Maple Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This is the icing that I used as a filling in half of my husbands birthday cake. I like using swiss meringue buttercream as they are not sweet and I do not have an issue with the sugars in them. It is rather annoying to make, but the end result is well worth it. Seeing how I cannot use real maple syrup I used an artificial maple extract in its place. Feel free to try this recipe with real maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Maple Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

9 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 lbs butter, softened, but slightly chilled
1 cup agave syrup
Maple extract to taste (I used approx 2 tbsp)

Preparation:

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Combine egg whites and agave in a fairly large glass or metal bowl that can be safely help over a double boiler type set up for a fairly long time. Keep the water at a simmer for the during of this portion of the process. Whisking constantly heat the mixture to 160 degrees F. If you don't mix constantly you run the risk of having scrambled eggs. Once the mixture reaches 150 degrees F switch from a whisk to a hand mixer and on low speed beat the eggs until they reach soft peaks.

Have the butter in chunks, chilling in the fridge while dealing with the eggs. Add the butter to the egg mixture a few chunks at a time and continue to mix until the mixture reaches stiff peaks. Towards the end add in the extract.

Chill until use.