So I’ve gotta admit, I used to be one of those people who thought that frosting, like 7 Minute Frosting, was this huge undertaking that only the culinary people did in their professional world, or something that would take the rest of the afternoon, would require a ton of bowls, and involve at least one tiny breakdown with me sobbing that it didn’t look like the picture in the cookbook. Proving that that is all completely nonsense.
I am about to share with you a way to make frosting that is so incredibly good that I could make a store-bought, almost stale cake taste like it came from an artisan bakery and the total prep time is 7 minutes. Right? Seven minutes! And it only has four ingredients – which is about the only recipe I have the energy to do these days! My kids love this frosting, they wanna eat it with the spoon! So, if you’re like me and you want to impress your friends and family without, you know, working way too hard to do it, here is what you need to get:
Ingredient #1: 5 Egg Whites
Alright, first things first, egg whites. You will want five egg whites from your eggs, which means you must separate them. Ugh, I know. But it’s absolutely worth the sacrifice as the egg white actually offers the fluffy lightness that frostings usually lack, and since I am a cake decorator, fluffy is essential! The type of frosting I have only seen on birthday cakes, with crazy names at the grocery store that has a national distributor with ingredient lists a mile long.
Do not throw away your yolks either. Seriously! That is the golden ticket to something else amazing later, think custard or homemade garlic aioli, unless your friend is (gasp!) vegan, then you can give them a recipe for eggless cake!
Ingredient #2: 1 2/3 Cups Granulated Sugar
One and two-thirds cups of plain granulated sugar. I know that seems like a lot, and it is. But we’re not trying to make health food here. Sugar does more than sweeten, it also gives the frosting that lovely glossy, marshmallowy look and that incredibly light crisp bite. I tried it once with less sugar and it just… wasn’t the same. It’s just like sugar and egg whites are a tag team and if you skimp on the sugar you don’t get the “magic.”
Ingredient #3: 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
And now we come to the part that makes the whole thing sing: vanilla. Just a teaspoon. If you’re stingy with the vanilla or leave it out completely, the frosting is still edible, but it tastes, I don’t know, hollow? Like it doesn’t have a soul? I prefer to use the real stuff, but if you are like me and you haven’t stepped foot in a store since March 1st and only have imitation vanilla dusting in the back of your pantry, then that will also work in a pinch. You want the warm “cozy” vanilla flavor that wraps around the sweetness and reminds you of birthday parties or the holidays in your childhood.
Ingredient #4: 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
And finally, the one strange ingredient you bought to make meringues once and forgot about: cream of tartar! All you need is half a teaspoon. Interestingly, cream of tartar is not only used in making meringues, but is also the unsung hero in this recipe and prevents the egg whites from collapsing halfway through working. Without it you will be whisking your egg whites like a madman only to see your frosting turn into a sad pool of runny foam! I actually skipped it once believing it could not be that critical, and spoiler alert – it is critical.
The 7-Minute Magic
So let’s get into it. First of all, you will want a double boiler set up, which sounds fancier than it is. All you are doing is setting a heatproof bowl (metal or glass) over a pot with an inch or two of simmering water. Just be sure to not have the bowl touching the water, otherwise, you will be scrambling eggs instead of whisking them into a glossy heaven. I figured that one out the hard way when I ended up with what looked like sweetened egg drop soup.
Put your egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar into the bowl. And now, this is the part where things get fun, start whisking like you are on a game show and your life depended on it. You can use a hand held mixer too if you don’t want the workout for your arm, but either way, you have to keep the mixture moving so the eggs don’t cook. You will think after the first minute that it will never come together, but just don’t give up… after about 4 or 5 minutes, it begins to change from frothy to shiny, just like a glossy white cloud.
When you reach 7 minutes, it should be thick enough to spoon up into peaks that stand firmly when you lift the whisk out. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue whisking for one or two minutes more to help it cool down. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Now drizzle in your teaspoon of vanilla, carefully fold it in so you don’t lose all that wonderful volume, and boom — frosting that looks like you spent hours making it and really not much more than one good playlist.
Serving up sweetness
This icing is so versatile it feels a little like cheating. It’s great for slathering on cakes, swirling over cupcakes, or if you want to go a little wild, you could even dip cookies in it. And the texture is another thing – soft and creamy, but just firm enough to hold those beautiful swirls or peaks. And it is sweet without being sickly sweet, which I’ve never been able to find in a tub of store-bought icing.
It is also way more forgiving than it sounds. I have misplaced my timing, I have forgotten to begin whisking right away or add the vanilla too early, and every time it still came out looking fancy enough that people thought I had made a whole production of it. And, honestly, that is what makes it a staple for me: no matter when you don’t have time or energy, in a pinch you can make it and feel like a baked goods wizard.
So, you can absolutely make an incredible frosting without using complicated recipes or fancy ingredients that you will never use again. You only need your egg whites, sugar, vanilla, cream of tartar – some arm muscle, and the willpower to whisk it for the entire seven minutes non stop. That’s it. And I guarantee, you can take the time for baking a cake then you can take the time to make this frosting.
By the way, if you are a person who likes short cuts, there is also a one and done two-ingredient buttercream recipe floating around out there which is surprisingly good — but honestly, this one is so fast and foolproof I doubt I will ever go back.
