Is it possible to purchase Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream pre-made and in bulk? i have been asked to teach a basic decorating class using only buttercream. There will about 10 students and I have been asked to provide the buttercream I use as people really enjoy it. I always use SMBC or IMBC on my cakes and rarely ever use an american style buttercream. As this is a very basic beginners class I don't think most people attending will be willing to make their own buttercream. I don't really want to have to make that much buttercream as I am just a home baker. Can it be purchased anywhere pre-made? I don't like the way most commercial shortening based buttercreams taste so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Sonia

I, too, am a big fan of SMBC  However, the one time I taught a small class, I used ABC. I did provide small real cakes to decorate, so they may have been eaten, but maybe not. The focus was the decorating and not the taste and I mentioned the variety of frosting choices available and the advantages/disadvantages of each.  ABC  is less expensive, quicker to make, stiffer and sturdier, and can easily be thinned and colored for different applications.  The Whimsical Bakehouse type ABCs made with hot water and hi-ratio shortening are not as good as SMBC IMHO but quite good and my go to for kids cakes and I think a good option for demos.  

meringue icings are heat sensitive and would be my last choice to teach anyone to pipe -- the icing would melt while they get accustomed to squeezing the bag -- the best icing for teaching piping to me is royal -- it's a breeze to clean up -- next choice american

I agree that making SMBC or IMBC to teach a class is a waste of time. As yortma said, it’s all about learning the basics. You can make a batch of SMBC to show the class what is possible in different types of icing. When I was learning, about 100 years ago, I was taught to to make American buttercream. Teacher said was easiest and cheapest. She said we had to get the hang of making and icing cakes smoothly.  I used exclusively ABC for many years until I felt confident in trying other icings. 

Thank you everyone for the advice.  I will go for ABC.  It is a lot easier to mix and I am sure the students can handle it.