Manageability – Only the Queen, Martha, can do it.
I know Martha’s recipes are tough, but this particular cloud cake recipe was a messy coconut explosion of frustration and unhappiness. Think you got what it takes to be the Queen? Have a go at Martha Stewart’s Coconut Cloud Cake, you risk-taker.
Where. To. Start. It’s a sneaker out the gate, pretending it’s going to be easy. It’s a lot of using your mixer and sifting flour/sugar. Also, the frosting was kindof fun to make. You get to heat a bowl over simmering water in a saucepan, which is a technique I rarely use. But my god, please please PLEASE line your tube pan with parchment before putting it in the oven. You have a tube pan with a removable bottom, right? Apparently you should. I did not, so I had to order one specifically for this recipe. But when you use it, the batter WILL fall through the cracks on that thing, and splatter all down the inside of your oven while it’s baking, and you won’t realize it until it’s too damn late. Thanks to Google (and not Martha), I learned you can cut out a circle of parchment to act as a stopper.
Then, getting it out of the pan is a ridiculous affair. Sure, you can “carefully run a long offset spatula or knife around the inner and outer perimeter of the cake pan”, but those are just words on your phone. The truth is, this thing is hard to cook all the way through, and getting it out is a mess. This cake also turned out really inconsistent. Because you have to gently mix in the flour, not all of it mixes at the same time, so it came out lumpy and goopy, rather than the light fluffiness you would expect from a “cloud” cake. I obviously didn’t mix well enough.
It literally took me six months to get around to making this thing. And after two failed attempts, you know what? I will never do it again. It can’t be said enough: Martha Stewart is out of her mind.
Ingredients
For the Seven-Minute Frosting
- 3 large egg whites, you racist
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 5 tablespoons cold water
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cake
- 1 cup sifted cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar (Supa Dupa Fine!)
- 14 large egg whites (1 3/4 cups), room temperature
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Topping
- 3 to 4 cups flaked coconut
Instructions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With a fine sieve, sift together flour and 3/4 cups sugar four times. Or five. I don’t care.
- Step 2 In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, beat together egg whites and water until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high and sprinkle in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff but not dry.
- Step 3 Transfer to a large bowl. In six additions, sift dry ingredients over meringue, folding in quickly but gently.
- Step 4 Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom. Smooth top with an offset spatula. Run a knife through batter to release air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch and aggressive to the ear.
- Step 5 Invert pan on its legs or over the neck of a glass bottle, and let cool completely, about 1 hour, or one very special episode of the Office.
- Step 6 Make the frosting: In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Step 7 Attach the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous (like my hair after Pantene), about 7 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
- Step 8 Carefully run a long offset spatula or knife around the inner and outer perimeter of the cake pan to release cake.
- Step 9 Place on a plate, bottom side up. Using a long serrated knife, carefully slice off 1 1/2 inches from the top of the cake, being sure not to break the layer. Set aside. Cut out a 1-inch-wide, 1-inch-deep channel halfway between the center and edge of cake. Spread icing into channel and over entire layer. Sprinkle with coconut.
- Step 10 Gently place reserved layer on top and ice with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with coconut and serve immediately.