AI am confused with all the different variations of SMBC out there. I've not ever used Crumb Boss' recipe (which is more a hybrid of ABC &SMBC) but wanted to try true SMBC this week. I always thought that the ratios were 1:2:3 ( egg whites: sugar: butter) but have seen so many different ratios out there .

I was going to try Jen' s ( FromScratch SF) and the sugar measurement seems low. Now, I am used to sweet (ABC)- can I up the amount of sugar without compromising the recipe?

Jessica Harris has a recipe on her Craftst class and the measurements are 10 oz whites, 20 oz sugar and 25 oz butter. Peggy does Cake has one that calls for a 1:2:2 ratio on her whites: sugar: eggs.

I'm just so confused as to which will work.

Any suggestions from those who use SMBC? Thanks!

I love Jennifer Bratko's recipe!  I've made it several times and it's so wonderfully smooth.  Her tutorial is perfect.  I do adjust the sugar to what my customer wants though.  Sometimes I add a bit more if the customer wants a sweeter frosting. Her recipe is my go to for SMBC. 

AYeah, I am thinking of adding more sugar. How much extra do you add? My family and I are used to a sweeter icing so u am trying to adjust them to a non- shortening and powdered sugar icing.

Thanks!

i use margaret braun's--

• 1 & 1/3 cups butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

i've never even thought to tweak it ;)

love it as is

i have it multiplied out to fit my different mixers

from the title of this--i was thinking that this thread might have been about how martha stewart got imbc and smbc confused in one of her books--i'm glad that didn't catch anyone off guard in this thread

but it's truly crazy how all the icing recipe ratios and even the names of them are all different and interchangeable and then you get the differences from country to country and wow you or at least i used to get overwhelmed with it sometimes--but the martha thing was just a booboo but it does add to the confusion array sometimes

but once you land on a formula that works for you you're sold--never leave home without it ;)

The only recipe I've used (only because she made it look dead easy!), is Sweetapolita's.  I've never had a problem with it, and her tutorial is great.

http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/

I learned to make SMBC with Jen's (From Scratch/Beyond Buttercream) recipe and it always work.

I have doubled and half the recipe depending on how much I need without problems. I have also up the sugar about an ounce more per recipe without any problems. 

I tried Jessicakes recipe which I think is same as Elisa Strauss and did not really like the consistency and way too much butter for me. 

ASweetopolita's is my go-to. I've never tried any other recipe. Although I am slightly curious to try another for comparison.

njsugarmamma--for a comparison

this is sweetapolita's ingredients

• 10 large, fresh egg whites (300 g)
• 2-1/2 cups (500 g) sugar
• 3 cups (680 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (20 ml) pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

then closely matching the egg whites at 10 for sweetapolita and 9 for m braun's vanilla buttercream is

• 9 whites
• 2 & 1/4 c sugar
• 4 c butter
• 3 tablespoons vanilla

so m braun is down one egg white and also goes down in sugar just a bit and up in butter considerably

interesting huh?

i tried adding a little salt once--didn't work for me and i tried substituting a little bit of shortening in for some butter without good results

i'm not familiar with the formula jennifer uses

i guess i should have this all weighed out...

AThanks for all the replies. I looked at Saeetopolitas as well and might try it. What threw me off about Jen's was that it seems like a lot of butter in comparison to the amount of sugar.

what is jen's?

AJen's is 6.25 oz egg whites, 7 oz sugar and a pound (16 oz- unless my math is off) of butter

so if my conversion is right jen's is appox

• 6 whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups butter

m braun's is

• 6 whites
• 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 & 2/3 c butter

and they all work--baking is the wildest thing ever

you just gotta pick one and go with it

but come to think of it--over the years from time to time i'd kinda freak out about the proportion of sugar seeming awfully small--i would sometimes check check and double check but it always has worked and it's always good  dynamite

but we only need enough sugar to make a nice meringue then whip in the butter so it does make sense when you think of it that way

I love Sweetapolita's too. It's so delicious!

A

I get that smbc is generally a very buttery buttercream compared to American bc...but Sweetopolita's is as buttery as I can handle. I couldn't imagine adding another cup. Eeek!

Thanks for the breakdown...I think I've lost my curiosity. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...so they say:)

Most of the time I use ganchche but when I do buttercream I use Jen's recipe but cut down how much butter I use and use more meringue as I found most SMBC's too buttery but ABC's too sweet.

AHi all, I'm a new on here! Just wanted to ask if anyone has a UK Version of IndyDebi's buttercream recipe? I came across her recipe when I was looking for a cutting chart, which is great! I live in the UK so I can use all butter. Also, I love her cutting charts but if my cake was around 6-7 inches in height would you slice it more thinly?

ABy the way, I do scale all my ingredients and don't use the cup methods.

I read this last week and thought I would try the Crumb Boss' recipe (which is more a hybrid of ABC &SMBC) on my cupcakes for easter. Don't like it, Looks good, taste is ok but dont like the texture, feels slimmy, not light and whipped like my ABC.

I hope its okay if I sneak in to ask my own SMBC question--I tried Three Little Blackbirds' SMBC recipe this weekend and it turned out well, but it calls for 1/4 cup of vanilla extract; given the size of the recipe (10, 15, 20) that didn't seem like too much, but when I tasted it, I felt like that flavor wasn't right.  I'm not sure if it was the brand of vanilla I used, or just the amount, but it wasn't a nice, rounded vanilla-y taste--almost too flat, or chemically (I did use pure vanilla extract, not imitation)-- I'm not sure how to describe it.

Is there a typical flavoring ratio for SMBC? and what are the usual amounts of vanilla (and/or other flavors) people use in SMBC?
 

I have tried several recipes and found the cream to be too buttery. The last couple of times I made it with less butter and it came out smooth and yummy.

my tweaked recipe is  3/4 cup egg whites, 1 1/2 cup sugar  and  1 1/2 cups (12 ozs.) butter . I use half salted and half unsalted butter. and of course flavouring of your choice.

I think as with anything, you'll need to try several different recipes before you find the one you really like.  I like Jen's scientific explanation behind how SMBC comes together.  Her SMBC is very tasty, although I do up the sugar content just a bit for my own personal taste preference.

I have also made the SMBC from the Woodland Bakery Blog (former CrumbBoss), and I really like it as well, although it is not a traditional SMBC.

When I was first getting into cake decorating, I tried five or six different ABC recipes before deciding which one I preferred.

My advice is to try several different recipes and see which one you prefer, and go with it.

I m making hers again this week , it tastes so good MMMMmmmm