Hey everyone, it’s Mattie Martin-Olenski, covering CT Cooks for Adina Goldstein for the time being. Let’s see what I can whip up in my kitchen almost 1,000 miles from campus!
Yet again, I’ve been duped by TikTok. Let me explain.
As a Social Media Editor for the CT, I am legally obligated to spend a certain number of hours on TikTok every week, or so I like to tell myself. For research purposes.
Once on TikTok, it’s easy to be convinced that anyone can be a chef. In less than 60 seconds, you’re given full recipes that claim to only need an average of three ingredients. Suddenly, dishes like “Feta Cheese Pasta” or “Dalgona Coffee” become accessible to anyone with upper arm strength and some time to kill.
Since I am currently living in Nebraska, you know I have time to kill. So, to give myself a little serotonin boost, I attempted to make some cheery little Cloud Cakes because they seemed simple.
I was so wrong.
Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
2 tbsp white granulated sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions: Separate the egg white from the yolks. Mix them in a stand mixer until bubbly. Mix in the sugar 1 tbsp at a time; continue mixing the white until frothy, then add the sifted cornstarch. Finally, leave the mixture to mix on high until stiff peaks form. (If you want to add food coloring, add it after adding the cornstarch but before mixing on high.) Then, cook in an oven at 300˚F for 20-25 minutes.
Now, the recipe isn’t that bad, but I have some tips if you are actually going to make this. The cornstarch makes the egg whites seem to stiffen faster than usual; however, they are not actually stiff. You should continue mixing the egg whites on high for about five to 10 minutes after the cornstarch is added to ensure your cakes don’t fall after they’re baked. 
Additionally, these require more than 25 minutes in the oven. I would recommend 30 minutes or more. They will come out quite brown, but that’s the price you pay for a fully cooked egg.
The real letdown was the taste, or lack thereof. The Cloud Cakes somehow manage to taste like nothing. I guess clouds aren’t supposed to taste like anything, so maybe it’s my fault for assuming all cakes taste good.
My taste tester (AKA my mom) said they really smell like someone passing gas. Something about the fresh scent of sulfur wafting out of a cake is very unsettling.
I would only make these again if I were going to use them to decorate a cake because, despite their taste, they actually look quite pretty. They can also serve as a good dessert alternative if you are going on a diet.
The moral of the story is: Just because it looks tasty on TikTok doesn’t mean it actually will be. Don’t listen to the people on TikTok. They don’t know anything.
