Italian Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

• 8 oz. egg whites
• Water as needed
• 16 oz. granulated sugar
• 1 lb. 8 oz. unsalted butter, 65-70F
• 1/8 oz. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place the whites in a clean mixer with a whip attachment. Set aside.
2. Place the sugar and enough water to cover the sugar in a clean pot. Stir slightly.
3. On high heat, boil the sugar. Wash the sides of the pot down with a clean pastry brush dipped in water as needed to remove any sugar crystals. Cook the sugar to 238F.
4. Once the sugar reaches 238F, begin to whip the whites on high speed.
5. When the sugar reaches 240F (soft ball stage), pour a thin, steady stream into the whites on medium-low speed. Be careful not to hit the whip with the sugar.
6. Continue mixing on high speed until stiff peaks occur. Bowl should be just warm to the touch.
7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the soft butter in while mixing. It will look lumpy at first, but raise the speed to medium and then high to encourage emulsion, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If the bowl is too cold, warm slightly over a bain marie. If bowl is too warm, spread icing on sheet pan and refrigerate about 5 minutes, then return to bowl and continue whipping.
8. Once the buttercream is smooth, creamy, and ivory-white, add the vanilla and mix again on high speed until fully-combined.
9. Use immediately or chill.
10. Reconstituting: Warm the butter cream to 65-70F and paddle on medium-high speed until desired texture is reached.