Easy and Extra Fluffy White Cloud Frosting
on Feb 01, 2012, Updated Aug 21, 2024
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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
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
The Perfect Icing for Gingerbread Cookies
Cut Out Cookies
Sugar Cookie Icing Recipe for Perfect Holiday Decorating
Frosting Recipes
Caramel Cake Frosting
Frosting Recipes
Peanut Butter 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 be a good recipe to use to frost an ice cream cake?
Yes! I think it would be really nice on an ice cream cake!
I hadn’t baked in ages except for sourdough bread. So I tried a sourdough chocolate cake recipe. While it cooled I decided it needed a light frosting, so tried this. Exceptionally easy! I didn’t exactly measure and I couldn’t get the top off my vanilla, so I substituted amaretto. Nothing like winging it and yet still spectacular!!! I love the gleam, the lightness and especially that it’s not overly sweet. I can’t wait for dinner so I can try it on the cake, but straight from the bowl is great. Thank you for sharing😁
Ohhh it sounds wonderful! I’m so glad you like this as much as we do!
Good Morning, I am looking to make this recipe for a work picnic and was wondering if you can add food colouring to the mixture? I’m trying to get a colourful cupcake situation 😊
Thank you,
Irene
Yes! I add it when I add the vanilla at the end, no problem there!
It turned out great. Light and Fluffy, it worked great for the cupcakes. Can the egg yolk be used to? To make a more yellow icing? Just use 1 egg instead of 2 egg whites? Thanks!
Nope, the fat in the yolk will ruin this recipe, so just toss it in your scrambled eggs in the morning or making pudding.
i didn’t get the peaks
Your egg whites won’t whip up if there’s any grease left on your bowl of beaters, you’ll need to start over if it won’t peak.
This is also called Italian meringue. Delicious, but hardly a new thing. For those hard time, add 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar right after the eggs first get foamy.
Real Italian buttercream contains butter. This is a different way to make 7 minute frosting or like a meringue type. Great recipe, I never used this method
Sol is correct! This is the same as Italian meringue, (not Italian butter cream) but made a bit differently. Using this method has also been called 7 minute icing, but usually done with less corn syrup!
I think this is a great recipe but do you know what can replace the light corn syrup
I used honey and turned out amazing, I also added cinnamon to the icing for our banana cake! 🙂 my family loved it. The only thing is I would maybe add half a cup of honey instead of 3/4 but the choice is yours
Would I be able to substitute pasteurized egg whites in this recipe?
Yep, it should work great!
Thank you! I’ll let you know how it works out!
Hello! My frosting was sticky and watery not sure why, I think it was because I did half of every ingredient because I only had one egg…oh well! I think I’m going to make it again next time! Thanks?
A half batch actually works, this happens if there is any great residue or grease or fat on your bowl, beater, spoons… or even if you break park of the egg yolk and it gets a drop in the whites.
Hi Melissa, I love the texture and how easy it is to pipe this frosting. It’s still a bit too sweet for me, though. Do you think the frosting would still maintain its shape if I reduce either the sugar or corn syrup?
I bet you could reduce the corn syrup by half!