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My mom’s Easy and Extra Fluffy Frosting is a light, bright and not-too-sweet topping to douse on cupcakes and cakes of all varieties. This is a recipe that you will use over and over again. The perfect addition to top cupcakes and cakes of all kinds!
People often ask me what this icing tastes like because it’s slightly different from your typical icing. It has a light flavor and isn’t overly sweet. The texture is super puffy and fluffy; it will remind you of an extra-light marshmallow cream spread. It’s also crazy and unusual that this icing recipe is made without butter or powdered sugar. It’s so unique!
My mom would often make this icing recipe, and she’d top a chocolate sheet cake or chocolate cupcakes with it. My favorite part was that she’d let us do the honor of loading the cake up with sprinkles. It’s one of my favorite memories growing up!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made without butter or powdered sugar
- So light and fluffy like a super-puffy marshmallow cream
- Great icing for any flavor of cake or dessert
Recipe Ingredients
- Egg whites – at room temperature
- Salt
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar
- Light corn syrup – for the beautiful glossy sheen
- Vanilla extract – this is the main flavor, so use the best quality you can
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Easy and Extra Fluffy Icing
- Beat egg whites and salt on high speed with a mixer until foamy.
- Slowly add the sugar, and beat the mixture until soft peaks form.
- Bring the corn syrup just to a boil over medium heat.
- Slowly pour the corn syrup into the egg mixture with mixer on high, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, mix once more, and frost a cake!
Recipe FAQs
The words frosting and icing are sometimes used interchangeably, but they differ in texture, appearance, and ingredients. Frosting is typically made with a cream cheese or butter base, while icing is usually made with egg whites and sugar. The difference in ingredients is why Icing has a lighter, thinner texture than frosting.
This icing is perfectly white because there is no butter in it! If your favorite vanilla buttercream icing has a yellow tint, you can use a very small drop of violet food coloring to counteract the yellowish tint.
Yes, this recipe doubles well. One batch is enough to frost 12 cupcakes, so doubling will frost 24 cupcakes.
Yes! This extra fluffy icing is the perfect topping for cupcakes. Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes or frost your cake right away because once the icing sets up, it’s hard to spread and doesn’t pipe well.
Expert Tips
- Use a stand mixer. Because you add a lot of the ingredients as you’re mixing, it’s way, way easier to use a stand mixer rather than a hand mixer.
- Make sure your bowl and utensils are clean. Egg whites do NOT handle grease well, and the consistency won’t end up great if there’s butter or oil on any of your materials.
- Slowly add the sugar and corn syrup. When it’s time to pour the sugar into the mixer bowl, do it very slowly to allow everything to incorporate well and form the best soft peaks. Same goes for when you add the hot corn syrup!
- Use it immediately. If you don’t, it sort of de-fluffs and loses its great shape and fullness. Also, add your sprinkles or other decorations right away because they stick best right after icing!
How to Store White Cloud Icing
Warning: This frosting must be used right away! Because this is SUCH a light frosting, it sort of loses its consistency over time if you don’t use it right away. I’d recommend icing whatever cake or cupcakes you’ve made, and then either eating or tossing leftovers if you have any. But it’s so good, you won’t want to toss it. Get out a spoon, friend!
What to Put White Cloud Icing On
This icing is a dreamy addition to so many things. Pile it high on chocolate cupcakes, like the pictures here, or really any cupcake that vanilla-flavored frosting tastes good on.
You can also put it on any other favorite cakes or favorite desserts, including homemade angel food cake, coconut cake, or even a cookie cake.
The one way I wouldn’t use this amazing icing is by putting it between the sections of layer cake. It’s too light of an icing to support the weight of layers.
More Icing & Frosting Recipes to Consider
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
The Perfect Icing for Gingerbread Cookies
Cut Out Cookies
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe for Perfect Holiday Decorating
Frosting Recipes
Caramel Cake Frosting
Frosting Recipes
Peanut Butter Frosting
Extra Fluffy Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Use a stand mixer. It will change your life. You can make this using a hand mixer, but it just takes time. In a clean bowl (any grease on your bowl or utensils will ruin the icing — egg whites hate grease!), beat the egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy.
- With the mixer still running, slowly add the sugar. Beat mixture until soft peaks form. When pulling the mixer out of the white mixture, you should get a little point that bends over.
- Bring the corn syrup to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. When the corn syrup comes to a boil, remove from heat.
- Slowly pour the hot corn syrup into the egg mixture while your mixer is mixing on high. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Use right away.
Video
Notes
- Use the frosting right away and eat any leftovers, as it doesn’t store well.
- You can leave a cake that has been iced with this icing uncovered, since any type of plastic wrap on it will be a mess.
- Add the sprinkles as soon as you are done spreading the icing. A thin crust will form, and the sprinkles won’t stick if you wait too long.
- This recipe doubles well.
- This is enough to frost 18 cupcakes or the outside of one layered cake. This is not a great icing to fill a layer cake. The cake kind of smashes it into nothing, and you don’t have a nice layer in the middle anymore.
I want to use this on Halloween cupcakes for my daughters class. I would need to make the cupcakes and icing the night before. Would it keep that long?
It dries out a bit but I think you’d be fine! Do you have time to do a trial batch to see how the it hold up overnight in your neck of the woods. I live in the desert, so everything dries out 🙂
This is a variation of 7 minute frosting….a very old, traditional frosting. My mom used to make this, and there was also a similar icing you could make that came in a little box.
My auntie used to make this for me for my birthday! Always on her homemade angel food cakes from scratch. I’ve had to switch to gluten free, but my angel food cakes from scratch were always missing this amazing frosting! YUM! we’ve always put food coloring in also!
Double the sugar, corn syrup and vanilla to make marshmallow frosting. Dipped dairy free chocolate and vanilla cupcakes in it, and topped it off with candy mustaches. Note: if you do this, as soon as you frost and top the the cupcake you have to stick it in the fridge. Warning: frosting will slowly slide down the sides of the cupcakes. I put mine in cupcake boxes and then stuck the boxes in the fridge. Held up great. Thanks for the recipe! Found it on Pinterest (:
Can you freeze this if it’s on a fosted cake?
Nope, it doesn’t hold up well when frozen… it breaks the icing! Sorry but so glad you asked!
It is the seven minute frosting. You can tint it too, very pretty. Was my first frosting I made as a kiddo in the 50’s, 60’s. I don’t think they made frosting in a can yet? It’s excellent on an angel food cake, a real classic made that way. Yum. Let’s eat.
I’ve never thought to put it on angel food cake (which we love!), I better plan on dessert after dinner tonight 🙂
I made the cloud icing tonight for the celebratory cake for the removal of my daughter’s appliance (mouth). Very very very sweet. I think I will stick with my original boiled icing from here on in. The corn syrup is too much
Not sure but I think that’s the same as Betty Crocker cookbook….7 minute frosting….had it on our cakes as a kis 50 or so years ago…geez, did “I” just say that. Yikes!
I’ll have to ask my mom is that’s where she got the recipe! It sounds delicious!
Hi,
Can you tell me what frosting tip you used for the photos above?
It’s the large 2A tip from Wilton. I think it’s like $1.50 a Joann’s 🙂 Enjoy!
This frosting brings back such memories for me. My mom used to make this all the time and place on a chocolate cake. I want to try on my next batch of cupcakes. Thanks for sharing.