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
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.
corn syrup is the worst sweetener you can eat! has anyone tried this with an alternative?
It sure is! That’s why I only use it in this recipe and a caramel corn recipe that I love. Moderation right?! My friend Carrie over at Bakeaholic Mama used maple syrup with great success. Here’s the recipe with her adaptations!
https://www.bakeaholicmama.com/2013/08/applesauce-cupcakes-with-maple-brown.html
You are sweet to reply! Thank you!
This is really just an Italian meringue. It uses a simple syrup that you make yourself with sugar and water in place of the heated corn syrup. You shouldn’t have trouble finding a recipe on the internet.
Can you freeze this?
I’ve never tried it but I’m sure it would not work at all. I think it would just turn to mush and weirdness, so I say no…
Hi! I have a recipe called 7 minute frosting which is just about identical to this and we freeze cakes that have that frosting. We put the cake in a covered cake carrier in the freezer. When we took it out we just left it in the carrier and left it on the counter to thaw. No problems.
That’s such a great tip, thank you for sharing!
Can this be toasted like a marange or a marshmallow?
I have no idea. A kitchen torch has been on my list for years but I don’t own one and have never tried. If YOU try will you let me know?! Thanks! M.
I tried it with a lighter to see what would happen. Since this frosting is basically a homemade marshmallow fluff I was just too curious. It worked. It burns easy but I think with a torch it would be more even.
Good to know! How soon after you put the icing on did you do it? It develops a bit of a crust over time and I was wondering if it was better to let it sit or do it while it was still really soft… I’m excited to try it!
I torched them with a “Creme Brulee Torch” I bought at Cost Plus World Market. They look cute – they toast/burn fast, be careful. I didn’t eat one myself but heard they were good. Browned them about a half hour after frosting and served them about 12 hours later.
Is this regular granulated sugar or confectioners sugar?
It’s granulated… a little different from traditional icing but this isn’t your average cupcake topper 🙂
OMG! I LOVE this frosting! I am going to try this!
I have a yummy recipe for french toast cupcakes and i want to use this recipe for cloud frosting…do u think if I add maple syrup to this frosting if it would weigh it down too much?
thanks for the wonderful recipe,,i tried it even if my corn syrup is just 1/2 and still it looks amazing on my cupcakes,, i put pink color and use swirl tip,,this is really a go recipe,,super easy to make,,thanks
These look heavenly!!! Totally going to try this!! One question though, have you ever tried to make this with an egg white substitute?? I’m making cupcakes for my sons baseball party and one of the boys needs it to be gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free! Whew! How’s that for a challenge?? :o) Definitely making this “as is” for my family though!! Thanks!!
Oh!! And how much does this recipe yield? I need about 3 dozen cupcakes! :o)
It just depends on how much you use. I like a lot because it’s so light and fluffy. I normally plan on a batch of icing per one dozen cupcakes and then load them up 🙂 You could get away with 18 if you don’t pike it on…
That is a tall order and good for you for trying. I haven’t tried it with an egg sub but if it that stuff whips up like an egg white then I say it’s worth a try… will you let me know if it works?!
I am not a ‘real’ baker girl, I just pretend and hope for the best. This recipe was so easy and turned out so fantastic that anyone could make bakery worthy cupcakes. I used a hand mixer (see…not a pro) and I was perfect!!! I am going to be the cool mom at school tomorrow and my son will a great cupcakes for his birthday!!
Whoot whoot! I made this with a hand mixer all through collage before I found a Kitchen Aid at a garage sale. LOL… no shame in that! SO glad it turned out.
I have used my stand mixer more in the last 6 months then in the 4 years I’ve had it! Sometimes I get confused on which attacoto use thou do you see a difference I do k ow whisk u get more air besides that?
I use the whisk one so that it gets lots of air. Hope that helps!
LOVED your feature on Bakeaholic Mama! WAY TO GO! I somehow missed this recipe when it was first posted, so I’m glad to have it now. Dairy and gluten free! WOOT!
p.s. Thanks for the shout-out, friend. Your nice words made my day!
It’s DELICIOUS!!! and SO EASY! Plus, it holds up better than any buttercream I have ever worked with! Quick question…I have about 50 cupcakes to do. Can I double this, or does a couple single batches work out better? and did I read correctly that I can pipe my cupcakes and leave them on the counter overnight? Thanks! 🙂
I do and it’s normally just great. I live in Southern Utah and it is hot and dry right now. I just left out a cake with this icing on it for a little over 24 hours and it was too long. It still looked great but the icing kind of got dehydrated and a bit chewy. If you live anywhere with a pit of humidity though you are fine. I grew up in Indiana and my mom always left it out with great success. 24 hours was bit long on my part too… does anyone of that makes sense 🙂
It makes perfect sense, thank you!! I am from Michigan…so I NEVER know what the weather is going to be in 24hrs, lol! The cupcakes are for a surprise wedding shower we are throwing for my daughters teacher…the kids are going to love this frosting! Looked everywhere for those cute heart sprinkles you used but couldn’t find ’em, dang it!
I got them at a kitchen supply store that carries bulk sprinkles… I get a tub of sprinkles every year for my Birthday. LOL. Such a cute idea and I know the kids will LOVE it too!
What a cute bday gift idea for someone, sprinkles. Love it.