Just 7 Minutes Can Change Your Life - 7 Minute Frosting

Seven Minute Frosting makes me reminiscent of days gone by. I rarely see anyone using it anymore, favoring either the quick Cream Cheese or quick Crusting Butter Cream. Which in a way makes sense, I mean if you are going to go to all the trouble of boiling syrup and pouring it over a meringue and beating the heck out of it, then why not simply add a little butter and make an Italian Butter Creme?

But there is just something deliciously "Kid-like" about 7 minute frosting. It's like spreading melted marshmallows or marshmallow cream all over your cake... Although my personal favorite is the Sea Foam Frosting, which is 7 Minute Frosting made with Brown Sugar (sometimes called penuche frosting)

I have seen other methods on the Food Network, but they are modified versions of the old standard. Combining everything in a bowl over simmering water, beating constantly while trying to check the temperature and then move it to another bowl to finish the beating process, all while not stopping the beating is totally cumbersome. Of course in my case, trying to take photos of this process would be virtually impossible and just asking for 3rd degree burns and a trip to the emergency room. Cause I am a klutz.

So I present the "Old Way", the original way, the way that I have never had any problems with overcooked egg whites... The way my Momma, my Grandma and my Great Grandma made it... Very similar to the process of making divinity, except you will use all of the sugar syrup at the lower temperature instead of returning half of it to the heat and bringing it to "Hard Ball" before pouring again.

I do suggest pasteurized eggs for this, they will not whip up as fluffy, but I do not want to be responsible for that 1 person who happens to have an infected egg. (I checked the temp of mine after pouring the syrup, and it was 142 degrees - but these reading can vary and every temperature gauge is different)

7 Minute Frosting

3/4 Cup plus 2 TB Granulated Sugar; Divided
1 TB light corn syrup
2 TB water
3 Large Egg Whites
1/4 tsp Cream of Tarter
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (you can use up to 1 tsp, but I was trying to keep mine really white)

In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup Sugar, Corn Syrup and Water and boil over low heat and cook until they syrup reaches 232 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a grease free bowl, begin whisking or beating the Egg Whites with the Cream of Tarter until soft peaks form; then sprinkle in the remaining 2 TB Sugar while continuing to beat until firm peaks form (this take about 3 minutes) then mix or fold in the vanilla.

Your syrup should be bubbling away now.

Remove the syrup from the flame and slowly pour it into the meringue, in a steady stream while continuing to beat the meringue on medium speed; being careful not to hit the whisk or beater with the syrup cause it will fling little shards of sugar into your frosting. (Sorry for the blurry pic, but it was hard to get a good pout while staring at an LCD screen)

Once the syrup is completely added (do not scrape the pan) continue beating until the meringue (frosting) cools down; somewhere between 5 - 10 minutes (7 Minutes on average).

The frosting should be thick and shiny, very Marshmallow-y.

Use immediately.

7 Minute frosting does not like humidity, store cake at room temperature in a sealed container, never in the refrigerator.

I will post about the Cake tonight... I have to wait until it's cut to get the final pictures... ;)

Mangia!!!
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