Mother's Day Gifts came early!

My Mother and I received our Mother's Day Presents from my DD early this year!

Mother received a jar of homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam and I received an antique double-boiler!

Oh, boy!  I know what to do with this!!

I went straight for Grandpa Elvin Volker's 1957 Better Homes & Gardens "new" Cookbook

and found my all-time fav-o-rite frosting recipe for

Seven Minute Frosting

Look at that beautiful, fluffy, marshmallowy goodness!

(Grandpa Volker always let me lick the beaters :-)

Here's the recipe for you:

2 unbeaten egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/3 cup cold water 

(can substitute half of the liquid for Maraschino cherry juice)

dash of salt (must use)

1 teaspoon of vanilla (Grandpa always used Watkins!)

Place all ingredients except vanilla in top of double boiler (not over heat); beat 1 minute with electric or rotary beater to blend.  Place over boiling water and cook, beating constantly, will frosting forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes (don't overcook or it'll get grainy).  Remove from boiling water.  Pour into mixing bowl, if you wish.  Add vanilla; beat till of spreading consistency, 2 minutes.  Frosts tops and sides of two 8 or 9" layers.

Frost sides first, then the top.

Great thing about this is you can swirl cupcakes in it upside down

and you can have 24 cupcakes frosted in no time flat with

no dirty knife to clean, either!

Sometimes, Grandpa Volker would substitute part of the water called for in the recipe with 

Maraschino cherry juice!

It made such pretty pink frosting - perfect for a girl's birthday or for Valentine's Day!

Broiled Coconut Version

Another of my favorite variations of this frosting is to bake a yummy chocolate cake in an 8 x 14 pan, spread this frosting over it, sprinkle all over with white coconut flakes, then place under the broiler in the oven briefly - maybe sixty to ninety seconds - watching the entire time - and take out and dive in!  It's heaven!!

Enjoy!

P.S.  This frosting contains no fat :-)

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