7 Minute Frosting Recipe

7 minute frosting is a fluffy, glossy white frosting made by beating 2 egg whites, 1½ cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup cold water, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt over simmering water for 7 minutes, then adding a teaspoon of clear vanilla. It takes 5 minutes to set up and 7 to beat, makes enough for a two layer 9 inch cake or 24 cupcakes, and has no butter at all. It tastes like homemade marshmallow creme.

The one thing that matters: keep the hand mixer running on high the whole time the bowl sits over the water, and stop when the frosting stands in stiff, shiny peaks. This is the old fashioned fluffy white frosting, sometimes called boiled icing, and I have kept it in rotation for over a decade.

Seven Minute Frosting vs Buttercream, Swiss Meringue and Marshmallow Frosting

All of these sit on the same shelf, but they eat very differently. Here is how this one compares:

• 7 minute frosting: egg whites, sugar, and water beaten over heat until stiff. Fat free, very light, sweet like marshmallow. Spread it the moment it is done.
• Swiss meringue buttercream: starts the same way with warmed whites and sugar, then softened butter is beaten in. Richer, silkier, pipes sharper edges, and holds in the fridge.
• Marshmallow frosting: more whites and less sugar, warmed only until the sugar dissolves and then whipped off the heat. Softer and a little less sweet.
• American buttercream: butter and powdered sugar, no cooking. Dense, very sweet, and easy to tint and pipe.

Want something creamy and less sweet than all of them? Try ermine frosting or whipped cream frosting.

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The Six Ingredients and What Each One Does

Egg whites are the structure. Separate the eggs while they are cold, because the yolks are firmer and less likely to break, then let the whites sit for 15 minutes. Even a speck of yolk or a greasy bowl stops them from reaching stiff peaks, so use a clean, dry metal or glass bowl.

Granulated sugar gives the frosting its body and shine. The ⅓ cup cold water turns it into a thin syrup around the whites, so they heat gently and evenly instead of setting in clumps on the hot bowl.

Cream of tartar is a mild acid. It steadies the foam so it does not collapse, and it helps keep the sugar from forming gritty crystals. Out of it? Use ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar.

A pinch of salt keeps all that sugar from tasting flat. Clear vanilla keeps the frosting snow white; brown vanilla works but leaves a faint ivory tint.

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Minute by Minute Over the Simmering Water

Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, whisk the whites, sugar, water, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl until combined, then set the bowl on the pan. It should sit snugly with its bottom clear of the water. Boiling water or a touching bowl cooks bits of white into scrambled flecks.

Turn a handheld mixer to high and do not stop. Here is what you should see:

• Minutes 1 to 2: foamy, loose, and still a little see-through. If sugar crystals cling to the sides of the bowl, brush them down with a damp pastry brush.
• Minutes 3 to 4: opaque white, nearly doubled, and the beaters leave trails.
• Minutes 5 to 6: soft peaks that curl over at the tip.
• Minute 7: thick, glossy, and stiff. Lift the beaters and the peaks stand straight up.

Watch the peaks, not the timer. A cool stove or a wide, shallow bowl can need 1 to 2 extra minutes. With an instant read thermometer, look for 160°F. That is the temperature that makes the egg whites safe to eat.

Lift the bowl off the pan, add the clear vanilla, and beat 1 more minute to blend it in and cool the frosting a little. A stand mixer cannot sit over a pot, which is why this recipe uses a hand mixer. Whisking by hand for 7 minutes rarely gets you to stiff peaks.

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When the Peaks Will Not Stand Up

• Still soft and runny after 7 minutes: the water was not hot enough, or some yolk or grease got into the whites. Keep beating over the heat for up to 3 more minutes. If it will not thicken by then, start again with fresh whites in a washed bowl.
• Gritty on the tongue: sugar crystals from the bowl sides were beaten back in, or the cream of tartar was left out. Brush the sides down early next time.
• Little cooked specks: the bowl touched the water or the mixer paused. A few specks disappear on the cake; lots of them mean the heat was too high.
• Syrup pooling under the frosting later: the frosting was underbeaten, or the cake went in the fridge. Beat to stiff peaks and keep the cake at room temperature.

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Swooping It Onto a Cake or Cupcakes

Have the cake layers completely cool and ready before you start beating, because this frosting is easiest to spread in the first 10 minutes. Pile it on the top layer and push it over the edge. Smooth the sides, then finish with big swoops from the back of a spoon. For cupcakes, a large open star tip pipes tall swirls.

Within a few hours the outside sets to a thin, dry skin while the inside stays soft and marshmallowy. That light shell is what holds toasted coconut, shaved chocolate, or a dusting of cocoa in place. You can also brown the peaks with a kitchen torch, like a meringue pie.

For Christmas, the white swoops look like fresh snow on a coconut layer cake. Beat in ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract with the vanilla for a candy cane version. For decorated cookies with clean lines, use royal icing instead; this frosting never dries hard enough to stack.

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Cakes That Suit a Fluffy White Frosting

It is the traditional topping on Southern chocolate layer cakes and on coconut cake, where it holds the shredded coconut on the sides. It is just as good on a sour cream coconut cake, a simple vanilla layer cake, or chocolate cupcakes.

Because it is light and not very rich, it suits tart or fruity cakes too. Swirled on lemon cupcakes with a little zest on top, it tastes like lemon meringue pie. On red velvet, it is a sweeter, airier swap for cream cheese frosting. When you want butter to take the lead instead, make Italian buttercream.

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Keeping a Frosted Cake Until Tomorrow

Make the frosting right before you use it. It cannot wait. It does not freeze either. A frosted cake keeps covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours under a cake dome or a large upturned bowl.

Skip the fridge. Really. Cold air makes egg white frosting sweat and weep syrup, and it turns sticky. If the bowl of frosting dulls while you are still working, a few strokes with a whisk bring back some shine.

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Quick Answers About Boiled White Frosting

Can I make seven minute frosting without a double boiler?

Yes. A medium saucepan with 1 to 2 inches of simmering water and a heatproof metal or glass bowl set on top is all the double boiler you need.

Is 7 minute frosting safe to eat?

Yes, when it is beaten over simmering water for the full time. The whites cook as they whip; check for 160°F with a thermometer if you want to be sure.

Is old fashioned fluffy white frosting the same thing?

Yes. Seven minute frosting, boiled icing, and fluffy white frosting are names for the same cooked egg white and sugar frosting.

Can I color it?

Yes. Beat in a drop or two of gel food coloring with the vanilla. Liquid coloring can thin it.