To prepare a light confectionery composition, a sugar-containing liquid dehydrated in a boiler is beaten together with a beating agent and compressed air in a beating vat under pressure, and the beaten composition is discharged discontinuously from the beating vat. To this end the beaten composition is fed discontinuously from the beating vat to a pressurised buffer tank in which the pressure is held essentially at a specific value, for example 2.8 bar, whilst the beaten composition is discharged continuously from the pressurised buffer tank and expanded.