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I have to admit, today’s post is part recipe, and part love letter. :-) “7-Minute Frosting” has been a central part of my birthday celebrations since I was a little girl. There was nothing better than celebrating my birthday by devouring a slice of my Mom’s rich, chocolate cake topped with this fluffy, gooey, marshmallow-y frosting. This special cake and frosting combination has become so intertwined with family birthdays that my mom continues to make it for her grandchildren’s birthdays too, and they all love it as much as I do.
It seems like those recipes deeply ingrained in our family histories are the ones we tend to forget to share. Something about their permanence in our lives makes them easy to overlook. But I recently made this frosting for my sons birthday, and it occurred to me that I needed to share this one on the blog!
My hope is that this special recipe will make its way into your family’s birthday celebrations too. :-)
7-Minute Frosting
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 6 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Start by setting a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. (Since you’re going to be using an electric mixer in the final step, it’s easiest to just use the bowl from your stand mixer.) Add the sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, and a 1/4 cup of water to the bowl.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees (this should take about 5 minutes.) You can use a candy thermometer for this step, but I love using my Thermapen! It’s so easy!
Remove the bowl from the stove and fit it into your stand mixer. Set up the whisk attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work just fine too!) Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla extract, and use immediately.
More Ideas You'll Love
I love the look of this frosting on bundt cakes, but it doesn’t really matter what your cake (or even cupcakes) look like. Add some sprinkles for a little color, if you want!
All that really matters is that your cake ends up being covered under a mountain of deliciously gooey 7-Minute Frosting. Just ask my kids! :-)
Did you have a favorite birthday dessert when you were a child?
My Mom’s 7-Minute Frosting
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 6 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Add the sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, and a 1/4 cup of water to the bowl.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees.
- Remove the bowl from the stove and fit it into stand mixer. Set up the whisk attachment.
- Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, and use immediately.
