Seven Minutes to Heaven

Katie's birthday cake

UPDATED: Picture of the birthday girl!

On my first child's first birthday, I called my mother in a panic.

I'd bought gifts and balloons, I'd prepared snacks and I'd baked a cake. But I hadn't frosted it because I didn't have the recipe for my mother's famous Seven-Minute Frosting.

Every birthday cake my mother ever made (and with seven children, that was a LOT of cakes!) was frosted with this decadent marshmallow-y frosting. Instead of being fat-based (using butter or shortening), it uses egg whites to support a brown-sugar froth.If you don't devour the cake quickly, the frosting sort of crystalizes and takes on a slightly more golden hue. Here's the recipe.

Combine in top of double-boiler
1 unbeaten egg white
¾ cup brown sugar (packed)
2 tbsp cold water
¼ tsp salt
Stir to dissolve sugar. Heat over top of – not IN –  rapidly boiling water, while beating with hand-held electric beater until stiff peaks form. It takes longer than you think.

And Katie just showed up, so I'll sign off. Bon appetit !

The birthday girl, listening to her Hoops & Yoyo card.