Easy and Extra Fluffy White Cloud Frosting
on Feb 01, 2012, Updated Aug 21, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My mom’s Easy and Extra Fluffy Frosting is a light, bright and not-too-sweet topping to douse on cupcakes and cakes of all varieties. This is a recipe that you will use over and over again. The perfect addition to top cupcakes and cakes of all kinds!
People often ask me what this icing tastes like because it’s slightly different from your typical icing. It has a light flavor and isn’t overly sweet. The texture is super puffy and fluffy; it will remind you of an extra-light marshmallow cream spread. It’s also crazy and unusual that this icing recipe is made without butter or powdered sugar. It’s so unique!
My mom would often make this icing recipe, and she’d top a chocolate sheet cake or chocolate cupcakes with it. My favorite part was that she’d let us do the honor of loading the cake up with sprinkles. It’s one of my favorite memories growing up!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made without butter or powdered sugar
- So light and fluffy like a super-puffy marshmallow cream
- Great icing for any flavor of cake or dessert
Recipe Ingredients
- Egg whites – at room temperature
- Salt
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar
- Light corn syrup – for the beautiful glossy sheen
- Vanilla extract – this is the main flavor, so use the best quality you can
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Easy and Extra Fluffy Icing
- Beat egg whites and salt on high speed with a mixer until foamy.
- Slowly add the sugar, and beat the mixture until soft peaks form.
- Bring the corn syrup just to a boil over medium heat.
- Slowly pour the corn syrup into the egg mixture with mixer on high, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, mix once more, and frost a cake!
Recipe FAQs
The words frosting and icing are sometimes used interchangeably, but they differ in texture, appearance, and ingredients. Frosting is typically made with a cream cheese or butter base, while icing is usually made with egg whites and sugar. The difference in ingredients is why Icing has a lighter, thinner texture than frosting.
This icing is perfectly white because there is no butter in it! If your favorite vanilla buttercream icing has a yellow tint, you can use a very small drop of violet food coloring to counteract the yellowish tint.
Yes, this recipe doubles well. One batch is enough to frost 12 cupcakes, so doubling will frost 24 cupcakes.
Yes! This extra fluffy icing is the perfect topping for cupcakes. Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes or frost your cake right away because once the icing sets up, it’s hard to spread and doesn’t pipe well.
Expert Tips
- Use a stand mixer. Because you add a lot of the ingredients as you’re mixing, it’s way, way easier to use a stand mixer rather than a hand mixer.
- Make sure your bowl and utensils are clean. Egg whites do NOT handle grease well, and the consistency won’t end up great if there’s butter or oil on any of your materials.
- Slowly add the sugar and corn syrup. When it’s time to pour the sugar into the mixer bowl, do it very slowly to allow everything to incorporate well and form the best soft peaks. Same goes for when you add the hot corn syrup!
- Use it immediately. If you don’t, it sort of de-fluffs and loses its great shape and fullness. Also, add your sprinkles or other decorations right away because they stick best right after icing!
How to Store White Cloud Icing
Warning: This frosting must be used right away! Because this is SUCH a light frosting, it sort of loses its consistency over time if you don’t use it right away. I’d recommend icing whatever cake or cupcakes you’ve made, and then either eating or tossing leftovers if you have any. But it’s so good, you won’t want to toss it. Get out a spoon, friend!
What to Put White Cloud Icing On
This icing is a dreamy addition to so many things. Pile it high on chocolate cupcakes, like the pictures here, or really any cupcake that vanilla-flavored frosting tastes good on.
You can also put it on any other favorite cakes or favorite desserts, including homemade angel food cake, coconut cake, or even a cookie cake.
The one way I wouldn’t use this amazing icing is by putting it between the sections of layer cake. It’s too light of an icing to support the weight of layers.
More Icing & Frosting Recipes to Consider
Frosting Recipes
Caramel Cake Frosting
Frosting Recipes
Peanut Butter Frosting
Frosting Recipes
Chantilly Cream
Frosting Recipes
Cream Cheese Frosting
Extra Fluffy Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Use a stand mixer. It will change your life. You can make this using a hand mixer, but it just takes time. In a clean bowl (any grease on your bowl or utensils will ruin the icing — egg whites hate grease!), beat the egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy.
- With the mixer still running, slowly add the sugar. Beat mixture until soft peaks form. When pulling the mixer out of the white mixture, you should get a little point that bends over.
- Bring the corn syrup to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. When the corn syrup comes to a boil, remove from heat.
- Slowly pour the hot corn syrup into the egg mixture while your mixer is mixing on high. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Use right away.
Video
Notes
- Use the frosting right away and eat any leftovers, as it doesn’t store well.
- You can leave a cake that has been iced with this icing uncovered, since any type of plastic wrap on it will be a mess.
- Add the sprinkles as soon as you are done spreading the icing. A thin crust will form, and the sprinkles won’t stick if you wait too long.
- This recipe doubles well.
- This is enough to frost 18 cupcakes or the outside of one layered cake. This is not a great icing to fill a layer cake. The cake kind of smashes it into nothing, and you don’t have a nice layer in the middle anymore.
Would this make a good filling for a hollowed out angel food cake, with mixed berries?
Ohhh I think it would be lovely for that use! It has a bit of a marshmallow vibe but not so sweet.
Do you have to Refrigerate the cake Or cupcakes after you frost them or will is stay stable if it is left on the countertop? How about once the cake is cut?
I just keep it out on the counter and after I cut it I just put the plastic wrap on the exposed cake and not over the icing.
OHMYGOSH! this is a game changer, its so good and fluffy. I’m never going back to buttercream again. I made mine coffee flavored for my grandmothers birthday cake and everyone loved it.
Isn’t it fun! It’s our go-to as well. It feels easier than buttercream to me too! So glad you liked it!
I was a little nervous after seeing some comments, however with no butter on jad this was the recipe I needed.
My frosting turned out perfectly! Thick and fluffy and tasted amazing ?
I wiped out my “clean” mixing bowl and whisk with a paper towel, just to be sure there was no grease.
If you take your time and follow the instruction exactly, you will have amazing results ❤
Tried this and it didn’t come out anywhere near the picture just looks like very thin icing. I’m used to it I have tried multiple types of frosting and every type it comes out as Icing so it must be me. I know this says icing on it but the pictures show it as a different texture than what I got. I Didn’t make any changes except had to use a hand mixer because I don’t own a stand mixer.
Couldn’t edit my comment but the picture shows it’s more like a whipped frosting than an icing. So I expected it to look like the pic. I must of done something wrong but then again like I said above I have tried multiple different recipes and for some reason they all have come out as thin icing.
It won’t whip up nice like it’s supposed to if there is any grease at all on your beaters, spoon, bowl OR if any of the egg yolk breaks and gets into the whites, the egg whites won’t whip like this if there is any kind of fat involved. That’s the only reason this recipe has failed on my in the past and I’m 97% sure that’s what you are running into too.
Hey there
I’m thinking of using this as a base for custard buttercream (German buttercream). Due to a shortage, I can’t use butter to make traditional buttercream. Do you think this would hold up if I added firm custard?
Thanks
I really don’t know. I think the oil from the custard might break down the whipped egg whites. Let me know if you try it!
I’m so sorry that it didn’t work for you. It must have been an error on your end though (most likely some grease or fat left in your bowl/beaters), because I know that this recipe works as I’ve made it 100’s of times!
Any idea if this would work on the outside of an icecream cake? I would have to freeze the entire cake after it was assembled.
Did this frosting work for an ice cream cake? It sounds delicious but I’m curious about how well it does on an ice cream cake. Thank you!
Hi. I am making a cakes on Friday and icing it. Same day. It will not be eaten until Saturday and Sunday. Will icing hold up on the cake ? You mentioned that we must eat Or throw away since they don’t hold up.
You’ll definitely want to ice the cakes as soon as you make the icing, the icing doesn’t hold up just in the bowl, it holds up really well on that cakes though, so yes, you’ll be find to ice it a day or so ahead of time!
Yay this is exactly the comment/question I was scrolling for 😊
Hi,
I really want to make this. If I make the frosting a day before the event and remix it will it work
It doesn’t really work like that, once it cools it kinds of sets, so there’s no remixing it, it’ll just be a mess. So if you are making it a day ahead, I’d put it on the cake and just do all of the steps the day ahead of time.