Old Fashioned Fluffy Frosting
I am officially the mother of a teenager.
I am not even really sure how that happened, it seems like yesterday I had her. 13 years have gone by, in what seems like the blink of an eye.
While I am trying to adjust to the fact that my baby is 13, My daughter already has the teenage thing down pat.
When I asked her what kind of frosting she wanted on her birthday cake this was her reply: “I don’t care, but I don’t like shortening frosting, and I don’t like frosting that feels gritty”
Ok, then.
I am not sure why she feels buttercream frosting is gritty, I have always made it with confectioners sugar, and grittiness has never really been a thing I have noticed.
I got to thinking about different kinds of frosting and remembered an old recipe I have for a frosting that cooks up nice and fluffy and tastes like marshmallow cream.
This recipe for Old Fashioned Fluffy Frosting is an old recipe. You can find it in old cookbooks, usually named 7-minute icing. It actually takes a little longer than 7 minutes to make this frosting but is completely worth it. The frosting is light, fluffy, and pure white.
And according to my daughter not gritty at all 🙂
Old Fashioned Fluffy Frosting
This recipe for Old Fashioned Fluffy Frosting is an old recipe. You can find it in old cookbooks, usually named 7-minute icing. It actually takes a little longer than 7 minutes to make this frosting but is completely worth it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the hot sugar mixture while whipping constantly, for about 7 to 10 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- Frost the cake of your choice.
I absolutely adore this frosting! However, every time I make it, whether I leave it at room temperature or refrigerate it, the frosting separates. There is a watery portion on the bottom and white fluff on the top. What am I doing wrong?
Best frosting ever. Im so sick of buttercream. I love this fluffy white. Thanks. I first had this in 62.
My grandmother had gave me this recipe many years ago and I had lost it I remembered most of it. I have been looking for it for years now!! Thank you I’m going to make it now!!
My mom in law would make this for her son on his birthday. She would take dark chocolate and drizzle it around the top edge of the cake so some would run down. Then when mom couldn’t make it, my son would for his dad. Humm, I’ll have to ask him to make it for me. Yes, just read ‘ Boiled Frosting’.
I’m looking for a recipe my Mom used to frost angel food cakes when I was a young one. The one I remember her making seems to be this one, however, her’s would get slightly firm on the surface. Is that the end result of this recipe?
Yes, my MILaws’ got firm on the top too.
I have been looking for this exact recipe for years. When I made it as a kid it we called it “beat and eat frosting.” I use to have it memorized then I got older and found the seven minute frosting that use corn syrup and double boilers and knew they were close but not this one.
Normal sugar or powdered sugar?
I used regular sugar and it came out beautifully!
I had lost my recipe for this frosting…..Thank you so much for printing it..I basically remembered most of it but I’m glad to have it again…..
Love this frosting! Turned out great! Brings back memories of my childhood when my mom made this frosting!
@Gen M., me too, my mama was the best cook!!I can see her grinding a coconut for coconut cake for Christmas.
She always put this icing on chocolate cake.!!
Is it confection sugar or granulated? Ty
@Mickey, granulated but if you want it too be super sweet you use powdered, it takes longer to break down when it cooks though
I made this Fluffy Frosting and it turned out very nice and was easy. I appreciate that! 🙂 THank you, I’m sure my guest will enjoy it today!
@Kathi Schindler, did you use 1/4 or 1/2 tsp cream of tartar? I don’t know why it says 1/4 tsp twice?
Thanks!
This is going to be my go to recipe for fluffy frosting. Very light. Doubled the recipe and it was more than enough for a triple layer cake. Used gel coloring and consistency didn’t change. Thanks!
Does it have to be refrigerated?? Thank you for your responce
How far in advance can I make the frosting?
Amazing! Our 9yr old wanted an icing that was not so sweet. This was perfect. Easy to make and delicious. ?
OH MY!!!!!! For 40 years I have been trying to replicate my Mum’s “boiled” frosting! I gave up. Today I made a chocolate sheet cake and wanted a frosting that was fluffy and not butter cream. SO I did a search for fluffy frosting and this came up! I figured I would give it a try, not knowing what type of frosting it was…but it was fluffy. I was not even looking for or thinking it would be ‘boiled’ frosting… just a different frosting….OMG…it tastes EXACT to Mum’s! A zillion THANK YOUS!
BTW..Mum used this to frost her Easter Bunny cakes, put on regular cakes and often use for her Whoopie Pie filling (I think she adapted it a little for the whoopie pies to make more stiff).
@Tami,
Finally someone said the magic words!
“Boiled Icing” as my Grandmother taught me the Boiled Icing recipe and method.
As I was taught to bring the sugar and water to a stringy stage and then add to the whipped egg whites.
Still my favourite and is now my kids and grandkids favourite, as we use for all the Birthday money cakes!
This was our favorite frosting as kids, too. And, like Jenn, mom stirred it with her finger til it was too hot. We loved it, both for the novelty and the marshmallow fluffiness.
This sounds exactly like my mom’s “Finger Frosting” recipe — my favorite as a child!! It’s irresistible! Mom used to say it was called finger frosting because the saucepan mixture should be heated at a temp where you could stir it with your finger. The name you’ve got here is way less weird to throw out in casual conversation.
I have been looking for “Finger Frosting” too! Lost this recipe- I think with mine, it was all mixed together then you “stirred with your finger until you can’t stand it!” Will have to try it! Excited~
This reminds me of a slab cake my mom makes with brown sugar and coconut, that we affectionately call “poop cake” because of how unappetizing the batter looks in the bowl… Hard to tell people what we’re having for dessert!
If I frost a cake with this in July can it sit out for several hours indoors or would I need to refrigerate it?
@Caye, you can leave it outside and it will not lose its fluffy ness!!!
I’ve used your recipe 7 or 8 times, and will make it again tomorrow morning to frost a rich chocolate cake. It’s a fabulous frosting! Love it! Thanks so much for sharing and giving such wonderful directions.
Lookin for a boxed marshmallow mix that was out in the 1960s..does anyone know the name of the mix? Thanks linda
Was it dream whip!
@Linda, you might be thinking of the boxed fluffy white icing mix by Betty Crocker. I remember that but I’m not sure it’s still available. I haven’t seen it in a while but actually haven’t been looking for it.
I made this frosting recipe last night for a birthday cake. Was I supposed to refrigerator this cake once it was iced? When I got up this morning, the frosting had slipped down the sides of the cake almost like it melted???
@Barb, that happened to me too. I’m thinking it has to be refrigerated.
I made this today and it is so good, just like my mom used to make. I thought I had vanilla extract in the house but I didn’t, so omitted that, and it was still delicious. Obviously a little less vanilla-y but so so easy!
This is an excellent frosting. It’s easy to make, uses ingredients you’ll have on hand, tastes good, spreads easily, looks impressive. It’s great on a rich chocolate cake. Kids and adults like it.
Thank you, Marsha! It is my favorite, and you are right, amazing on chocolate cake!
I bake way too many cakes (not a bad thing!) but I always use the same old frosting recipe. Excited to try this one next time! Thank you for sharing 😀