Snowy White Frosting and Easy Mayonnaise Chocolate Cake Recipe

I have made this mayonnaise chocolate cake for many years, from the time my kids were little. The cake is moist and delicious, and you cannot taste the mayo in it. My whole family loves it, and my husband said it's his favorite.

The recipe calls for nuts, but today I didn't add them. Our son doesn't like them. I did put some nuts on the frosting, but I did that on only part of the cake. Then I sent the cake out to the barn.

The guys were in the barn today hunting. They have their deer blind in the barn. My granddaughter calls it their "man cave." They can keep warm and watch for deer, listen to the Packer game, and play cards there. Now I know many people don't like hunting, but that's what they do here.

This frosting is like seven-minute frosting, but it's much easier to make. With seven-minute frosting, a double boiler is used and you whip and whip it on the stove with a handheld mixer. Mine would never turn out right, and it wasn't fun to do it over the stove. The mixer would get hot. Also, the seven-minute frosting recipe calls for corn syrup.

With my recipe, on the other hand, once you put the sugar, water and vinegar in the saucepan, you don't have to touch until it hits the right temperature then remove it from the stove.

Snowy White Frosting

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff. Leave in mixer bowl.
2. In a saucepan, add sugar, water, and vinegar. Stir. Turn on the heat and leave it alone except to add a candy thermometer if you use one. Cook until the thermometer hits 230-235 (or if you do not have a thermometer, until it spins a thread).
3. Pour hot mixture slowly over egg whites in the mixing bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread on cooled cake.

• Quantity: This recipe makes a good amount of frosting. You can add a thick layer to the cake or there is enough for two cakes. (I used all of the frosting on one cake. When my husband came in the door, he said I had frosting all over my face. Well, there was just no one in here to lick the beaters, so I had to.)
• No Need to Cool: You don't have to worry about cooling the frosting; it will cool as you beat it and put it right on the cooled cake.
• Do Not Use: Do not use low-fat or olive oil mayonnaise. You can add whatever you want to the top of the cake.
• Topping: On the pictured piece of cake, I added chopped Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark. Anything looks good on it. It is so good.

Another easy frosting for cupcakes or cake is this simple egg white frosting or meringue.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Separate your eggs, and make sure there is no yolk in your egg whites. I do this by doing one egg at a time and adding them to the mixer as each egg white is yolk free. If yolk gets in your egg white do not use it. If the whites have yolk in them they may not foam.
2. Place egg whites in the mixer add cream of tarter right away, beat on high.
3. Beat until foamy lower your beating to slow and add sugar, beat on high until peaks form.

Now you're ready to frost your cakes.

Place the frosted cake into a covered container. Keep in a draft-free location. Pop the lid a little, about one inch, to allow a slight amount of fresh airflow. Large drafts will ruin the frosting. This frosting is better if you eat it within 24 hours.