Community Pick
Fluffy White Frosting
"This is a favorite of my family's (especially my 16 year old--the only frosting she will ever make). It is in response to a request on the boards. If you are planning to use this on a chocolate cake, clear vanilla will produce a stark white frosting that contrasts beautifully with the chocolate. This is a light, fluffy frosting and doesn't over-power the flavor of any cake that you choose to top with it. My daughters also like to spread it on graham crackers for 'graham cracker sandwiches'."
photo by PaulaG
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Yields:
-
1 cake topping
ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄3 cup water
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 dash salt
- 2 egg whites, unbeaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
directions
- Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in saucepan.
- Bring to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Very slowly add sugar syrup to unbeaten egg whites in mixing bowl, beating constantly with electric mixer until stiff peaks form (about 7 minutes).
- Beat in vanilla.
- Frosts tops and sides of two 8 or 9-inch layers, or one 10-inch tube or one 9x13 pan.
Questions & Replies
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Why does this frosting look runny in so many pictures? -
Does the icing need to be refrigerated after the cake is iced?
Reviews
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PERFECTION! I got a hankering for some fluffy frosting like my grandma used to make but had no idea how to make it. I took a chance and tried this recipe - PERFECT!<br/><br/>For those who have had a hard time getting the frosting to "fluff" properly, try these tips:<br/>Separate your eggs and allow the whites to come to room temperature before beating.<br/><br/>Boil your sugar-water combination before you begin beating the whites.<br/><br/>Use a stand mixer if possible, but if not, be prepared to continue beating the whites while you pour in the sugar syrup.<br/><br/>You may want to transfer the syrup to a glass measuring cup to make it easier to pour it into the egg whites.<br/><br/>Begin beating your egg whites and after about one minute, slowly --ever-so-slowly-- begin trickling the syrup into the whites (while continuing to beat them.) <br/><br/>If you pour the syrup in too quickly, the whites will not be able to incorporate the syrup into the "fluff" properly and you will end up with soup.<br/><br/>The one change I will make next time is to try almond extract instead of vanilla when frosting a white cake. I'll bet that would be a yummy combination! -
I love marshmallow creme and was really looking forward to this frosting. However, even after whipping/beating it for almost 30 minutes, it never set up properly. I finally just gave up, iced the cake and then put it in the fridge. However, even though it didn't set up properly, it had a wonderful, marshmallow-y taste and had a beautiful white sheen. All in all, I think next time I woud beat egg whites first while letting the sugar mixture cool off and then beat them together. I'm wondering if the sugar mixture was too hot to set with the egg whites? -
This recipe was awesome! Easy to follow. Turned out great! Just like grams used to make (and I can see why....not only does it take very few ingredients, it tastes very good and not overly sugary or heavy); I would probably cut back a smidge on the vanilla extract. I also cooked the sugar between clear liquid and soft ball stage. I am not the baker/cook of my eight other siblings, but forums like this really help. Thank you for posting this recipe. (the comments were very useful too) -
This was a really good 7 minute frosting.I wanted one made out of sugar instead of confectioners and this was it. I too used the recommendation of whipping up the egg whites first and it came out great. I forgot the vanilla at first but that was easy to fix. Tasted good but the texture was really creamy and I couldn't pipe it. Just smoothed it on a cake and formed little peaks. Gonna make again for angel food cake next weekend.
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TERRIBLE doesnt even taste like frosting
see 81 more reviews
Tweaks
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PERFECTION! I got a hankering for some fluffy frosting like my grandma used to make but had no idea how to make it. I took a chance and tried this recipe - PERFECT!<br/><br/>For those who have had a hard time getting the frosting to "fluff" properly, try these tips:<br/>Separate your eggs and allow the whites to come to room temperature before beating.<br/><br/>Boil your sugar-water combination before you begin beating the whites.<br/><br/>Use a stand mixer if possible, but if not, be prepared to continue beating the whites while you pour in the sugar syrup.<br/><br/>You may want to transfer the syrup to a glass measuring cup to make it easier to pour it into the egg whites.<br/><br/>Begin beating your egg whites and after about one minute, slowly --ever-so-slowly-- begin trickling the syrup into the whites (while continuing to beat them.) <br/><br/>If you pour the syrup in too quickly, the whites will not be able to incorporate the syrup into the "fluff" properly and you will end up with soup.<br/><br/>The one change I will make next time is to try almond extract instead of vanilla when frosting a white cake. I'll bet that would be a yummy combination!
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I loved this frosting! It was really easy to make and tastes so light even though it's sweet. I used some coconut extract instead of vanilla extract because I was using this recipe to top my white cupcakes with a sprinkle of macadamia nuts on top. It was fantastic. This frosting holds up really well too! I am about to make this recipe again to top a tres leches cake for a friend :) -
This was a really good 7 minute frosting.I wanted one made out of sugar instead of confectioners and this was it. I too used the recommendation of whipping up the egg whites first and it came out great. I forgot the vanilla at first but that was easy to fix. Tasted good but the texture was really creamy and I couldn't pipe it. Just smoothed it on a cake and formed little peaks. Gonna make again for angel food cake next weekend.
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I don't know what I did wrong but I did this recipe TWICE and it flopped both times! I couldn't get it to set up. On the second try I even used meringue powder in place of the egg whites. I guess it's back to the double broiler for me..... -
This is probably one of the easiest recipes ever for frosting. I halved the recipe to frost 12 cupcakes, recipe #235204, and had probably enough to frost 24 more. Since I was putting this on lemon cupcakes, I used lemon extract in place of the vanilla.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am currently a stay at home Mom and wife (aka: homemaker, domestic engineer, chauffeur, etc.). My husband and I made this choice about 2 1/2 years ago. At the time I was averaging 72 hours/week +. Our kids were complaining that they never saw me, and one of them was even getting in trouble (too little supervision apparently). We got the troubled teen through high school, and she is currently preparing for college. Things have improved a lot so I am considering going back to work part-time while the kids are gone to school (if the right opportunity presents itself).
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<br>I love to cook, especially trying new recipes. I get tired of the same ol', same ol'. I also love reading cookbooks and the history of recipes. I always hated doing all the dishes afterwards, so I did a lot of one dish meals whenever possible. Recently, my husband bought me a new dishwasher, so now I am cooking up a storm! Everyone is loving it.
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<br>I look forward to making new friends in Recipezaar, trying out new recipes, and hope some of you will try some of mine. Please, if you try my recipes, take time to post a little note telling me about your experience and any modifications you may have made. I just love to experiment and try new things in the kitchen! :-))
