Coconut Macaroon Cake

The right dessert to serve at Hanukkah, according to experts, is sufganiyot: aka, jelly donuts. Based on the same miracle that brings us latkes, the donuts are fried in lots of oil. Call me a health nut, but eating jelly donuts after eating a ton of latkes seems like an unpleasant gut bomb. For dessert, we want something a little lighter, a little fluffier, maybe with a tropical fruit in there. What we want is a Coconut Macaroon Cake.

Start with the Meringue

This cake, which comes from Michael Solomonv’s Zahav Home, starts with the topping. Namely: a meringue that you whip up with egg whites and sugar.

Your goal? Stiff peaks. That means the egg whites stand up on their own when you lift up the whisk. (Spoiler alert: “Stiff Peaks” is the name of the last chapter in my novel.)

Then you fold in sweetened, shredded coconut; the traditional form of coconut in a coconut macaroon.

That goes into the fridge, while you make the cake.

Easy as… Cake

This batter is so simple, it almost makes itself. Into your mixer goes butter and sugar, which you whip until fluffy, then the egg yolks leftover from the egg whites you used in step one. Vanilla and the traditional dry ingredients go in with some milk; then the batter goes into your prepped pan.

Normally this gets baked in a springform pan and that’s important because you can’t really flip this out (the top is so marshmallowy when it’s done). My springform wasn’t working great so I used a regular cake pan with a parchment lining and lifted it out later with a spatula and then slid it off the parchment.

Once you spread out your batter, you spread on the coconut layer.

Then you bake at 325 for about 40 minutes until the top is just starting to brown.

Out of the Oven and Into Your Life

Here’s the cake fresh out of the oven.

That’s one nifty looking cake.

After it cools, you get it on to a cake stand — whether through the springform or through operation macaroon lift — and look how nice it’ll look when your guests arrive.

It’s a deceptively simple cake. The base does, indeed, taste like a yellow birthday cake but then the top is giving marshmallow fluff with a complicated texture and a nicely set top. I could’ve eaten this all day.

Funny enough what this reminded me of, more than a coconut macaroon, was a Hostess Sno Ball. Remember those? Cakey with a marshmallow exterior + coconut? I loved those as a kid and so this cake wasn’t just yummy, it was nostalgic. And just light enough not to feel gross after a dinner of latkes and stuffed cabbage. That’s my idea of the perfect Hanukkah dessert.

Coconut Macaroon Cake

A fluffy, marshmallowy riff on a coconut macaroon from Michael Solomonov's Zahav Home.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 9 people

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Jewish

Calories: 300

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the Meringue:

• 3 egg whites yolks reserved
• ½ cup sugar
• 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

For the Batter:

• Cooking spray or oil for the pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch salt ½ cup 1 stick butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole milk

Method

 

For the meringue:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
2. While the mixer whips the egg whites, gradually stream in the sugar. Increase to high speed and whip until you have stiff, glossy peaks.
3. Transfer the meringue to a medium bowl. With a spatula, gently fold in the coconut until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate while you make the batter.

For the batter:

1. Oil and line a 9- or 10-inch springform pan (or round cake pan) with parchment paper. Then oil the top of the parchment. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Swap out the whisk in the stand mixer for a paddle attachment.
4. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and light in color. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the vanilla.
5. Add half of the milk, alternating with half of the flour mixture, and repeat with the remainder, mixing until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tapping the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
7. Spread the coconut meringue on top until completely covered.
8. Bake until a skewer inserted all the way into the cake (past the meringue) comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
9. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Run a table knife around the edges of the pan and release the springform collar. Carefully transfer to a cake plate.