* I used strawberry flavored candy canes, because those are my favorite, but you can also use peppermint flavored candy canes or vanilla flavored candy canes. If you're using peppermint flavored candy canes, I suggest using only 6 medium-sized candy canes (65g or 2.25 ounces) and 195g (or 1 cup - 1 teaspoon) of granulated sugar instead of the 130g of sugar).
** The candy cane buttercream is made with Italian meringue. Although this meringue is made by pouring hot sugar syrup onto egg whites, the syrup is not hot enough to pasteurize the egg whites. Therefore, it is recommended that you not serve this buttercream to kids under the age of 5, the elderly, pregnant women or sick people.