My mom's Easy and Extra Fluffy Icing is a light, bright and not-too-sweet topping to douse on cupcakes and cakes of all varieties!
The words frosting and icing are sometimes used interchangeably but they have a few differences in texture, appearance and ingredients. Frosting is typically made with a cream cheese or a butter base while icing is usually made with egg whites and sugar as the base. Icing is a lighter, thinner texture than frosting as well. Both are delicious and serve different purposes but I am excited to share this super fluffy icing with you.
Extra Fluffy Icing
This is such a neat recipe and one I have loved since I was a girl. My mom would make this frosting recipe often and she'd top a Devil's Food cake or cupcakes with it. My favorite part was she'd let us do the honor of loading the cake up with sprinkles. It's one of my favorite memories growing up!
People often ask me what this icing tastes like because it's a little different than 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 frosting recipe is made without butter or powdered sugar. It's so unique!
How do you store white cloud icing?
Because this is SUCH a light icing, 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 do you put white cloud icing on?
This frosting goes so great on so many things. You can 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 Angel Food cake, vanilla cake, or a cookie cake. I wouldn't put it between the sections of layer cake because it's too light to support the weight.
How do you make white icing not yellow?
This icing is perfectly white because there is no butter in it! If you are finding that your favorite vanilla buttercream icing has a yellow tint, you can use a very, very small drop of violet food coloring to counteract that yellowish tint.
Can I pipe this icing on 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.
Can I double this recipe for extra fluffy Icing?
Yes, this recipe doubles really well. If you only make 1 batch it will be enough to frost 12 cupcakes. So doubling will allow you to frost 24 cupcakes.
How do you make the best white cloud icing?
Here are my tips, passed down from my mom, for getting the BEST white cloud icing:
- 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 your 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!
More icing recipes:
- Light and Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Royal Icing for Gingerbread Houses
- Cupcakes perfect for this frosting: Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
If you’ve tried this easy homemade fluffy icing recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.
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Extra Fluffy Icing
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 cups 1x
Description
My mom's Easy and Extra Fluffy Frosting is a light and bright, not-too-sweet topping to douse on cupcakes and cakes of all varieties!
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ 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 you pull 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.
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 frosting 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 1 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.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Category: dessert
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: frosting, icing, cake, cupcake, dessert, white cloud, egg free, gluten free
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- Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Caramel Frosting
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Easy and Extra Fluffy White Cloud Icing is a recipe that you will use over and over again. You are going to love the bright white color and it’s subtle sweetness. The perfect addition to top cupcakes and cakes of all kinds!
Sylvia
This was the easiest icing I've ever made. It's delicious.
★★★★★
Melissa
And it's inexpensive and so pretty! I'm glad you liked it too, it's forever a favorite in this house.
Km
When do you add the salt. With the sugar
Melissa
With the egg whites!
Dixie Lee Guardipee
My mom made this recipe 70 years ago - surprised someone brought it back - it is definitely like making your own marshmallows
B. J Miller
Love This Recipe!! Can You Send Me A Link To This Please! I Can't Save It, And I'm Not On Regular PC. Thank You.
★★★★★
Danielle
Made this and absolutely LOVED it!!!
Tried it on vanilla cupcakes, hoping it pairs well with other flavors so I cam use it Always!
Dolores
Awesome !!! Quick and perfect! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Caroline
Would maple syrup be a suitable replacement for the corn syrup? Does the cake need to be refrigerated with this icing on? It looks delicious!
Melissa
I haven't tried it with maple syrup but I would love to know if it works and it does not need to be placed in the fridge!
Toni
This is my favorite of all !!! My mom was the only person that I knew that made this and I love it !!! Thank You so much for sharing this recipe !!! She has passed away going on 3 years now and a few years before that she had a hard time remembering how to make it. So I didn't have the recipe til now .... Thank You again !!!
kittinitamer
havent tried it, but it sounds tasty!
★★★★
Jackie
Just made this...fantastic and easy. Thanks
★★★★★
MMG
Absolutely fantastic! The best icing I have ever had! Very easy to work with. Nice and Fluffy. Will definitely use on all of my cupcakes from now on. Had to get rid of the extra asap or I was going to eat it all!
Tip: The icing becomes flat and fills with air bubbles very quickly if it is not used right away (like within 5 to 10 mins). The good news is all you do is place it back on the mixer for 1 to 2 mins and it goes right back to its original state.
★★★★★
Julie
Thank you for this idea! I need to make 100 cupcakes so I'm in need of an inexpensive frosting and this looks great. I have a couple questions. First, will it hold food coloring? Second, you say to use right away. We will be frosting these in the morning but not serving them until night. Is that okay? Finally, how did you get the shape shown. Are they piped? Thank you!
Melissa
Yep, add the food coloring to the corn syrup before you beat it in, works great. And I mean put it on the cupcakes right away, it'll be ok if it's put on the cupcakes in the morning and then they are eaten in the afternoon, just be sure to add any sprinkles or anything right when you frost them. Once they sit and little "crust" forms on the icing and they won't stick after that. I just piped that on with a plain super chubby tip. I can't remember what the number is.
Jeanette
Just made the frosting. It's good! However I wasn't sure how to spread it so it looks pretty like yours. Also, how long does it hold up? Like for taking cupcakes to a party.
Melissa
I like in the dessert so it starts to almost dehydrate if I make it too far in advance and too much humidity makes it get sticky. So you can make it 12-24 hours ahead of time and frost the cupcakes right away but more than that is iffy.
Kim Schultz
Just made this. My husband's boss asked me to make am angel food cake with an icing his grandmom used to make. He didn't have a recipe just that it had egg whites, sugar and corn syrup. Wow! So light and not sweet at all which really surprised me. I think I liked it better before adding the vanilla though. The vanilla kind of overpowers the subtle taste. But outstanding! Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Sara
Is there something I can substitute for corn syrup?
Melissa
Honey or brown rice syrup might work...
Lola
How many cups of icing does this make? Need to know asap, thank you!
Melissa
About 6 cups total!
Darla Carter
I just frosted Banana Tres Leches cake with this frosting!?Also added coconut extract along with the vanilla and light yellow food coloring, sprinkled with toasted coconut! Beautiful!
Jacqueline Zents
I have searched for this recipe for a very long time..I made it specific to the recipe and it turned out perfect..exactly like I remember it too..goes great with chocolate cake..
I made sure my syrup was boiling hot and used right away so my eggs cooked with heat..hope that's true..
Perfection
Ellie❤️
I'm making this frosting right now and it refuses to make stiff peaks help please now?
Melissa
When mine does that it's because I had some trace amount of grease on my bowl or beaters, they just won't beat right if there's any kind of oil involved. How did it turn out???
Cee
Mine was not fluffy it looked great and tasted fine but I was hoping for a fluffy texture like your picture and I don't know what I did wrong.
Melissa
I bet you had a little grease on something, that will make it not get fluffy and it happens if you aren't pretty careful. I'd try again! It's so good!