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This fluffy meringue frosting recipe is a dream! You’ll want to frost every cake you make with it!
I’m fairly certain that I’ve told you guys a few of my horror stories when it comes to me and cake baking.
The cake batter overflows and turns my oven into a smoky disaster. The cakes get dried out and crumble into dust. The layers all slide right off of each other and onto the floor…five minutes before guests are due to arrive to eat said cake.
I could write a novel about cake baking failures.
For example, that one time I made a 7 layer rainbow cake for my daughter’s birthday and the cake split down the middle and slide all over the place in my fridge while I was sleeping. That was fantastic. And by fantastic, I mean horrible.
Every now and then I manage to pull one off and it gives me hope, though.
You’re going to love this easy meringue frosting!
I was really craving frosting the other day. And I don’t mean that I wanted a spoonful from the emergency tub of grocery store frosting. I mean, I wanted a cake topped with glorious swirls and copious amounts of fluffy, pure white meringue frosting.
So, I grabbed a box mix, baked a cake, and whipped up this meringue frosting. It is divine. Fluffy, sweet, marshmallow-y meringue. I smeared this on myself like lotion and then licked it off. <—- Not weird.
And, yeah, I did use a box mix. No shame, guys. If you have a perfect cake recipe of your own, go for it. This meringue frosting is perfect on any cake, from a box or homemade! It’s so light and fluffy that it would dress up anything!
Meringue Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons water
- 5 large egg whites room temperature
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the corn syrup, and the water to a boil, stirring constantly. Wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
- Stop stirring and cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 230 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the sugar syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites with a mixer until you have soft peaks. Beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Add the sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream down the side of the mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until thick, fluffy, and cooled, around 7 minutes.
- Frost cake and store in the fridge.
ALEXANDRA BLANDON says
Recipe is perfect and delicious! Love it!!!!!!
Kat says
This frosting is great and easy to make, even for a frosting beginner like me! I made it to go on chocolate rice flour cupcakes for my husband. Light, fluffy, and perfect — I made with maple syrup like another commenter suggested. A half recipe was plenty to frost 18 cupcakes plus leftovers.
Abby says
HI,
My mom made this frosting all together in the pan over a double boiler beating the whole time and at the end added a scant teaspoon of vinegar…. nope can’t taste the vinegar but it sure keeps that frosting so soft for a full 7 days & the peaks that you make on the cake never collapse… when I was a kid I always liked the fact that it was so easy & only one pan. This is my all time favorite frosting !!
thanks for sharing this
Karly says
Interesting about the vinegar! I’ll have to give that a try.
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
I would eat this with a spoon. I literally would be set for life with this. And a spoon.
“I smeared this on myself like lotion and then licked it off. <—- Not weird." – i love you.
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
Look at those frosting swirls! Totally could eat some for lunch right now! Step aside soup! It’s cake time!
Ashton says
You, my friend, are SO TALENTED!!! I cannot get over how much I love your writing style. And… OH YEAH! You’re photos are freaking amazing too. I heart you!
Jennifer says
I am a very unorganized person and don’t prepare before making recipes. But, I just finished making this frosting about 30 mins ago and I love it! I didn’t have the “wet pastry brush” or a way to test the temperature of the syrup and sugar. And, even though, I left the icing out to put my baby to sleep, it still came out pretty amazing ?? Such a quick recipe and delicious!
Jennifer says
PS wished there was a link to a video so I could visualize what the boiled syrup and sugar was supposed to look like. I do recognize that this recipe is from a while ago( it’s 2020 now) so maybe video recipes weren’t the thing yet…?
Karly says
Videos were not a thing yet. 😉 I’m slowly working through old posts to update them, but each video takes hours of work and I have somewhere around 600 recipes here. 🙂
Maria B Rugolo says
Can this meringue be made and frozen? I ask because I wonder if it is something I can pipe a flower with and freeze to put on the cake when I’m ready. My piping skills aren’t that great and the thought of making the flowers the day I need them makes for sleepless nights. Thanks for the great-easy-to-follow instructions. So glad I found your website!
Karly says
I’m not too sure how well this would hold up to piping and freezing.
Renae says
It cant be frozen Maria but you can make the Rose’s and put them on same time
Renae says
It will look like actual syrup when finished all you have to do is let the sugar boils out once that happens you remove it from the fire
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
Smearing it on like lotion sounds like a great option!! This is so pretty looking…I had actually forgotten about this frosting. It sounds like one I used to make a long time ago.
Dawn says
Oops, didn’t get to finish! Love it, love you and thinks for reminding me about the luscious fluff!!
Dawn says
In the ” old” days didnt we call this 7 minute frosting? I’ve had this rece since 1970.
Renee @ Awesome on $20 says
Cakes can be persnickety little things, can’t they? But when they work, they’re like heaven on a plate. Can’t wait to try this frosting.
Karen - Cinnamon Freud says
Everyone knows frosting is the best part of the cake, and this frosting looks amaaazing. I can’t allow myself to buy cans of frosting or else I will eat it all- frosting is a dangerous but wonderful thing.
Deborah says
This is close to the frosting that my mom made growing up. It is still my favorite frosting by far – gorgeous!!
leslie says
I’d slather it on myself too!!!! YUM
carrian says
ok, that is not just delicious, that is gorgeous!!!
Paul Corsa says
I’m a fan of Buttercream Frosting myself- especially a Peanutbutter Buttercream on a BananaCake.