Easy Mock Swiss Meringue Buttercream (My Go-To Bakery Buttercream)

Rachel Noel
Mar 18
3 min read

From American Buttercream to Meringue Buttercream

When I first started working in bakeries years ago, including my time at Gambino’s and other South Louisiana bakeries, the standard was almost always American buttercream.

This style of buttercream was:

Very heavy
Made mostly with shortening
Extremely sweet
Designed to crust over

There was a time when this was ideal, especially for old-school wave piping styles and traditional bakery decorating. Shortening was used because it has a higher melting point than butter, making it more heat stable in Louisiana weather.

But it also came with a lot of drawbacks.

The Problems I Found with American Buttercream

While shortening-based buttercream technically held up to heat, I constantly ran into other issues:

The buttercream was so thick and heavy that it would sometimes pull away or slump on the sides of cakes during transport, especially in warm conditions.

It also:

Didn't give clean sharp edges
Was difficult to smooth properly
Didn't have a refined texture
Was overly sweet

Another major issue was chilling cakes. Normally you can refrigerate or freeze buttercream cakes to firm them up for smoother finishes, but shortening doesn’t firm the same way butter does. This made achieving clean professional finishes much harder.

I made it work for years because that was what the industry used, but I knew there had to be something better.

Discovering Meringue Buttercreams

As soon as I had the opportunity, I started working more with Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams.

Italian meringue buttercream is still one of the most stable buttercreams available and I still respect it for that. However, making it requires cooking sugar syrup to precise temperatures and carefully incorporating it into meringue.

It’s fantastic — but not beginner friendly and very time consuming to teach in a class setting.

Swiss meringue buttercream is slightly easier, but still requires cooking egg whites over heat.

I wanted something:

Easier to teach
Faster to make
More approachable for beginners
Still professional quality

Finding the Mock Swiss Method

Many years ago I stumbled across a blog post discussing a simplified version of Swiss buttercream using pasteurized egg whites. At first I was skeptical because I had never seen it used in southern bakeries.

After researching further, I discovered many northern bakeries and pastry chefs were already using this exact method.

It made perfect sense:Cooler climates meant less concern about melting, and the method removed the need to cook egg whites.

The more I researched and tested, the more I realized this method had huge advantages.

So I started experimenting.

Tweaking It Into My Own Version

After testing and adjusting the ratios and mixing process to match my taste preferences and decorating needs, I developed a version I was truly happy with.

This buttercream:

Uses similar ingredients to Swiss meringue
Requires no cooking
Uses pasteurized egg whites for safety
Comes together quickly
Is beginner friendly

And best of all:No separating eggs.

Anyone who has cracked dozens of eggs knows how nice that is.

The Buttercream I Use in My Bakery Today

Since opening It's Just a Cookie in 2022, this has been my primary buttercream.

It chills beautifully, which allows me to:

Get sharp edges
Achieve smooth finishes
Create professional cake structure

While you do still need good spatula technique, it performs far better than American buttercream for modern cake decorating.

And yes… this does mean you cannot use the old paper towel smoothing trick from crusting buttercream.

(Sorry to anyone who loved that method.)

Why I Prefer This Buttercream

Compared to American buttercream, I find this buttercream:

Lighter

Stronger structurally

Much smoother

Less sweet

More professional tasting

The texture falls somewhere between American buttercream and whipped cream:

Smooth
Silky
Lightly sweet
Clean vanilla flavor

It feels refined instead of heavy.

Why This Buttercream Works So Well for Teaching

One of the biggest reasons I adopted this recipe was because I teach.

I needed something:

Students could succeed with
That didn’t require advanced sugar work
That produced consistent results

This method checks all those boxes.

Students can focus on decorating skills instead of fighting complicated buttercream techniques.

Final Thoughts

There is nothing wrong with American buttercream. It has its place, especially for certain styles of decorating.

But for modern cakes, smoother finishes, better flavor, and easier handling, this mock Swiss buttercream has become my clear winner.

After years of testing buttercreams in both commercial kitchens and my own bakery, this is the one I continue to come back to.

Simple. Reliable. Professional.

And most importantly — it tastes good.

Problem #1 – Buttercream Looks Curdled or Like Mashed Potatoes

This is the most common issue, and most people assume the buttercream is too warm. In reality, it is usually too cold.
How to recognize this:
Your buttercream may:
Look like mashed potatoes
Appear broken or chunky
Have small pieces of fat visible
Look unstable
If you look very closely, you may even see tiny droplets of moisture separating from the fat. This is a sign the butter is too cold and hasn’t fully emulsified.
How to fix it:
You just need to warm the mixture slightly.
Easy fix method:
Remove about ¼ of the buttercream.
Place it in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave just until it becomes soft and slightly melted (not hot).
With the mixer running on low-medium speed, slowly pour it back into the main batch.
Continue mixing until smooth.
This usually fixes the issue within a minute or two.
(Professional note: I personally use a blowtorch on my metal bowl, but the microwave method is much safer for most people.)

Problem #2 – Buttercream Looks Smooth but Too Soft

This is what buttercream looks like when it is actually too warm.
How to recognize this:
It will look:
Smooth
Glossy
Creamy
Similar to whipped cream
But it will lack structure and feel too soft to hold shape.
Think of it like warm whipped cream — it looks correct, but doesn't have stability.
How to fix it:
Simply cool it slightly:
Place bowl in refrigerator for 10–15 minutes
Remix
Usually this problem is much less common than butter being too cold.

Problem #3 – Buttercream Looks Too Yellow

Good butter usually has more natural yellow color, which often means better flavor. Unfortunately, this can make your buttercream slightly off-white instead of bright white.
How to fix the color:
Option 1 – Color correction (best method)
Add a tiny drop of purple food coloring to neutralize the yellow tone.
Important:
Use a toothpick amount only.
Too much will cause:
Gray tone
Purple tint
Dull looking buttercream
Less is always more.
Option 2 – Whip longer
Whipping longer incorporates more air which lightens the color.
Downside:
Adds air bubbles
Can affect final cake finish

Pro Tip – How to Get Ultra Smooth Buttercream

If you want extremely smooth buttercream (especially for cakes), switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment.
How to do it:
Switch to paddle attachment.
Mix on lowest speed (KitchenAid "Stir").
Let run 10–15 minutes.
This removes large air bubbles and creates a:
Smoother texture
Creamier feel
More professional finish
Velvety consistency
When this step matters most:
Very important for:
Cake frosting
Sharp edges
Smooth finishes
Not really necessary for:
Cupcakes
Simple piping
Casual decorating
Final Reality Check
Buttercream is very forgiving. Almost every problem can be corrected with:
Temperature adjustment
More mixing
Slight warming or cooling
Most mistakes are fixable.

Notes

Step 1 – Combine liquids
Add egg whites, vanilla, and salt to your mixing bowl.
Using the whisk attachment, mix on medium speed for about 5–10 seconds just to combine.

Step 2 – Add powdered sugar
Add all powdered sugar to the bowl.
Mix on medium-high speed until fully combined. This usually takes 1–2 minutes.

Step 3 – Add butter
Begin adding softened butter while the mixer runs on medium-high speed.
Your butter should be:
Soft but still solid
About 70–72°F
Not greasy or melted
(I usually soften mine in a warm room or microwave for just a few seconds.)
Continue mixing until the buttercream fully comes together. This usually takes 3–5 minutes.
Important:
Colder butter = longer mixing time
Properly softened butter = faster mixing
Slightly warmer (but still solid) butter mixes the easiest

Step 4 – Finish mixing
Continue mixing until the buttercream becomes smooth, light, and fluffy.
Add gel food coloring if desired and mix until incorporated.

Instructions

3 cups unsalted butter

6 cups powdered sugar

¾ cup pasteurized egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

Gel food coloring (optional)

Buttercream

Easy Buttercream (Easy Swiss)

Head Chef

Rachel Noel

women chef with white background (3) (1).jpg

average rating is 5 out of 5

This is my go-to “mock Swiss” buttercream when I want the texture of Swiss meringue buttercream without the extra steps of cooking egg whites. It’s smooth, stable, not overly sweet, and perfect for filling and covering cakes. This buttercream whips up beautifully white, takes color well, and is great for both beginners and professionals.

Servings :

20-24

Calories:

231 Calories / Serve

Prep Time

10 min

Mix Time

15 min

Rest

Total Time

10-15 min