Italian Meringue Buttercream

If you want a cake that tastes like it came from a professional, this frosting is a great place to start! It is much easier to make than I had originally thought. The recipe here is the "base" recipe, that can then easily be flavored in a variety of ways (I list some of them below). The cake above is my 4th of July Cake. I made a batch of the base and flavored half with vanilla and half with raspberry.

• 5 egg whites
• 10 ounces (1 ¼ cup) extra-fine granulated sugar, divided
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter

Separate the egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment. Measure 1 cup sugar and the water into a 1-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently stir to combine. Measure the remaining ¼ cup sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and set aside in a medium bowl.

Make the sugar syrup by heating the 1 cup of sugar and the water in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Partially cover with a lid to capture the evaporating water—this helps to moisten the sides of the saucepan to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Use candy thermometer to monitor temperature.

As syrup is heating, begin whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks. When the peaks are stiff, you have a meringue. Keep the mixer running and pour the ¼ cup of sugar into the meringue.

Raise the heat under the sugar syrup to bring the syrup to 245°F, if it is not there already. When the syrup is at 245°F, remove the thermometer and slowly pour the syrup into the meringue (while the mixer is still running on high speed). After 1 to 2 minutes reduce the mixer speed to medium for 3 to 4 more minutes, or until the meringue is cooled. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated.

Note: This frosting is called BUTTERcream for a reason—it has lots of butter. The butter makes it thicker, but you can get away with adding less butter. I recommend experimenting with it to see what you like best, as far as consistency and flavor. I think you could get away with adding 3 sticks of butter instead of 4 (maybe even less).

The following flavorings can be added to the base recipe for Italian Meringue Buttercream:

Vanilla: 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate: ½ cup melted bittersweet chocolate
Raspberry: ¼ to ½ cup raspberry puree (see separate recipe)
Lemon: 2 T. limoncello
Orange: 1 tsp. orange oil
Lime: 1 tsp. lime oil