The Recipe

Seven Minute Icing

1 1/2 c sugar

1/3 c cold water

2 egg whites

2 t light corn syrup or 1/4 t cream of tartar

1 t vanilla

In the top of a double boiler combine sugar, cold water, egg whites, corn syrup or cream of tartar and a dash of salt. Beat 30 seconds on low with your electric mixer. Place over boiling water (upper pan should not touch water). Cook about 7 minutes while beating constantly on high speed -or- until stiff peaks form. 

Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat 2-3 minutes or until spreading consistency. Frosts tops and sides of two 8-9 inch layers or one 10 inch tube cake.

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In the day before canned frosting...there was homemade. 

If you don't have a double boiler you can improvise. You need one large pan on bottom with an inch or so of water. Place another pan inside to create the dbl. boiler. I have a steaming rack that I place on bottom of the larger. It folds open like a flower and it lets the top pan rest there while cooking.  

This is NOT a seven minute icing. You will cook longer than that so don't be discouraged when you've been standing there for 10 minutes beating this icing. 

Traditional birthday cake for my family is:

A box white cake mix (or white cake from scratch) with drops of food coloring dropped into the pan before baking. 

You will gently swirl it around with a butter knife but not so much that it becomes muddled.

If you look closely you can see the green peeking through. I have nearly run out of coloring with all the birthday cakes and need to purchase more. The blue and red are beautiful together.

You will see below the soft peaks form easily. Buttercream icing is supposed to be easy to work with

when decorating but it's not to our liking. We prefer the taste of this egg white base.

The weather will play a huge part in your success. If it is cloudy or the humidity is too high you set yourself up for failure; this results in a sticky icing that will only run down the layer of the cake. Try to make this on a sunny day. Good luck and don't forget to lick the beaters!