Hi all,

I'm working on my second attempt to make swiss meringue buttercream, but I fear it's not working out....again.

I'm using the recipe in Elisa Strauss' Confetti Cakes cookbook. I'm following it step by step, but it seems like it just won't stiffen up enough. I beat the meringue for 15 minutes at high speed and it still doesn't stiffen.

Any tips??

Thanks!!

Did you make sure that the bowl and the beaters and anything else that comes in contact with the egg whites are 100 percent grease free? Did you get even the tiniest drop of egg yolk in with the whites? Either one will prevent egg whites from whipping. I wipe my bowl and beaters with a paper towel dampened with white vinegar before whipping egg whites, just for extra insurance.

Google "youtube swiss meringue buttercream" and click on 1:2:3 buttercream. It works perfectly and is so easy.

Thank you both for responding, I did make sure that everything was very clean. I wiped the bowl and all utensils with a paper towel dampened with lemon juice (per the tip in Elisa's book).

I also used pasturized egg whites that come in a carton, so there shouldn't be any issue with yolk in there (I hope).

I will definitely check out the video!

The egg whites from the carton may be the problem. Others have reported problems with those.

Oh bugger, and here I thought i'd save myself some time by using them. I will try with regular eggwhites and see if that makes the difference.

One other question: I need to make this non-dairy, so I'm using margerine. Do you think that's a problem? I don't think I even got the meringue to the right consistency before I added the margerine, so I don't know.

Thanks again for the help!

Yup. Margarine won't work in meringue based buttercreams.

Sounds like i'd better abandon this idea then....

Any suggestions for non-dairy icing/buttercream of some kind, that's not grainy or super greasy? I've made the Wilton one with shortening and powdered sugar, but I just don't like the texture.

High ratio shortening is the way to go if you can't use butter. Sugarshack butter cream is da bomb in this department. Highly recommend it.

Fabulous! Thanks! Do I have to order the high-ratio stuff (Sweetex, I think) from a bakery supply, or does any supermarket carry it?

Now.....what to do with all the liquidy "SMBC" sitting in my fridge....it tastes good, but I guess useless for this. SMBC pancakes?

Heh heh...toss it. Hi ratio is not anything you find in the aisle of a supermarket. If it is in some areas, I'm jealous! Yes, it's Sweetex, Alpine, CK has some I think.

Okay, I will give it a shot. Thank you all for the help and advice!!

You might like to try the "Whipped Cream Buttercream" recipe. You can find it under frostings in the recipes section. It is smooth, fluffy and not too sweet.

Thanks, I will have a look!