for good!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ultra smooth and silky. This frosting is light, airy, and melts in your mouth. It’s way less sweet than traditional buttercream but just as rich.
- Deep chocolate flavor. Made with cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate, it has that intense chocolate taste without being heavy.
- Pipes and spreads like a dream. It’s stable enough for decorating and holds its shape beautifully on cakes and cupcakes.
- Totally worth it! If you’ve never made Swiss meringue buttercream before, don’t be intimidated, I’ll walk you through it step by step. The results are so good, you might just ditch regular buttercream for good!
What Is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a stable yet silky frosting that is less sweet than American buttercream. It is also called SMBC.
The name comes from the method used to make this frosting. First, you make a Swiss Meringue. This is a dense, glossy, and almost marshmallow-like meringue that can be used in all sorts of desserts. For example, you can use Swiss meringue as a pie topping and even give it a quick “toast” with a torch.
When Swiss meringue is used to make buttercream frosting, that frosting is elevated into a Swiss meringue buttercream. Butter and any additional flavorings are added after the meringue has been beaten into stiff peaks. This kind of frosting has a pale color that makes it ideal for coloring.
The whipping process takes a bit and is usually where people run into trouble. You don’t want to rush it, but you don’t want to over beat your frosting either.
Make sure you read my tips and tricks below, including how to tell when your frosting is ready.
What You’ll Need
You are just five ingredients away from easy chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. See full instructions on the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Egg whites – Don’t use egg whites from a carton as they won’t setup as well. Instead, just buy eggs from the market and separate the whites from the yolks.
- Granulated sugar – Because the sugar is cooked with the egg whites, we are going to use granulated instead of powdered sugar.
- Butter – Unsalted and at room temperature, this is really important!
- Vanilla extract
- Dark chocolate – Use a high quality chocolate bar, not chocolate chips if you can help it.
How Do I Tell When Stiff Peaks Have Formed?
Lift up your whisk attachment. If the frosting has a peak and holds its shape, then it is ready. If you detach the whisk from your stand mixer and invert it, you’ll have a peak of frosting on top that looks like a pretty little wave.
How Much Frosting Does This Recipe Make?
It makes about 4 cups of frosting. With this recipe, you can frost 24 cupcakes. If you’d like to use it for a 3-layer 8-inch cake, I recommend doubling the recipe.
Helpful Tips
Now that you know how to make Swiss Buttercream frosting, let’s talk about how to ensure perfect results. There are a few “gotchas” that you can easy avoid with a bit of knowledge.
- Temperature matters. Your butter must be at room temperature to properly incorporate into the meringue.
- Use a glass or metal bowl. Plastic will hold onto fat and can make your meringue fail. Plus, you can’t use a plastic bowl with a double boiler without the plastic melting or leeching chemicals into your food.
- Only use a clean and dry bowl. It is essential that your bowl is 100% clean and dry. If you are worried that there is grease in the bowl, wipe it down with lemon juice or vinegar. Fat molecules from the grease will impact your frosting.
- No egg yolk – none! Speaking of fats, the egg whites cannot contain any egg yolk. Not even a spec. Fats in the yolk will also prevent your frosting from setting up and getting those lovely stiff peaks.
- Always use unsalted butter. This allows you to control how much salt is in your frosting.
- Use good quality chocolate. I like to use Scharffen Berger, Lindt or Ghirardelli chocolate.
- Let the melted chocolate cool. Allow your chocolate to cool completely before adding it to the buttercream so that your frosting doesn’t melt.
- This recipe is made with dark chocolate. Milk chocolate and white chocolate will work too, but the result will be a sweeter frosting.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- My meringue isn’t whipping up. Your bowl or whisk may have grease or water on it, or some egg yolk got into the whites. Wipe everything down with vinegar or lemon juice before starting, and make sure no yolk sneaks into your whites! Also, check that the sugar is fully dissolved before whipping.
- My frosting is too thin and soupy. Your butter was likely too soft or added while the meringue was still warm. Stick the whole bowl in the fridge for 10–15 minutes, then whip again. If needed, repeat the chill-and-whip process one more time.
- My frosting looks curdled or lumpy. This is super common and usually just means the butter was a little too cold. Keep whipping! If it doesn’t smooth out, wrap a warm towel around the bowl and whip a little longer.
- My frosting is too stiff or hard to spread. The butter was probably too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes, then re-whip until it softens up.
- My frosting tastes too buttery. Swiss meringue buttercream has a higher butter ratio than American buttercream, but it shouldn’t taste greasy. Try whipping it longer to aerate it more. If it still feels too rich, add a pinch of salt or a little extra vanilla extract to balance the flavor.
- I think I ruined it! Don’t panic. Swiss meringue buttercream almost always looks weird before it comes together. If it’s too thin, chill and re-whip. If it’s too thick, let it soften slightly. And if it looks curdled, just keep whipping!
Ways to Use Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
- Perfect for cake recipes. Use it as a silky filling between layers or to frost the outside of your cakes or cupcakes. You can use it with any of these chocolate cakes, like this chocolate cake with strawberry filling or any of these vanilla cakes.
- Ideal for cupcakes. If you prefer a lighter frosting over traditional buttercream, try it with my favorite chocolate cupcakes.
- Decorate baked goods. You can use this frosting to decorate sugar cookies or brownies. This is where a swiss meringue buttercream not being overly sweet is helpful!
- Sandwich it between cookies. Frosting is for more than topping things, you can also make a simple cookie sandwich by placing some frosting between two cookies. I love doing this with peanut butter cookies for that classic chocolate-peanut butter flavor pairing.
Pro Tip
Desserts that are frosted with Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be stored at room temperature unless it’s hot or humid. Since this is a butter-based recipe, it is prone to melting if it’s too hot or humid. In that case, store the cake covered in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before serving. Once refrigerated, the frosting will harden due to the high butter content.
How to Store
- Fridge: In an airtight container, you can refrigerate this frosting for up to two weeks. Before using, you’ll need to bring it to room temperature and rebeat with the paddle attachment until it is silky and creamy again.
- Freezer: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw this frosting at room temperature then beat it with your paddle attachment until it is silky and creamy again.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Stand Mixer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy to make, this rich chocolate frosting is silky and light in texture and less sweet than American buttercream.
Ingredients
For the frosting
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups (237.5 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
- 6 ounces (226g) dark chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Wipe down the inside of your stainless-steel bowl with vinegar to remove any grease. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl with candy thermometer attached.
- Set the bowl over top of a pot with 1 ¼ cups water covering the bottom. Place over medium heat.
- Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture reaches 140°-160° The sugar should be dissolved in the egg whites. You can test this by placing a drop on your finger tips and rubbing them together. The mixture should be completely smooth.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring each time until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Immediately place the mixing bowl on your stand. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low for 2 minutes then increase to medium high.
- Beat for another 5 minutes. At this point, your frosting should have turned white and the body of the meringue starts to form. Increase the mixing speed to high. It will start to look glossy as the peaks begin to form. Beat for another 5-8 minutes until the bottom of your bowl is cool to the touch and your meringue has stiff peaks.
- Turn your mixer down to medium-low. Slowly add your butter, 1 tbsp at a time. As you add more butter, the frosting might appear to have curdled and lost its body, that’s ok. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Switch to the paddle attachment, add the vanilla extract and continue beating on medium-high speed until your frosting starts to form. Slowly drizzle in the chocolate and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 4 cups of frosting. With this recipe, you can frost 24 cupcakes. If you’d like to use it for a 3-layer 8-inch cake, I recommend doubling the recipe.
- To make ahead:
- Store in the fridge: In an airtight container, you can refrigerate this frosting for up to two weeks. Before using, you’ll need to bring it to room temperature and rebeat with the paddle attachment until it is silky and creamy again.
- Store in the Freezer: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw this frosting at room temperature then beat it with your paddle attachment until it is silky and creamy again.
- Storing frosted cakes and cupcakes: Desserts that are frosted with Swiss Meringue Buttercream can be stored at room temperature unless it’s hot or humid. In that case, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving.
I have made Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream several times. I use 1 pound of butter. I made the chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and wow it’s so delicious.
However it was a little loose. I kept thinking I need to use more butter but your recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups. I refrigerated it because I’m not using it for a few days. Do I reduce the butter because of the chocolate?
It had the silky texture of chocolate mousse. But I was worried it may not pipe well. 🤷♀️
My recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of butter because of the volumn of frosting I am making. I am not quite understanding the comment. Did you make THIS recipe and it was a little loose? Or another recipe?
This was the best frosting I have ever made. I have been baking birthday cakes for my family for years and always felt that traditional buttercream was too sweet and too heavy. This was light like chocolate mouse yet it held up beautifully in between the cake layers. The instructions were super easy to follow as well.
Yeah Laurie!! That’s amazing! Thank you so much for your kind words!
I tried this recipe recently a couple of times. It tasted great but my chocolate chunked up in small pieces. Is there a certain temperature when I should add it? I have tried room temp and even waiting until until it is barely warm. Please help me figure out what I am doing wrong? I have mastered the Swiss butter cream. But failing at adding chocolate to it.
Hi there, have you tried using a different chocolate? What type of chocolate are you using?
Would this recipe be suitable for a hot climate?
Hi Roneka, no this is not a good frosting for warm climates because the butter will melt very quickly
It was perfect! Very very tasty and just as silky and delicious as merengue buttercream should be!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
What happens if I use chocolate chips?
You can use chocolate chips, they just tend to be more oily, so make sure that you melt them down until they’re nice and smooth
Is this enough for a 9 by 13 inch cake?
Yes, it’s more than enough for a 9×13 inch cake, you will have leftovers
Julianne,
Can I used chocolate chips in this recipe or would a Baker’s chocolate bar be the better choice?
Thanks
Hi Molly- A Bakers chocolate bar would be a better choice if you have it, but chocolate chips will work
Hi! Thanks for sharing all these recipes.
Question: If I want to make the chocolate swiss meringue buttercream, for how long can I store it in the fridge?
Hi Mariana, I would say if you need to store it for longer than a week, you might consider freezing it. While I have frozen regular buttercream, I have not personally tried to freeze a Swiss Meringue buttercream- as you might need to do some additional research. Note that it should be at room temperature when you decorate and you may need to rewhip it a bit prior to using
Can you use super fine sugar for this or should it be regular granulated sugar?
I don’t see why you couldn’t use a super fine sugar, I just never have it, so I use regular, granulated sugar.