What on earth is the difference between American and Swiss Meringue Buttercream? Let us help!

 
This is one we've been meaning to add to the website for a while since this is probably one of the most frequently asked questions. We get it—if we didn't spend all our time baking, we probably wouldn’t know the differences either.

We aren't here to bore you with a super long explanation of what making different versions of these buttercreams entail, but if you do want us to bore you with the finer details for any reason, feel free to drop us a message :). If you don't want to read the long version, then the ''TLDR'' section is for you!

TL;DR: American buttercream (ABC) is generally much sweeter than Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC). ABC is usually made from butter, icing sugar, salt, and flavouring, while SMBC is made from egg whites (or pasteurized egg whites), butter, granulated sugar (or icing sugar), salt, and preferred flavouring. There are no right or wrongs, its just completely based off preference. 

American Buttercream (ABC) - This is your standard buttercream most us bakers offer. You’ve definitely had this buttercream at some point. It’s generally a bit sweeter than most buttercreams, depending on how it’s made, and it’s the "go-to" buttercream for most people. It’s made with butter, icing sugar, salt, vanilla (or preferred flavoring), and sometimes milk or cream.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) - This buttercream is a lot creamier, less sweet, and best described as tasting like "air" due to its super light texture.

There are two different types of SMBC that we offer:

Mock Swiss Meringue Buttercream: For those who prefer sweet buttercream but not as sweet as American buttercream, this is a great option for you. We describe it as a hybrid between American and Swiss Meringue buttercream. It’s made from pasteurized egg whites, butter, salt, icing sugar, and preferred flavouring.

Actual Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Our personal favourite! It’s made from egg whites, granulated sugar, salt, butter, and preferred flavouring. Don’t worry, the egg whites aren’t raw! The egg whites and sugar are heated together until they reach a temperature of around 71 degrees Celsius, then whipped into a meringue, and finally into Swiss Meringue buttercream once the butter is incorporated (We did say we wouldn’t bore you! Oops).
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The Swiss meringue buttercream is really popular among people who have concerns around ''sweet and sickly cakes''. We absolutely love the creamy texture of this buttercream as you can barely taste the sweetness. It balances so well on any type of cake and is definitely our most recommended buttercream to all our customers.

Please note: The swiss meringue buttercream does use a lot more butter than any other other type of buttercream we offer. As such, it can be an acquired taste and some people may think its too buttery! Wouldn't hurt to try though right?

We hope this little section helps, and if for any reason anything is unclear, please feel free to reach out.
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Team Enchanted Bakes x