Creams and frostings

Italian meringue frosting without butter

A glossy, fluffy frosting made by whipping hot sugar syrup into egg whites with a pinch of citric acid. Makes enough for 1 cake.

Slovak cuisine · Translated from Slovak ·

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Recipe at a glance

Prep time
20 min
Cook time
10 min
Total time
30 min
Servings
Enough for 1 cake
Difficulty
Medium
Cuisine
Slovak
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This Italian meringue frosting is made without butter, milk, or chocolate, using only egg whites, sugar, water, and a pinch of citric acid. The sugar syrup simmers over low heat for about ten minutes, until a drop forms a soft ball, and is then combined with the egg whites. The resulting frosting is snow-white, glossy, thick, and fluffy. The method requires precision, so it is worth practicing before using it for an important occasion.

Ingredients

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Instructions

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  1. Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks, making sure not a drop of yolk gets into the whites. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan for the syrup.

  2. Stir over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to nearly its lowest setting, keeping the syrup at a boil. Cook the syrup made with 250 g sugar over the lowest heat for about 10 minutes. When small bubbles begin to form, drop a little syrup into a bowl of cold water to check whether it is ready.

  3. The syrup is ready when it does not dissolve in the water and can be shaped into a soft ball. Add the citric acid and stir well.

  4. While the syrup cooks, beat the egg whites until stiff enough to stay on the beaters and remain in the bowl when it is turned upside down. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the hot syrup immediately after removing it from the heat. Pour in a thin stream as close to the edge of the bowl as possible so it blends into the whites right away.

  5. Once all the syrup has been added, start cooling the bowl. In winter, place it near a slightly open window; in summer, aim a fan at the frosting.

    Continue beating as the frosting cools until it is completely cool, about 15–20 minutes.

  6. The frosting is ready when it stays on an upside-down spoon and does not shake off the beaters easily.

Tip: Beat the egg whites in a completely clean, dry metal or glass bowl. Plastic can retain grease, which would prevent the whites from becoming stiff enough to hold the syrup.

Nutrition facts

Approximate values per 100 g, calculated from the ingredients

Energy
97 kcal
Protein
1.0 g
Carbohydrates
24 g
of which sugars
24 g
Fat
0.0 g
of which saturates
0.0 g
Fiber
0.0 g
Salt
0.0 g

Calculated from the raw ingredients, without frying oil. Where an amount is “to taste”, typical amounts are used. Food composition: USDA FoodData Central and product labels.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Bielkový krém varený s cukrovým sirupom – bez masla

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