How to make Italian Meringue Frosting

By Foodiewife

If you love marshmallows, then you will fall in-love with making your own Italian Meringue Frosting. It's creamy, and billowy. It's sweet, but nowhere as cloyingly sweet as a buttercream. I love it, paired with chocolate cake. It's not as hard to make, as you might think. You do need a good stand mixer, preferably with a balloon whisk. Click on the recipe source link, to see step-by-step photos on how to make this.

Ingredients

• ITALIAN MERINGUE:
• 2/3 cup egg whites (about 4)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoon water

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Note: You will want to use a candy thermometer, to make the syrup for this meringue.

Italian Meringue:
Prepare the simple syrup by bringing the sugar, and water to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar completely. Using a candy thermometer, bring the temperature to 234 - 240°F (soft ball stage). Do not stir the mixture.

Meanwhile: Beat the egg whites at slow speed until they foam throughout the bowl.

Add the salt and cream of tartar.

Gradually increase the mixer speed and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the mixer speed down to 'slow' as the sugar syrup is reaching the boiling point.

While the mixer is still on slow, slowly (and carefully) pour the boiling syrup down the side of the mixing bowl (be careful not to pour it on the whisk).

Increase the mixer speed to moderately fast and beat until cool and the egg whites form stiff, shiny peaks.

This will yield a generous amount of frosting. I use it to frost a three-layer chocolate cake.

You will want to store the frosted cake in the refrigerator, as the frosting will begin to collapse after a few hours.