A Blog by Any Other Name

When I was a kid, there were two reasons to look forward to October. One was the Brazoria County Fair, and the other was my big brother’s birthday. Not because of his birthday per se, but because every year he asked for the same confection to celebrate: chocolate cake with white fluffy icing.

White fluffy icing. White fluffy icing! I thought every kid grew up with white fluffy icing. It’s funny how three little words can trigger a flood of childhood memories. Memories of wearing “jellies” and cooking with my mom, memories of harvest gold kitchen appliances, memories of eating cake on the red place setting which meant it was your special day.

As it turns out, White Fluffy Icing is a Southern tradition. Except that most people call it Seven Minute Frosting, so named for the length of cooking time it requires (if the benevolent frosting fairies are on your side, that is). To add to the identity confusion, the actual name of the recipe my mom uses, courtesy of Aunt Claudia, is Never Fail Swirl Frosting. Who knew? All I know is that over the years, my mom’s cake developed in me a Pavlovian reaction to the title I know and love: White Fluffy Icing!

Truth be told, Never Fail Swirl Frosting is a smidge different than Seven Minute Frosting, and the technique is quite a bit easier. The latter requires beating the egg whites with an electric mixer while they cook over simmering water, which is challenging enough. But on top of that, you must constantly monitor the temperature on an instant read thermometer (with your third hand, of course). Again, good fairy vibes help. Low humidity does, too, since it’s technically a cooked meringue.

For Never Fail Frosting, you gradually beat hot syrup into egg whites in a mixer – no thermometer, no chance for overcooking the whites. Today, I tested the outer limits of the technique by making white fluffy icing on a rainy day – and the title holds true: it has never failed me. So tell those fairies to hold off until you tackle buttercream.

Some people add chopped nuts and/or coconut to their white fluffy icing. I hear it is delicious on banana cake, yellow cake, just about anything – but I wouldn’t know, because in my mind, white fluffy icing belongs on top of a rich, dark chocolate cake. Oh yeah, and it’s low fat, too. It will, however, make your pancreas hurt if you lick too much out of the bowl. Not that I would know.



Never Fail Swirl Frosting

3 egg whites, room temperature
A few grains of salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar at high speed until almost stiff. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and syrup in a small saucepan and cook just until bubbles form around the edges.


Gradually pour the hot syrup over the egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Return the syrup to the heat several times during the process, to keep it hot.


Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is the desired consistency. Use immediately.