Perfect Swiss Meringue
Perfect Swiss Meringue is a silky, glossy, and smooth-textured meringue that pipes and decorates beautifully, and it tastes like the best homemade marshmallow in spreadable form.
Have you always thought of Swiss Meringue as taunting & intimidating to make? Truth be told, it’s very easy to make, and when you realize the possibilities of what you can use it for, you’ll be making it often.
Meringue sometimes brings with it a bad reputation, and I believe that’s because so many people think of meringue in one form only…that high piled meringue on top of Grandma’s Meringue Pies. I have found, especially with the younger generation, that whipped cream is favored over meringue on top of pies. With that being said, that is not the only way to eat meringue. There are actually three types of meringue, Swiss, French, and Italian, and each of them can be made into different delectable sweets and desserts.
Today, we’ll talk about how to make perfect Swiss Meringue. By itself, it tastes like the most delicious homemade marshmallow cream and it can also be turned into a delectable Swiss Meringue Buttercream by adding butter. Today we’ll just stick to regular Swiss Meringue.
Swiss Meringue Easy Steps
Swiss Meringue is made by simply heating egg whites, sugar, a pinch of salt, and cream of tartar in a bowl over simmering water until the sugar has dissolved. Then it’s simply a matter of whipping it a mixing bowl until it reaches stiff shiny peaks. I’ll show you…
- Add the egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar to a medium heatproof bowl, (or to the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer). Whisk to combine.
- Place bowl over a medium pan of simmering water. Make sure water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk egg white mixture constantly for up to 3-4 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. Check by rubbing a small amount of the mixture between two fingers. If it feels smooth and no longer grainy or gritty, it’s ready to be removed from the pan of water. Add the vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, if you don’t already have it in the mixer bowl. Whisk mixture on low speed for a few seconds, gradually increasing speed to high. Whisk until mixture becomes stiff, and looks glossy and satiny. Peaks should stand on their own.
Ways to use Swiss Meringue
Swiss Meringue can be used to…
- Pipe on top of cupcakes
- Frost cakes
- Pile high on a pie then broil
- Sandwich between cookies
- Make a pavlova and fill with fresh fruit or a curd filling
- Make S’mores
- Make Swiss Meringe Buttercream
The possibilities are endless, and trust me your kids will love it on top of cupcakes!
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Perfect Swiss Meringue
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Frostings
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Description
Perfect Swiss Meringue is a silky, glossy, and smooth-textured meringue that pipes and decorates beautifully, and it tastes like the best homemade marshmallow in spreadable form.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 3/4 cups sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar to a medium heatproof bowl, (or to the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer). Whisk to combine.
- Place bowl over a medium pan of simmering water. Make sure water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk egg white mixture constantly for up to 3-4 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. Check by rubbing a small amount of the mixture between two fingers. If it feel smooth and no longer grainy or gritty, it’s ready to be removed from the pan of water. Add the vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, if you don’t already have it in the mixer bowl. Whisk mixture on low speed for a few seconds, gradually increasing speed to high. Whisk until mixture becomes stiff, and looks glossy and satiny. Peaks should stand on their own.
- Keep refrigerated. Use within three days.
Notes
- *Yields enough meringue for 12 cupcakes or one nine-inch cake layer. The recipe can be doubled for twenty-four cupcakes or one double-layer cake, however, I recommend making the recipe twice, instead of doubling it.
- The egg whites in this recipe are heated to a safe temperature for safe consumption. If you’re concerned, use a thermometer and make sure the mixture reaches 160 degrees.
Original post 9-16-19. Updated on 2-26-21.
How do you properly store after making? If refrigerated does it get the little liquid beads on the outside?
Hi Katie, Using cream of tartar is one thing that helps eliminate the little beads that form. Also under or over baking meringue can cause this. If you’re spreading it over pie, make sure the pie filling is hot so the meringue gets cooked underneath. If it’s not, it will form little beads later. Oven temperature matters too. 325 degrees is the best. Yes, it should be refrigerated.
Thank you for this recipe! Can you add food coloring to the frosting?
Hi Katie, Yes you certainly can.
I think THIS is the frosting Momma made for my cherry chip birthday cakes! The cake was from a box (mix) and I remember she had to cook the frosting!
Stunning and delicious!
I’ve used this recipe to top my chocolate pie several times, and it’s so far been absolutely perfect each time. Don’t skimp on time or steps….the dbl boiler method is easy and the results are flawless. The meringue is absolutely delicious, and use clear vanilla extract so as not to dampen the white meringue.
Hi Steven, Thanks so much for the feedback! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it.