Troubleshooting Swiss Mirengue Buttercream

[Baking mumma]

Hey everyone,
I'm having complications with my swiss mirengue. It's endee up soupy and I've had it in the fridge overnight and it still won't harden. I sont understand where I've gone wrong. I've made the same recipe time and time again, the egg white came to stiff peaks, butter was a good temp and it just won't come together. It looks like it's curdled and soupy at the same time. Help!

 

[chassis]

Likely too warm when butter was added to the meringue.
Which region/country are you located? Making Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream during warmer weather can be challenging.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hey everyone,
I'm having complications with my swiss mirengue. It's endee up soupy and I've had it in the fridge overnight and it still won't harden. I sont understand where I've gone wrong. I've made the same recipe time and time again, the egg white came to stiff peaks, butter was a good temp and it just won't come together. It looks like it's curdled and soupy at the same time. Help!

You just didn't let it mix long enough. Swiss meringue buttercream is an emulsion.

An emulsion is two immiscible liquids that are mixed until tiny particles of one is suspended into the other.

All ingredients (liquids) have molecules. Some liquids, like water, have molecules that are polar liquids, meaning the molecules have a negative and positive end. As such, these polar liquids will easily bind with other polar liquids with the similar polarity.

Low polarity liquids do not readily bind with a high polarity liquid (e.g., oil and water) because the high polarity force essentially repels a low polarity molecule from binding to it.

But when the two immiscible liquids are agitated, we can create what appears to be a bond in the form of an emulsion.

The fat and water in the meringue buttercream need to form this emulsion.

As long as you did not over beat your egg whites, then the buttercream was simply undermixed after you added the butter. The egg whites cannot be over beaten. As long as they are between firm and stiff peak, it's fine. but over beaten egg whites will not form a proper emulsion.

When the egg whites are properly beaten, and the butter is added, the buttercream will deflate. It will then go through a horrific watery curdled looking stage. That is perfectly normal. It may take 10 minutes or more to create an emulsion. Just leave the mixer on the lowest speed and leave it. I have instructed new bakers to set a timer for 10 minutes and walk away.

The butterfat percentage in the butter will have an affect on the final texture. American butter by law is only required to contain 80% butterfat. this of course means a higher percentage of water in the butter. So it does not make the best buttercream. For those in the US I would recommend using 83% butterfat butter in meringue buttercream.

Edit: you stated the butter was a “good temperature”, so I am assuming you are meeting temperature requirements for the entire process.

Firm Peak

Stiff Peak

 

[Baking mumma]

Likely too warm when butter was added to the meringue.
Which region/country are you located? Making Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream during warmer weather can be challenging.

I'm in Australia, so we have cool weather atm and the temp in the house Was 21 at the time. The bowl was cool to the touch and the butter was soft enough to leave an indent but not failling apart.

 

[Baking mumma]

You just didn't let it mix long enough. Swiss meringue buttercream is an emulsion.

An emulsion is two immiscible liquids that are mixed until tiny particles of one is suspended into the other.

All ingredients (liquids) have molecules. Some liquids, like water, have molecules that are polar liquids, meaning the molecules have a negative and positive end. As such, these polar liquids will easily bind with other polar liquids with the similar polarity.

Low polarity liquids do not readily bind with a high polarity liquid (e.g., oil and water) because the high polarity force essentially repels a low polarity molecule from binding to it.

But when the two immiscible liquids are agitated, we can create what appears to be a bond in the form of an emulsion.

The fat and water in the meringue buttercream need to form this emulsion.

As long as you did not over beat your egg whites, then the buttercream was simply undermixed after you added the butter. The egg whites cannot be over beaten. As long as they are between firm and stiff peak, it's fine. but over beaten egg whites will not form a proper emulsion.

When the egg whites are properly beaten, and the butter is added, the buttercream will deflate. It will then go through a horrific watery curdled looking stage. That is perfectly normal. It may take 10 minutes or more to create an emulsion. Just leave the mixer on the lowest speed and leave it. I have instructed new bakers to set a timer for 10 minutes and walk away.

The butterfat percentage in the butter will have an affect on the final texture. American butter by law is only required to contain 80% butterfat. this of course means a higher percentage of water in the butter. So it does not make the best buttercream. For those in the US I would recommend using 83% butterfat butter in meringue buttercream.

Edit: you stated the butter was a “good temperature”, so I am assuming you are meeting temperature requirements for the entire process.

Firm Peak

View attachment 4559


Stiff Peak
View attachment 4558

I just has a look at the photos and egg white were stiff peaks and they were nice and glossy.
I haven't thrown out the batch because I want to know how to fix it. Its been in the freezer all day and still not frozen.
If I undermixed it initially, can it still be saved? Also, how would I know if I haven't added enough butter to begin with ?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I just has a look at the photos and egg white were stiff peaks and they were nice and glossy.
I haven't thrown out the batch because I want to know how to fix it. Its been in the freezer all day and still not frozen.
If I undermixed it initially, can it still be saved? Also, how would I know if I haven't added enough butter to begin with ?

I don’t think you can emulsify it at this point. You can give it a try, there’s nothing to be lost in trying.

Bring it up to 68°F (20°C). then try to emulsify it at the lowest speed.

I did’t have pictures of the early stages of mixing buttercream, but I found a couple online. Having a visual of what to expect might help alleviate your anxiety during the mixing process.


After adding butter it will deflate and turn soupy. Since emulsification hasn’t started there’s no solid bits yet. It doesn’t look curdled. (photo by sweetapolita)

As it begins to emulsify it will begin to look curdled. it’s important you do not stop the mixing at this point. You may even see visible free water floating on top. Just do not stop the mixer. emulsification has just begun at this point.
(photo by sweetapolita)

Eventually it will fully emulsify; it will be fluffy and smooth. (my photo)

It’s important to understand freshly made Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams without flavoring will have a very pronounced butter flavor.

So it’s very important to flavor them with chocolate, vanilla (bean, paste, or extract), other extracts, liquors, purées that have as much water as possible extracted from them.

you can also mix in add-ins such as small pieces of chopped or shaved chocolate; nuts, dried fruit, bits of candy etc.



How to flavor Italian and Swiss meringue buttercream per batch based 300g egg whites.



Extracts: Mix in any flavor of extract to taste after butter is whipped in.



Vanilla bean & paste: for vanilla flavor I prefer to use vanilla bean or paste. Use 1/2 pulp of fresh vanilla bean or 10 g vanilla bean paste per batch.



Chocolate or white chocolate: melt and cool approximately 226g (8oz) of quality chocolate. Chocolate should be fluid, but cool. Mix into buttercream.



Purées: with purées, take care as too much can ruin the buttercream. Purée should be reduced to remove as much water as possible. Cook it down, then set it over a very fine sieve to drain for several hours.



Add small portions at a time to buttercream. The moisture in purée will vary by fruit, and batch by batch. So don’t assume you can add the same amount of purée of the same fruit. Also don’t forget to sieve purée with seeds and skins like raspberries and blueberries.



Alcohol: Bailey’s Irish Cream, Grand Marnier, amaretto, rum, whiskey, or whatever liquor you like to taste. But given it is a liquid keep it around 60mL (2oz) - 100mL (3.5oz) per batch. Again add a little at a time.



Coloring: buttercream can be resistant to color due to the butter. I would NOT recommend Wilton colors. Americolor gels mixed with a bit of their Flo-coat will create a smooth even colored buttercream. The flo-coat essentially converts the gel color to a food color that can be used in applications where moisture is an issue, like in candy.

 

[Mona]

It sounds like your Swiss meringue buttercream might be too warm or overmixed. Make sure both your meringue and butter are at a similar, slightly cooler room temperature before mixing. If it's soupy, try chilling it briefly and then rewhipping it. Also, ensure you're using high-fat butter and that your meringue was fully whipped and free of moisture. These steps should help it come together properly.