7-Minute Icing: Tips & Techniques

[mignardise]

Is their another way to prepare this 7-minute icing/frosting other than using the bain marie method and a hand held mixer?

Sorry, not part of my repertoire......so darn humbug to prepare.

[pastrymama]

I make a meringue that is basically the same thing by heating the egg whites and sugar over water until very hot, then pour them into the mixing bowl of my kitchen aid and beat until it is fluffy and cool.

Edited January 27, 2007 by pastrymama (log)

[jumanggy]

Speaking of other ways to do 7-minute frosting, does it hold up well to being browned in the oven? The version I make is basically water, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and corn syrup over a bain marie. I've topped things with plain meringue before and in my tropical climate, a lot of undesirable things have happened-- deflation, sweating, and softening. I was wondering if the addition of water or corn syrup would create an even more undesirable, wet result.

* sorry if I'm not being as clear as I should-- I'm a super amateur! *

[sugarseattle]

i am pretty sure you can omit the corn syrup (which is probably just there to prevent recrystallization of the sugar), and to prevent weeping in humid conditions (ie Florida or the Refrigerator), just bring your whites to 160degrees which will not only stabilize them, but will make them safe for overly paranoid bakers

[Kim Shook]

Is their another way to prepare this 7-minute icing/frosting other than using the bain marie method and a hand held mixer?

Sorry, not part of my repertoire......so darn humbug to prepare.

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Really Easy Recipe!!

Kim

[jumanggy]

i am pretty sure you can omit the corn syrup (which is probably just there to prevent recrystallization of the sugar), and to prevent weeping in humid conditions (ie Florida or the Refrigerator), just bring your whites to 160degrees which will not only stabilize them, but will make them safe for overly paranoid bakers

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Wow! Thanks! And, I just bought a candy thermometer to help me out with that.

(Naturally I had a similar problem with Pavlova. It tasted okay [the recipe was a tad too sweet for me], but I had a bigger problem with the sugar weeping out of the surface. Like a sticky cloud.)

[Eliza]

I don't know if I'm in the right place for this question, but I'm hoping I can tap the cumulative expertise of this forum [you are all doing fabulous things with sweets and it's so inspiring, hooray!!]:

first of all, wtf is the deal with Joy of Cooking's seven-minute frosting? I made my man a classic yellow layer cake with pink and brown seven-minute frostings, and while the cake tasted great, the frosting was truly yucky; I couldn't get the corn syrup texture out of my mouth. The real problem here is that I had a certain kind of frosting in mind. What I'm looking for is much softer than buttercream, forms a slight pudding-skin-esque texture when it sits at room temp, tastes really buttery, and is what would have been on my yellow birthday cakes when I was a little kid. Help! I love making birthday cakes for my friends, and I must find the elusive frosting of my childhood!

[sugar plum]

I've just had a very frustrating evening. I was almost done making America's Test Kitchen's Lemon Layer cake from their new baking handbook when it all went horribly awry. They top this cake with a 7 minute frosting. My attempt at it did not produce the stiff peaks as they describe in the recipe. Could anyone tell me why this might have happened? I thought it was because it was too warm like other frostings and so I popped it in the fridge. This did not help and I still had a soup-y mess on my hands. Argh! Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[djyee100]

Sounds like you're not alone.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/pos...x?postID=237251

[sugar plum]

Thanks so much for this. It's nice to know I'm not on my own with this baking disaster!

Sounds like you're not alone.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/pos...x?postID=237251

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[lperry]

I've made seven minute frosting more times than I can count, and I have found a couple of things will mess it up. First, make certain that the simmering water (I've never used "rapidly boiling") does not touch the bowl of the double boiler. Second, mix together the ingredients before you put them over the heat. The frosting should be cooked over the heat for the entire time.

The texture will be a little different from batch to batch depending upon the humidity level in your kitchen, but even on the hottest days, it will still taste good, even if all you can get are soft peaks. Here's a link to a recipe that works.

Scroll down to the frosting recipe.

[alanamoana]

forgive my ignorance but is seven minute frosting just swiss meringue with flavoring?

[lperry]

I'm not sure - isn't Swiss meringue cooked to a certain temp then whipped while cooling? Seven minute is cooked over simmering water for the whole seven minutes, and then you put it directly on the cake with no cooling time.

[jumanggy]

The transfer from heat to mixing for swiss meringue is just an adjustment for people who prefer to use a stand mixer-- it actually produces the same result. 7-minute frosting is really a swiss meringue, but most, if not all the recipes I've seen, have water.

[alanamoana]

so, if it is just swiss meringue, the only real issue i see if you end up with "soup" is fat.

make sure the bowl is clean

make sure that you have absolutely clean egg whites (no yolk at all)

make sure the mixer is clean (beaters, whatever you're using)

[Fivesecondrule]

Use the recipe where the sugar water is boiled separately. THis is often called boiled icing. Boil until it is at the thread stage, remove from the heat and whip your whites. When the whites can hold a peak, gradually pour the sugar into them. Keep whipping while it cools off a bit. done.

[sugar plum]

After taking a break from this recipe, I returned to it again today...with success this time around! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this thread, eGullet! I'm so happy with the results.

With this attempt, I ignored America’s Test Kitchen's complicated instructions. All I did was quickly blend the egg whites, lemon juice, water, corn syrup and sugar together and then continue to mix it using an electric hand mixer over a hot water bath for 6-7 minutes. I stopped when I achieved the right consistency. I didn't bother with thermometer. Worked like a charm! Now I just hope I don't give anyone salmonella...

Thanks so much for this.  It's nice to know I'm not on my own with this baking disaster!

Sounds like you're not alone.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/pos...x?postID=237251

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[toni]

Your cake is beautiful! I love how white and billowy it looks. How would you describe its taste? Does it taste like marshmellow and how sweet? Thanks, and I am so glad that you persevered and got what you wanted.

[sugar plum]

Sadly, I didn't actually get to try any! The reports from my co-workers (I baked this for one of their birthdays) was positive. My mother used to make 7 minute frosting when I was growing up and I actually prefer buttercream. I find it too sweet for my liking.

Your cake is beautiful!  I love how white and billowy it looks.  How would you describe its taste?  Does it taste like marshmellow and how sweet?  Thanks, and I am so glad that you persevered and got what you wanted.

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