Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream 🤍
Brown Butter (Makes 560 g of brown butter):
700 g unsalted butter
Directions for Brown Butter:
Depending on how many sticks of butter you are browning, use a small, medium, or large saucepan. Add the unsalted butter to the pan and place it on medium heat. (You can use cold butter straight from the fridge; it will just take a bit longer to melt.)
Once the butter melts, it will start foaming, possibly splattering and forming big bubbles. If it splatters too much, lower the heat to medium-low. Eventually, the bubbles will become much smaller, and the butter will “quiet down.”
Stir continuously and watch the butter turn into a golden amber color, forming tiny brown/dark flecks at the bottom of the pan. You will also start smelling a nutty aroma when it’s ready. This process will take about 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the amount of butter.
Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the brown butter into a heatproof container. Scrub off any caramelized pieces/flecks from the sides and bottom of the pan.
Let it cool to room temperature and solidify into a creamy, pliable consistency. Alternatively, refrigerate overnight. Take it out 1 hour before making the buttercream.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients:
300 g carton egg whites (or fresh egg whites from approximately 9 eggs)
250 g caster or superfine sugar
1/4 tsp salt
560 g room temperature brown butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions for Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
Prepare a double boiler: Use a pot slightly larger than your mixing bowl. Fill it with water and place it on medium-high heat.
Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a lemon juice- or vinegar-saturated paper towel. Place egg whites, caster sugar, and salt into the mixing bowl. Place the bowl into the pot with the boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Whisk the egg whites/sugar mixture continuously until the thermometer reaches 140°F (60°C), about 3 minutes. Check the mixture with your fingers to make sure there are no grains of sugar.
Transfer the mixing bowl to a stand mixer and whisk on low speed, gradually increasing to high. Mix for 8 minutes until stiff peaks form. (When you pull out the whisk, the peaks should slightly curve.)
Decrease the speed to medium and slowly add the brown butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing on high for 4 minutes.
If the buttercream looks soupy, don’t worry. The consistency will change as you continue adding butter.
After 4 minutes, reduce the speed to low and mix for another 2-4 minutes (or longer) to remove excess bubbles/air.