I made my first batch of SMB and it tastes like I'm eating butter. Like, I could spread it on a dinner roll.

I used this recipe:

4oz (1/2 cup) egg whites
8oz (1 cup) granulated sugar
12oz (3 sticks) butter


The meringue was yummy after I beat it, but after adding the butter, YUCK!


Did I do something wrong?

I use 1 stick of salted butter, two sticks of unsalted, and add some vanilla. It taste great with flavoring....like warm vanilla soft serve. YUM!

Don't give up. Its yummy once you find a good recipe and master it.

you didn't use any extracts or flavoring? The recipe I use calls for vanilla and I substitute other flavors to compliment the cake

You didn't add any flavor. I would recommend 1/4 tsp almond extract and 3/4 tsp vanilla extract. Or just 1 tsp vanilla.

Like others have stated, my MBC recipes call for flavorings. (I use pure vanilla extract only.) I've been told when I make it that it tastes like light, airy, whipped cream. I'd suggest adding flavorings, or maybe trying another recipe. Definitely worth trying again! HTH!!!

You have to add lots of flavoring to it. You could also use white cream de cocoa along with vanilla.

smbc needs LOTS of flavoring and should be eaten at room temp....no flavoring or eating it cold and you get that butter thing going on .

with this recipe, i think the flavoring amount would be more in line with 2 tablespoons liquid flavoring or 3 TBS if the flavoring is a puree. it takes more to flavor smbc than PS buttercreams.

Hi,
I do not know for sure but all of the SMB taste very buttery and lightly sweet and very fluffy/smooth. Some people love it and some do not.
Here is the recipe that I use. My husband goes crazy for this!
1 1/4 C sugar
1/3 C water
5 large eggs
pinch of tartar
1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and 1/3 cup water to a boil, and boil until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (a candy thermometer should read 238 degrees).
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar medium high/high until the mixture itself is stiff but not dry.
With the mixer running, pour the sugar syrup into the egg-white mixture in a steady stream, and beat on high speed until steam is no longer visible, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, piece by piece, on medium speed.
Add the vanilla extract, and beat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. You can add flavor and or color at this point colors will darken. Mix in jellies, jams or cut up berries.
***THIS ALWAYS LOOKS CURDLED...JUST KEEP BEATING NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES...IT WILL COME TOGETHER (I have had it take 15 minutes before!)

Hope that helps,
Suzi

I just read the others posts...I do agree add more flavor!
I always add more vanilla then called for. But I do it to my taste and just thought it was me...I love vanilla and lots of it.
Mix in raspberry jelly/jam and look out it ROCKS!
Suzi

Thanks guys. Yeah, the recipe I used didn't say anything about flavorings. Maybe that's why. I'm doing a different recipe now. (it's in the beating stage...) LOL

Also, when I added my butter, it didn't look curdled or anything. (even the old recipe said it would). Is that because my butter was too soft? It was sitting on the counter most of the day, so pretty soft.

Thank you! We'll see how this one turns out.....

I've not made meringue buttercreams often, but the first time I did it, I hated it. I had added vanilla as flavoring, but didn't like the butter flavor (and I LOVE me some butter), so it didn't make sense to me. Went to make another batch, unwrapped the sticks of butter and smelled what I hadn't liked the taste of in the first batch. So made it with a different brand of butter, and discovered I don't like the taste of Land O Lakes butter...never really had noticed until butter was the main flavor...

So do give it a try again, you might like it.

I love SMBC! for the recipe you specified I usually put 2-3 TABLESPOONS of vanilla or whatever flavoring I use. sounds like alot, but it almost makes it taste like whipped cream. I can eat it with a spoon LOL

hm. This one isn't much better. I am using Land O Lakes butter... maybe I should try Challenge or something.... Challenge seems to not have such a "butter" flavor.

MalibuBakinBarbie

I too do not like the strong butter flavor and have struggled with the curdled look. I have had a frosting that tasted like Whipped Cream. Would you pleaseeee share your recipe?

Thanks
betty

I prefer to use unsalted butter with the SMBC. Here are the ingredients for the recipe I use:

5 large egg whites
1 c. plus 2 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
3 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

I made the well dressed SMBC and added 2 TB real vanilla. It still wasn't good.

One day I made a whole bunch of IMBC and SMBC, playing around with different recipes. Finally I just gave up. Way too buttery for me. But one thing I didn't try was adding more flavoring. Please let us know if you find something that works for you, tmelrose.

The second time I made this recipe I felt like I had a lump of butter stuck in my throat. My friends licked it up though. I had made it before and it didn't taste anything like that but I think I used less butter that time, but that was because I didn't read the recipe correctly lol

Mamawrobin has written about SMBC and she adds white chocolate to hers. I couldn't find the post where she said how much white chocolate though. If anyone tries it again with white chocolate let me know how it turns out versus your original recipe.

for 4 sticks butter/5eggs/1.25 cups sugar, you can add up to 1/4 cup plus 2TBS melted and cooled chocolate.

I use SMBC almost exclusively. I use Martha Stewarts recipe (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/swiss-meringue-buttercream-for-white-cupcakes). I use pasturized egg whites in the carton (Naturegg Simply Egg Whites) and my store brand unsalted Country Churned Butter (about $0.19 more than regular unsalted). I follow the recipe exactly and it turns out wonderfully EVERY time. You're also right about the "curdled" look - if your butter and your meringue were approximately the same temp when mixed, you usually won't get the curdled look. If your butter is colder, the first few tablespoons cause it to get soupy and curdled, when you get to the last 1/4 cup of butter, it all comes together like a dream. The consensus among my friends, family, and clients is that it tastes like melted ice cream.

So, If I hate the "whipped" icing at grocery stores because of the texture, I probably won't like SMBC right? My issue is a texture issue...

Thank you! I think I will give it a shot and see!