How to Make 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting (Step-by-Step)

Marshmallow Frosting is perfectly light and fluffy for frosting a rich chocolate cake, deliciously-fun S'mores cupcakes, a fudgy S'mores pie, or just about anything else that takes frosting! To whip some up, follow these steps on how to make a delicious batch of fluffy 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting, step-by-step.

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When it comes to frosting, my absolute favorite -- hands-down, no question about it -- is 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting. Sure, I love a great vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting. But for me, they can't hold a candle to 7-Minute Frosting. Especially when paired with a rich chocolate cake.  Or a deliciously-fun S'mores cupcake or fudgy S'mores pie. Or heck, when just eaten straight from a spoon, for that matter.

There's just something about the light fluffiness of marshmallow frosting I adore.

Made with a simple egg white and sugar base, this frosting whips up super fluffy and light with a fabulous soft marshmallow texture.

I learned how to make 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting from my high school best friend's Mom, (who frosts the most moist-and-delicious chocolate cake with it, by the way.) It's an old-timey marshmallow frosting recipe, cooked on the stovetop over boiling water for a full 7 minutes. -- Hence its "7-Minute Frosting" name.

Made with a simple egg white and sugar base, this frosting whips up super fluffy and light with a fabulous soft marshmallow texture. A good dose of vanilla extract gives it really nice vanilla flavor.

Follow the steps below on how to make 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting to whip up your own batch of this marshmallow deliciousness. Then frost away on your favorite sweet treat!

7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting Ingredients:

It takes just 5 simple ingredients + a little water to make this super tasty marshmallow frosting. To whip up a batch, you'll need:

• Egg whites - Form the base of the frosting, and whip up into the frosting's pillowy soft marshmallow texture. The frosting is beaten for 7 minutes over boiling water, cooking the egg whites and making them safe to eat.

• Granulated sugar - Sweetens the frosting, and combines with the egg whites to allow them to whip into the frosting's signature fluffy marshmallow form.

• Cream of tartar - Cream of tartar is a white-powdered baking ingredient, commonly used as a stabilizing agent for whipped egg whites or as a leavener in some baked goods. It stabilizes the egg whites in this marshmallow frosting, helping the frosting achieve its creamy marshmallow texture and better hold its shape. It also helps prevent the sugar whipped into the egg whites from crystalizing. Look for cream of tarter in the baking aisle of the grocery store, typically in a small jar with the spices.

• Salt - A small touch of salt balances out the flavors of the frosting.

• Vanilla extract - Flavors the frosting. Use pure vanilla extract, rather than imitation, for the best result.

How to Make 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting:

To start creating this yummy fluffiness, combine some granulated sugar, cream of tartar, a touch of salt, water, and 2 egg whites in the top of a double boiler. 

Beat these ingredients with a handheld electric mixer for about a minute, just to bring everything together and begin dissolving the sugar.

Now technically, you should  use a double boiler to make seven minute frosting.  But if you're like me and don't have one, don't worry -- there's a perfectly easy substitute for a double boiler that works just fine.  

As a substitute for a double boiler, set a medium-sized metal bowl into a small pot. Be sure the metal bowl sits into the pot without going all the way down inside of it. You want there to be some space that allows a bit of water to boil in the bottom of the pot without touching the bottom of the bowl above it.

Hey, whatever works, right?

Once you have your egg whites combined with the other ingredients, place the bowl of egg white mixture over a small amount of boiling water.  

It's very important to be sure the bottom of the bowl holding the egg white mixture doesn't touch the boiling water.  If it touches the water, the 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting will become course and grainy, -- which believe me, isn't good.  We don't want to mess up that oh-so-good smooth fluffiness of the frosting!

With the egg white mixture over the boiling water, beat it constantly on high speed with an electric mixer for 7 minutes. (Yes, this where this old-fashioned 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting gets its name.)

Keep those beaters going for the full 7 minutes, cooking the egg whites and allowing the marshmallow frosting to continue to grow and grow in volume -- getting fluffier and fluffier all the while.

Once those 7 minutes are up, remove the whipped 7-Minute Frosting from the heat and beat in a generous amount of vanilla extract.

You'll have a soft, fluffy, delicious marshmallow frosting that's all ready to join up with your favorite dessert.

Let the frosting cool just a bit -- about 5 minutes or so -- before using it to frost your cakes and/or cupcakes. Cool it slightly, but not too much. -- If it cools too much, it's not as easy to work with and becomes difficult to spread.

When frosting cupcakes, I do use a piping bag with 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting.  Do keep in mind, the marshmallow frosting won't completely hold it's shape when piped. The swirls and folds will collapse into each other a bit, leaving behind a lovely rustic dollop of frosting.

So whether pairing with a rich chocolate cake, fun S'mores dessert, other scrumptious sweet creation, or simply enjoying straight from a spoon, forego that buttercream and give the light fluffiness of 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting a try.  I hope you'll adore it as much as I do!

Recipe FAQs:

• Why do you use cream of tartar in 7-Minute Frosting? - Cream of tartar stabilizes the egg whites in this marshmallow frosting, helping the frosting achieve its creamy marshmallow texture and better hold its shape. It also helps prevent the sugar whipped into the egg whites from crystalizing. For this frosting recipe to work, do not omit the cream of tartar.

• Are the egg whites in 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting safe to eat? - Yes, since the egg whites are cooked over boiling water as they're whipped, the egg whites in 7-Minute Frosting are safe to eat. They reach a "safe" temperature of 160℉ in those 7 minutes of whipping/cooking time.

• Why is my 7-Minute Frosting grainy? - If your 7-Minute Frosting is grainy, it's most likely because the boiling water from the bottom of the double boiler touched the top portion of the double boiler that contains the frosting mixture. Put only enough water in the double boiler to boil without touching the top portion. If you continue to have problems with graininess, try adding 1 teaspoon of corn syrup in with the mixture before beginning the beating process. 

• Can you use egg whites from a carton to make 7-Minute Frosting? - Egg whites from a carton will not work to make 7-Minute Frosting because they have been heated in their manufacturing process, and will not whip up well. Freshly-separated egg whites from whole eggs are needed for this recipe to work.

• Should you refrigerate a cake with 7-Minute Frosting? - It is always best to refrigerate cakes with a frosting that contains eggs, egg whites, whipped cream, or milk. Since 7-Minute Frosting contains egg whites, yes, a cake frosted with it should be stored in the refrigerator.

• Can you color 7-Minute Frosting? - Yes, you sure can color 7-Minute Frosting! Simply add a couple drops of food coloring in at the same time you add the vanilla extract, and beat the coloring in.

• What cake is good with 7-Minute Frosting? - 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting is especially good with coconut cake, spice cake, or a rich chocolate cake, such as devil's food. It's often found atop holiday or special occasion cakes, but it's just as good on simple pound cakes or "everyday" chocolate cakes, too!

Check out these other tasty frosting recipes:

• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• Coffee Buttercream Frosting
• Lemon Buttercream Frosting
• White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
• More dessert recipes

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7-minute frosting recipe, marshmallow frosting recipe, cooked frosting recipe, frostings, 7-minute marshmallow frosting

Dessert

American

Yield: Frosting for 1 cake or about 18 cupcakes

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

How to Make 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting

Marshmallow Frosting is perfectly light and fluffy for frosting a rich chocolate cake, deliciously-fun S'mores cupcakes, a fudgy S'mores pie, or just about anything else that takes frosting! To whip some up, follow these steps on how to make a delicious batch of fluffy 7-Minute Marshmallow Frosting, step-by-step.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 7 MinTotal time: 17 Min

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute.
2. Bring some water to a boil in the bottom pan portion of the double boiler. Place egg white mixture over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If they touch, it could cause the frosting to become grainy.)
3. With the egg white mixture over the boiling water, beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and beat in vanilla.
5. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then immediately frost cupcakes, cake, or tart.

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