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.
I made this yesterday! I was looking for a nice simple recipe that isn’t unbearably sweet. THIS was perfect! I didn’t have enough corn syrup so I just added more sugar. the only problem I ad was it didn’t really hold shapes very well when I tried piping, but if you use a simple circular tip (I used a thin one to add designs ) it should be fine! Also, I tried dying it, worked fine other than watering it down a bit.
For those asking about the danger of eating raw egg whites, the heat from the corn syrup “cooks” the egg whites.
Happy Easter. Found your recipe this morning, I wanted something quick and easy. I remember my aunt many years ago pouring the hot syrup into the whites and whipping by hand. She had an old beater set, the bowl that went around, but 55-60 years ago farm wives had muscles to do things by hand.
But this morning I beat the egg whites too much, iced the cake and the icing was rough looking. I solved my problem by using colored coconut to make it look like a wonderful mushroom. I know that this recipe if not beaten as much as I did is a wonderful fluffy result.
thanks from Mary
p.s. I warmed the syrup in the microwave until it boiled. Just a fyi.
I have been looking for a recipe like this! I also have a couple of questions about the icing. I have looked in several stores for egg whites and all I can find is the pasteurized ones is that ok to use? Because it says it wouldn’t whip well for meringues on the package. Did you use egg whites right from the carton? What about salmonella warnings does the corn syrup then cook the egg whites? Would I be able to use meringue/egg powder? Thank you Vicki
I think the corn syrup cooks the egg whites so I just use them from my eggs that my chickens lay! It makes about 6 cups of icing.
could you torch this icing, so it looked like lemon meringue pie? i’m making lemon meringue cupcakes for a birthday and am trying to find an icing!
Thank you! Thank you!! I remember this from my childhood, too. On special days at school, there were the cupcake moms that brought these amazing treats with fun colors . It seemed like that frosting was 3″ high!! This is the 1st recipe I’ve seen that doesn’t use marshmallow. I can’t wait to try it.
I tried this, twice. They look less fluffy than the photo, what could be the problem? Thanks in advance.
I would beat it longer probably to have more air incorporated into it…
I added Oreo crumbs after the mixing and it looks awesome an tastes so good!
Say what?! You’ll have to tell me if you loved it!!!
Can anyone suggest a corn syrup substitute? Not something we see often in Australia and don’t want to go searching for just one recipe. TIA
Use glucose syrup. It will work no problem. I’ve done it and sub all the time. I do the same when I make my marshmallows.
What about eating uncooked eggs? Isn’t there a chance of salmonella?
similar concern, but my concern is more on the uncooked eggs for infant/toddler. :-/
I have made this frosting for years. Generally, you beat everything with a hand mixer except the vanilla over a double boiler for 7 minutes. This will heat the egg whites so there is no health risk. You can then transfer the mixture to a stand mixer add the vanilla and continue mixing until stiff peaks are formed. You can make this the day before but don’t put it in the fridge or the moisture will ruin the frosting. This is also known as 7 minute frosting.
Hi! The eggs are cooked with the heat of the boiling corn sirup when you add it.