7 Minute Frosting
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There’s nothing sweeter than an old-fashioned homemade 7-Minute Frosting recipe. It’s made completely from scratch and so simple you will want to whip it up every time you get a craving for something sweet. All you need are a few pantry ingredients, and just about, well, 7 minutes!
Delicious, light, and perfect for all sorts of cakes! 7-minute frosting is a nostalgic recipe that reminds me of my grandmother. It was her go-to frosting recipe and always used on birthday cakes.
I’ve started quite the collection of frostings on this site. Have you tried my bright and fruity raspberry buttercream frosting or my rich and decadent salted caramel frosting? With each one I add, the recipes just get better and better. Take this 7-minute frosting for example – it’s unbelievable.
It has to be my favorite. It’s basically marshmallows in frosting form and I love how it balances out against a fluffy cupcake. I used it to top my favorite banana pudding cupcakes because it resembles the meringue topping on the classic banana pudding dessert. It would also taste amazing on this s’mores cake!
This frosting recipe is made with egg whites, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla. There’s no butter or loads of powdered sugar in this recipe. While I love buttercream frosting, sometimes it can be too rich and too sweet.
This marshmallow frosting recipe is not overly sweet and has hints of vanilla. It is shiny and feels silky on the tongue. This makes it perfect for filling and icing ultra sweet, flavorful cakes. It’s perfect against a rich chocolatey cupcake or chocolate layer cake.
Because this frosting is so soft, it’s not good for piping or intricate designs. You’ll need an offset spatula to spread it on the cake. But you can use a pastry bag and pipe a single big dollop on top of cupcakes – it will hold up well for that.
For this 7 minute frosting recipe, you will need a stainless steel or any heatproof bowl. Put all the ingredients in, except for the vanilla, and whisk or mix with an electric mixer continuously as it heats over a saucepan of simmering water.
You won’t get stiff peaks with this frosting – the corn syrup will make it more like a marshmallow fluff consistency. Once the frosting thickens – this should take just about 5 minutes – remove it from the heat. Add the vanilla and continue to beat it until it’s thick but spreadable.
This usually takes around 2 minutes. A total time of 7 minutes!
Recipe Snapshot
TASTE: Rich but not overly sweet, like a marshmallow
TEXTURE: Silky and smooth
EASE: Very easy
TIME: 7 minutes!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
This is a quick recipe that comes together with simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already.
How to Make 7 Minute Frosting
7-minute frosting is quick and easy and takes – you guessed it – 7 minutes.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Step One. Mix ingredients. Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, corn syrup, and water in a large stainless steel bowl or other heat proof bowl. Use an electric handheld mixer or a stand mixer to beat the ingredients together until well combined. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Continue to beat on high speed for 5-7 minutes, until thick and fluffy.
- Step Two. Remove from heat and finish. Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and continue beating on high until the frosting is thick and spreadable, about 1-2 minutes. Use immediately or it will become difficult to spread.
Handy tip:
This frosting must be used right away. If you try to prepare it in advance, it will thicken up and become too difficult to spread.
If using a double boiler, you cannot use a stand mixer, obviously. Mix the ingredients right in the double boiler using a whisk or an electric mixer.
Tips For Success
- Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature.
- Use an electric hand mixer so your arm doesn’t tire out from whisking.
- Once it has cooled to room temperature, use it immediately.
7 minute Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) cold water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, corn syrup, and water in a large stainless steel bowl or any other heatproof bowl. Use an electric handheld mixer to beat the ingredients together until well combined. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Continue to beat on high speed for 5-7 minutes, until thick and fluffy.
- Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and continue beating on high until the frosting is thick and spreadable, about 1-2 minutes. Use immediately or it will become difficult to spread.
Notes
- This frosting must be used right away. You can not make it ahead of time to use later.
- Once you frost cakes or cupcakes with it, serve within 12 hours or refrigerate the frosted cakes for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
i love this frosting i,m also looking for a old frosting that is used to cut the tops out of the cup cakes and fill them with
This stuff is amazing.
This stuff is amazing.
Hi there, just made your 7 minute frosting and it came out thin. It’s thick, but not enough to form peaks. I went step by step on your directions, so I’m not sure what went wrong. It taste wonderful, but I can’t use it if it’s thin. This is what I did. I put my egg whites in a bowl and sat it in warm water to bring it to room temp. Then when I put my bowl over the water, the heat was on high and boiling. After about three minutes, I turned the heat down to medium low. After 7 minutes I took it off the stove and added the vanilla but ended up beating it again for another 10-15 minutes. I finally got tired and stopped. It’s also raining here in Texas. Could that have (or anything I did above) anything to do with it coming out thin?
This frosting isn’t like meringue, it won’t form super stiff peaks. It’s meant to be thick but soft enough to spread over cakes. If you want more of a meringue-like texture, omit the water.
A great resource for those wanting to make a perfect frosting.
Bookmarked your coconut cake, pineapple curd, and seven minute icing recipes and am finally making them today. Turning out perfectly! Don’t know why I’ve become so lazy with boxed mixes and canned icings when this is so out of this world better! I remember seven minute icings on cakes when I was little (I’m 64) but you don’t see them much any more – such a pity! I wonder how well this iced cake would freeze? I would like to make ahead for an upcoming event.
I don’t recommend freezing cake after it’s been frosted with 7-minute frosting. The frosting may weep and become chewy. Your best option is to make the cake layers and freeze them. Then, just before the event, make the frosting and ice the cake.
Bookmarked your coconut cake, pineapple curd, and seven minute icing recipes and am finally making them today. Turning out perfectly! Don’t know why I’ve become so lazy with boxed mixes and canned icings when this is so out of this world better! I remember seven minute icings on cakes when I was little (I’m 64) but you don’t see them much any more – such a pity! I wonder how well this iced cake would freeze? I would like to make ahead for an upcoming event.
this recipe sounds amazing and just what I’m looking for – an alternative to heavy sweet butter cream – but, can i ice a cake with 7 minute frosting at noon and take it too a birthday party at say 6pm?
I would refrigerate it immediately after frosting the cake and put in the refrigerator upon arriving at the party.
Hello, if I use it to decorate the cake and cupcake does it dry?
It doesn’t dry like buttercream and is not recommended for intricate decorating. It will set nicely if you swirl it on top of cupcakes and pop them into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
Is there nyting i can substitute for corn syrup?? Pls help?? Thank you
You could try dissolving 1 cup of sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water. I haven’t tested the recipe this way so I can’t tell you how it will turn out.