Blonde Caramel Cloud Macchiato (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)

Behold the new breed of Starbucks drinks, the cloud macchiato. These are all about foam; and lots of it. Still, the drinks are decadently delicious. So, can you make a Blonde Caramel Cloud Macchiato at home? Sure you can! With the Starbucks copycat recipe below.

Here’s the story. The quest for frothier, foamier drinks reached its peak in 2019 with the arrival of the cloud macchiato. When foaming milk just wasn’t enough, Starbucks began using its Cloud Powder, which is, amongst thickeners and preservatives, egg white.

We’re all familiarized with foaming egg whites; that’s how you do meringues and frostings. Well, they’re now part of the coffee family of ingredients, too. Today we’re whisking some egg whites to craft a fabulous Blonde Caramel Cloud Macchiato, but we’re also steaming some milk. So, let’s get started.

You’ll need a medium-sized mixing bowl and 2-3 egg whites, depending on the eggs’ size. We’re mixing them with one teaspoon of vanilla extract and sugar before whisking them until soft peaks form. This will be your drink’s top layer.

Unless you have a milk frother, you’ll have to whip warm milk with an electric hand mixer until frothy on a different bowl. You must work fast here because you’re working with several foams, and foams don’t last forever. You don’t have to worry as much for the egg whites as long as they’re not exposed to heat. Milk foam, lasts only a few minutes.

Finally, we need tow espresso shots, which can be any type of coffee, and a good caramel sauce to drizzle over our drink. There are plenty of caramel sauces out there, but I recommend using a salted caramel sauce to get similar Starbucks results. 

The result is a layered drink with a thick foamy surface that’s incredibly fun to make and share. Although there’s some natural sweetness in your drink, you might want to adjust the sugar levels with your favorite sweetener. There you have it, congratulations. You’ve just made yourself a macchiato cloud!