Paula Deen 7-Minute Frosting

Paula Deen 7-minute frosting is a fluffy, marshmallow-style white frosting made with egg whites, sugar and vanilla, ready in 20 minutes. Try this easy homemade cake frosting for birthday parties, holiday table desserts or church supper cakes, since it whips up glossy and needs no butter at all.

Keep the water under the bowl at a rapid boil without letting it touch the bottom, because that heat cooks the egg whites and builds the volume. If the bowl touches the water, the frosting turns grainy instead of silky.

Beating everything together for a full minute before the bowl goes over the heat gets the sugar and egg whites mixed evenly from the start. Paula also lets you swap the cream of tartar for a tablespoon of white corn syrup, which helps keep the frosting smooth and stable.

Paula Deen 7-Minute Frosting

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

120

kcal

Egg whites, sugar and a little cream of tartar whip over simmering water into a thick, glossy frosting with soft, cloud-like peaks. Once it comes off the heat, a gentle stir of vanilla finishes it, and it spreads in big, swoopy waves.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup water
  

• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  

• 1/4 teaspoon (or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup) cream of tartar
  

• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  

• 2 egg whites
  

• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Directions

• Combine the ingredients: Place 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup), 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup water and 2 egg whites into a mixing bowl. Then beat it all together for 1 minute with a handheld electric mixer.
• Set up the double boiler: Set the bowl over a pot of rapidly boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. If it does, the frosting can turn grainy, so check the gap before you start beating.
• Beat over the heat: Beat constantly on high speed with the electric mixer for 7 minutes. Keep the mixer moving the whole time, since the frosting thickens and builds volume as the egg whites cook.
• Add the vanilla: Remove the bowl from the boiler and add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Then gently stir it in with a spatula so you don't deflate the frosting.

Tools for this recipe

• KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, Pyrex 3-piece glass mixing bowl set, OXO silicone spatula set, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Why did my 7-minute frosting turn grainy?

The most common cause is the bottom of the bowl touching the boiling water, which overheats the sugar and egg whites. Keep the water at a rapid boil but a little below the bowl, and the frosting stays smooth.

Can I use corn syrup instead of cream of tartar?

Yes, the recipe allows 1 tablespoon of white corn syrup in place of the cream of tartar. Either one helps keep the sugar from crystallizing, so the frosting stays glossy.

How long does 7-minute frosting keep?

It is best used the same day it's made, since it's an egg white frosting that is at its fluffiest right away. A frosted cake should be kept in the fridge, and I'd eat it within a day or two.

Can I make it without an electric mixer?

Beating by hand for 7 minutes over boiling water is very hard to keep up, so a handheld electric mixer is the way to go. A stand mixer bowl set over a pot works too if it fits snugly.

How do I frost a cake with it?

Spread it on right after you stir in the vanilla, because it starts to set as it cools. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to make big swoops and peaks across the top and sides.