Mini Chocolate Cream Pies

Caramelized Onion and Ham Quiche

Seven Minute Frosting

Seven Minute frosting is something I haven't made in a very long time. I have always been a big fan of buttercream, and seven minute seems so old-fashioned and gauche. It makes me think of this cookbook I have published in the early 80's with pictures of simply ugly cakes and other disgusting looking food. It seems so retro and not in the charming way.

One of my newer acquisitions is a book called Cakes From Scratch in Half the Time by Linda West Eckhardt. I do not agree with her theories of baking cakes faster in a hotter oven, it did not work well for me. The cake was too burned on the outside and not done on the inside. Her recipes are not bad though; I adjust the temperature down and the cooking length up.

Of the cakes I found, I chose one sheerly by the fact that I did not have to go to the store to procure any ingredients and it used seven minute frosting. The picture showed a lovely whipped light looking confection. Pure white with orange zest flecks, it intrigued me. I put together the cake, which used a very odd construction, and baked it off. The cake was very basic, and not very impressive, so I will not bother listing the recipe.

I turned my attention to the frosting and began to whip it. Seven minute frosting is called such because it take about seven minutes of beating for it to take on its characteristic volume. I made the mistake of using a balloon whisk at first. After seven minutes, and a dead arm, I did not have the consistency I was looking for. I switched over to the hand held mixer and fixed the problem with sheer power.

The end product is light, fluffy and the consistency of marshmallow. The addition of the orange zest cut through the normally treacly sweetness without being overpowering. While still not my favorite frosting, I would definitely make it again, perhaps paired with a citrus cake with a lemon curd filling. Afterall, it is a major selling point when the frosting is fat free!

Seven Minute Frosting Cake