Perfect Fluffy Frosting

Yes, we’re still talking about the cake I made for my mom’s 70th birthday. It was that good. And after the perfect white cake and the requested lemon curd filling, we need to frost that beauty, right? I wanted a frosting that was light to add to the airiness of the cake after the decadent rich lemon curd filling. I didn’t want it to compete but instead to complement the cake beautifully. I decided to make a whipped, cooked frosting that is reminiscent of the marshmallow fluff I’ve fallen in love with – but nothing so thick.

I wanted something that was going to melt in our mouths, and this didn’t disappoint. I loved that it was a recipe I could make in under 10 minutes. I had already spent enough time with the filling and the cake, and I needed to get out the door with that cake to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday. This set up quickly so that I could add it to the cake soon after I took it off the double boiler. It thickened quickly once it was on the cake, as well, even though it started out fairly liquid-y when I started adding dollops to the cake.

You’ll notice, as well, that I used a fake double boiler when making this frosting. I did this for a couple reasons. First, I wanted to show you that you don’t have to go out and buy one to make this frosting. You can easily use items you already have in your kitchen (note that I’m using a metal bowl that is obviously heat safe and fits nicely into my pot without going anywhere near the bottom). Second, my double boiler has an annoying inset halfway up, and I didn’t want my frosting to get stuck in there when whipping or when trying to pour it out. I wanted the smooth surface of this bowl for my sticky concoction.

And yes, it is key that my bowl didn’t go near the bottom of my pot. You want a couple inches of boiling water in the bottom pot so that it doesn’t all evaporate while you’re cooking this frosting. And at the same time, your bowl cannot touch the water directly. It needs to cook from the more delicate steam and not the boiling water. If it is resting in the water, your frosting will get grainy, which is not at all what you’re going for.

I also used a whisk attachment on my immersion blender. I adore the attachments I have, but if you have a hand mixer, that will work just as well. You could also whisk this yourself, but I know I don’t have the forearms (yet) to keep up for the length of time you need to be whisking while the frosting is cooking.

The verdict on this cake? My mom who doesn’t eat sweets asked if I would leave the cake with her. My dad called me up the next day to tell me that the leftovers were just as amazing as the cake was when we first cut into it. And neither of those happens often. Or ever. Needless to say, I’m pretty happy with how this cake turned out.

Oh. And good news? My dad’s 70th birthday is just under a month away. He’s already asked for a double chocolate cake. And I’ve already decided to modify this frosting to be a filling for a thick chocolate cake (with chocolate chunks baked in per request). And I’m thinking a chocolate ganache for the outside to really do up the decadence, since that’s what my dad loves.

Perfect Fluffy Frosting

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c sugar
1/3 c water
2 egg whites
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
1 1/2 t vanilla bean paste

Directions:
Add 2 inches of water to the bottom of a double boiler (or a large pot), and make sure the heat proof bowl our double boiler you are using does not touch the water to ensure your frosting does not become grainy. Once you have confirmed this, remove the top of the double boiler, and bring your pot of water to a boil.

Add sugar, water, egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to the top of a double boiler or a large heat proof bowl on your counter. Using a whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg mixture for 1-2 minutes until it thickens and starts to get a bit goopy. This will help your frosting to stay light and fluffy, rather than waiting to start aerating it when it’s cooking, which is much harder to do.

Once the mixture is thickened slightly, add the double boiler to the top of the boiling water and continue beating. A heat proof bowl and a pot from your pantry will work perfectly well for this recipe. You don’t need to get all fancy with new pots and pans.

Whisk on high speed for seven or so minutes, until the mixture has lightened in color and thickened to the point where it leaves a slight trail in the frosting that doesn’t immediately dissipate.

Remove the bowl from the heat, carefully wiping the bottom with a towel as you pull it away to ensure no water or steam gets into your frosting, which will also make it grainy. Add the vanilla bean paste and beat again until fully incorporated.

Let cool for a few minutes while you prepare your cake for frosting by adding strips of parchment paper under the edges of the cake that you will pull out once done to keep your cake plate pretty and clean. Once your cake it ready to frost, add dollops of the frosting to the top of your cake.

You always want to add frosting to the top of your cake and carefully pull it over the edges and around the sides. Use a flat offset spatula to pull the frosting around the sides to evenly coat them.

Once your cake is fully frosted, let sit for just a few minutes before carefully pulling out the strips of parchment paper.

This cake is best eaten the same day or stored in the refrigerator because of the egg whites, even though they were mostly cooked.

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