This is the third time I've tried to make it by myself, and the butter won't stop separating from the egg whites! I try to beat it back together, but it still curdles like crazy. Does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Sorry you're having so much trouble with this! What recipe are you using? When I make my SMBC I heat the egg whites and sugar until all the sugar is dissolved, then whip on med.high/high speed until it is cooled and I have a nice meringue. Then I add the butter ( chilled, cut into pieces and squished a little with my hands as I add it to soften it a little) a few pieces at a time. Towards the end it looks like it's about to break, but by the time I'm done adding all the butter (and shortening depending on the weather ) it pulls together. I have never had a problem with my icing. Does this help at all?

Amber

Thank you so much....I'm using the SMBC recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I took the butter out of my refridgerator and popped it in the microwave for a second to soften it up. When I put it in, it was about room temp. Maybe I shouldn't have done this? Another thing...my meringue never looked like a real meringue...I whipped it forever and it never formed really good peaks. Maybe I had some fat in the bowl or on the whisk? Doesn't that prevent a good meringue from forming? Thanks again for helping me!

Hi there, i'm not too sure of the difference however I always make the martha stewart recipe from her website for IMBC & I make it exactly the way it says. & it turns out all the time. I always make sure the butter is cold & the I cut it into sml pieces & add it to the mixture.

What is the difference between Swiss and Italian Meringue Buttercream?

Rebekka- I think you've discovered the problem ! You definitely need to let the whites whip into a meringue before you add the butter. This can take as long as 10 minutes depending on how warm the whites are at the beginning. And yes, make sure your bowl and whip are both clean and dry- no grease should enter the equation until it's time to add the butter. You want the butter to be cold but a little soft, that is why I just squish it with my fingers as I'm adding it. Otherwise if it's too warm it will cause your meringue to break and if it's too cold and firm it will never blend completely into the meringue. Good luck next time and I hope this helps you

Amber

sweeeeeeeeeet! I will try again and I bet it will work this time. Thanks so much, Amber

Italian meringue uses a sugar syrup added to the meringue instead of heating the egg whites and sugar together. In my opinion, the swiss meringue is easier and has a softer finish, but the Italian is a little bit more stable. But I used to do Swiss meringue in Florida, and with all that heat and humudity , rarely had any trouble with it.

Amber

Sweetamber - you add shortening to your SMBC? How does that effect the taste, texture, etc...

I've made IMBC a couple times and i can't really eat it. I feel like i'm eating a sweetened slab of butter if its either too soft or too cold (just out of the fridge).

Rebekka, I always know when its time to add the butter when I feel the bowl to my KA and it feels like its room temp....meaning the egg/sugar (merengue) has made it back to room temp...then is when its perfect to add the cool butter in pieces. Dont add the butter all at once. give the KA time to blend all smoothly. Good Luck!

I do add shortening (hi-ratio only) if I know the cake is going to be in less than ideal conditions. I don't use that much, say for every stick of butter I would normally use, I will instead use 7T butter and 1T sweetex. It doesn't seem to affect the texture or flavor at all, but it really adds to the stability.

Amber

Correction: I use weight measurements for this- I am not sure that a T of butter is the same as a T of hi-ratio shortening, so let me say that I use 7oz butter and 1oz sweetex for every 8oz of butter I would normally use!

Amber

Thanks SweetAmber!