How to make an easy whipped marshmallow meringue frosting for cupcakes and treats.
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A delectable homemade dessert is always hard to beat, if you have the right ingredients for success, that is! Take cupcakes, for example. For irresistible homemade cupcakes, you not only want a moist, flavorful cake and cute, aesthetically- pleasing cupcake toppers, but you also need the right frosting for the job. A lot of store-bought frostings are either way too sweet or have that undeniable manufactured flavor. You don’t even have to be a dessert connoisseur to be able to pick out the difference of taste between store-bought frostings and homemade. For the absolute best homemade desserts it’s always best to opt for a homemade frosting!
At first, mention, whipping up a delicious frosting might sound like an intimidating task but luckily that is not always the case. There are many simple and easy homemade frostings that turn out absolutely superb like this Marshmallow Meringue Frosting! This scrumptious marshmallowy frosting is super easy to whip together and is perfect for adding charm and character to homemade fancy cakes and cupcakes, like in my recipe for S’mores Cupcakes!
To make easy marshmallow meringue frosting all you need is some sugar, egg whites, vanilla extract, and a few kitchen tools. Just combine the ingredients in a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Then transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, or stand mixer, and beat with a hand mixer with the whisk attachment until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
Meringue Frosting Equipment
This is a super simple meringue frosting recipe and only requires a few tools to whip up. For this particular recipe guide, I used an electric hand mixer but I usually prefer to use my kitchen stand mixer for this kind of frosting project.
- Candy thermometer
- Saucepan with a pouring lip
- Blending whisk
- Kitchen Aid mixer
- Kitchen torch –optional
Marshmallow-y Meringue Ingredients
Next up, you only need 3 delightful and simple ingredients to make the magic of marshmallow meringue frosting in this super easy method!
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
How to Make Easy Marshmallow Meringue Frosting
Time to break down the process on how to whip up this magically delightful dessert topping. This process is refreshingly simple and quick to accomplish. So without further ado, here is how to make your own marshmallow meringue frosting:
- First, gather up and measure out all the meringue frosting ingredients. Then, fill a saucepan with a couple of inches of water and bring it to a boil.
- While the water is heating up, carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks into a mixing bowl.
- Next, when the water is boiling, find a heat-safe bowl that will fit on top of the pan without touching the water. In it, mix the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Continue to constantly whisk the mixture for about 5- 7 minutes or until a candy thermometer measures the meringue mixture temp at 140°F.
- Next, carefully remove the hot mixing bowl from the saucepan and pour the meringue mixture into a large glass mixing bowl.
- Then, use a Kitchen Aid mixer, or stand mixer, with a whisk attachment to beat the meringue until stiff peaks form about five minutes.
- If the meringue frosting starts to flatten then just take a whisk and whip it by hand for 2- 3 minutes. Spoon the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and use a cake spatula to create peaks and edges.
- To get that lovely toasted marshmallow effect, you can carefully use a kitchen torch to toast and brown the peaks and edges.
Can Marshmallow Meringue Frosting Be Stored?
- Overall, it’s highly recommended to use this whipped frosting right away. Once used on a cake or cupcake, the frosting will stay good as long as the pastry.
- However, if you do end up with some homemade marshmallow meringue frosting leftover, you can transfer it to its own airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Just be sure to re-whip the meringue frosting for a few minutes before serving or decorating with.
Meringue Magic Serving Ideas
This fluffy and delicious dessert topping is absolutely perfect for cupcakes! It’s almost like they were made for each other. But you don’t have to stick to just that, there are quite a few other sweet treats and desserts that this delightful topping would pair perfectly with!
Try marshmallow meringue frosting on:
- On S’mores Cupcakes or any other kind of cupcakes
- This recipe will frost 18 cupcakes
- Cakes
- Cookies
- Brownies
- Puddings
- Pies
- As a fruit dip
Try these Unicorn Meringue Cookies and Unicorn Meringue Pops for even more meringue magic!
Marshmallow meringue frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- First, gather up and measure out all the meringue frosting ingredients. Then, fill a saucepan with a couple of inches of water and bring it to a boil.
- While the water is heating up, carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks into a mixing bowl.
- Next, when the water is boiling, find a heat-safe bowl that will fit on top of the pan without touching the water. In it, mix the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Continue to constantly whisk the mixture for about 5- 7 minutes or until a candy thermometer measures the meringue mixture temp at 140°F.
- Next, carefully remove the hot mixing bowl from the saucepan and pour the meringue mixture into a large glass mixing bowl.
- Then, use a KitchenAid mixer, or stand mixer, with a whisk attachment to beat the meringue until stiff peaks form about five minutes.
- If the meringue frosting starts to flatten then just take a whisk and whip it by hand for 2- 3 minutes. Spoon the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and use a cake spatula to create peaks and edges.To get that lovely toasted marshmallow effect, you can carefully use a kitchen torch to toast and brown the peaks and edges.
Video
Food Photography & Video Tips from My Studio
Here’s a peek at the tools, gear, and camera setups I use to film my recipe videos and photograph food at home. Over the years, I’ve tested dozens of different setups, and now I’m sharing what actually works for me—whether I’m filming overhead shots for YouTube or styling still photos for my blog. If you’re curious about how I create the content you see here, these posts are a great place to start.
It’s strange that you don’t include the cream of tarter in the ingredients or instructions but yet you used it in the video. Why is it different?
Thanks so much for catching that, and you’re absolutely right. The cream of tartar totally slipped through the cracks when I was typing up the blog post. I definitely use it in the video to help stabilize the egg whites and give the meringue that perfect glossy finish. It was a typing oversight on my part. I’ll update the blog post ASAP to include the cream of tartar in both the ingredients list and the instructions. Thanks again for pointing it out. Your attention to detail is much appreciated!