I Made Martha Stewart’s Famous “Cloud Cake” and Totally Get the Hype

Nothing beats a cake that’s light and fluffy and tastes delicious. And because I’m a diehard coconut fan, I firmly believe a dessert is even better when you add some coconut flavor and that signature flaked texture. Of course, Martha Stewart covers all the bases for coconut lovers with her Coconut Cloud Cake.

This vintage-inspired cake starts with very simple ingredients but has quite a few steps. You have to put together an egg white-based meringue batter and gently fold in the dry ingredients, then assemble with Martha’s fluffy seven-minute frosting and top with plenty of flaked coconut. With such a combination, I knew I had to give it a try to see if the effort was actually worth it!

Before I dove into making this recipe, I watched Martha’s step-by-step video detailing the process. I knew I was getting myself into quite the baking session. Separating a total of 17 egg whites for both the cake and frosting took a while, but once my ingredients were prepped, I was well on my way.

Whipping the meringue to make the cake batter was simple and straightforward, but I was shocked by just how full my mixer’s bowl was. I made this cake in a 6-quart KitchenAid and almost ran out of room. I imagine it would be quite a mess if I had tried to use a smaller bowl and mixer.

It was tricky to cut slices out of the cake, but once I took my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. I had assumed the final cake would taste too strongly of egg whites, given how many are in it, but I was wrong. The texture is wonderfully airy and almost melts in your mouth. The flavor from the flaked coconut blends perfectly with notes of vanilla, without the cake being too sweet. It truly was as light and fluffy as a cloud and worth the extra effort of separating all of those egg whites and egg yolks after all.