Cake “Tavrichesky” – luxury Soviet cake from Yalta

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The popular Soviet cake “Tavrichesky” consists of an incredibly soft sponge cake, which melts in your mouth, the crispy meringue, which melts on the tongue, and the delicate butter cream with a light caramel note. It belonged to a cake jewel in those days and could not be got in every confectioner’s shop. Here I will show you how to make it yourself at home. A detailed recipe for the cake “Tavrichesky” with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions can be found here at the bottom.

Cake "Tavrichesky" – luxury Soviet cake from Yalta

Irresistible taste explosion

Probably, no single one of the Soviet cakes combines in itself so many different flavors as the cake “Tavrichesky”. Each piece of it is simply a taste explosion. The crispy tender meringue perfectly combines with the slightly caramel butter cream. In addition, the heavenly fluffy sponge cake that tastes much airier and lighter than the classic sponge cake base.

What does the name of the cake “Tavrichesky” mean?

The word “Tavrichesky” comes from the word “Tauris”. Tauris is the ancient name of the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. The cake “Tavrichesky” originates from Yalta – the spa town on the southern coast of the Crimea, but it was also sold in other cities in the Crimea.

Soviet sponge meringue cake

Cake dream of all vacationers in Yalta at that time

Because the cake “Tavrichesky” was rarely found in pastry shops in Moscow and other big cities, some people came to Yalta especially during the Soviet period just to try the popular cake. And even though the sponge meringue cake was very popular, it was produced and sold in limited quantities. Moreover, it was not among the cheapest Soviet cakes. Meanwhile, the sponge meringue cake with its distinctive taste of the past cannot be found anywhere.

Modify the recipe

You can adapt the recipe for the cake “Tavrichesky” a little according to your taste. I’ll give you a few ideas here. If you ever like less meringue in the cake and don’t want it to be so sweet, you can prepare a thinner meringue cake base. To do this, reduce the amounts in the recipe. You can also fold roasted and chopped nuts, for example walnuts, into the meringue mixture. This gives your cake an additional nutty flavor. You can also add some nuts to the butter cream. If you want the cake cream to be lighter and sweeter, use butter and caramelized sweetened condensed milk in a ratio of 1:1. If you like cakes with a lot of butter cream, you can make more cream for the cake “Tavrichesky” accordingly.

What can I prepare the day before?

You can make the sponge cake and the meringue the day before. Let them cool thoroughly and store them overnight, individually wrapped airtight, in a dry place at room temperature. The next day, just make the cream and sugar syrup and assemble the cake.

Soviet cake "Tavrichesky"

The cake “Tavrichesky” is

  • fluffy,
  • crispy,
  • creamy,
  • tender,
  • moist,
  • slightly caramelized,
  • sweet,
  • incredibly delicious,
  • to make with ordinary ingredients,
  • perfect for a special occasion,
  • classic of Soviet cuisine.

Recipe for Soviet cake “Tavrichesky”

The recipe for the Soviet sponge meringue cake “Tavrichesky” is not difficult, but a little elaborate. Here you can form a rough idea of how the preparation is done, and what you need for it. The exact quantities and step-by-step instructions, according to which you can make the cake “Tavrichesky” yourself, you will find here below in the box recipe.

For the sponge cake you need

  • eggs and egg yolks,
  • sugar,
  • flour and cornstarch,
  • water,
  • baking powder
  • and vanilla.

For the meringue you need

  • egg whites,
  • sugar
  • and food grade citric acid.

For the cream you need

  • room-warm butter,
  • room-warm caramelized sweetened condensed milk.

For the sugar syrup to soak the sponge cake, add

  • water,
  • sugar
  • and vanilla.

How to make cake “Tavrichesky”: here’s how (Check out the detailed recipe below.)

  1. For the sponge cake, beat eggs and egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until fluffy, then stir in water, and finally add flour with cornstarch and baking powder. Pour the batter into the springform pan, bake the sponge at 170 °C for about 30 minutes and let it cool.
  2. For the meringue, beat egg whites with sugar and citric acid until stiff, spread the meringue in the shape of a circle on the baking tray, dry it in the oven at 100 °C for about 3 hours and let it cool.
  3. For the cream, whip butter and caramelized sweetened condensed milk to a light and creamy consistency.
  4. Now cut the sponge cake lengthwise into two cake layers and soak them with the sugar syrup that you boil briefly from water, sugar and vanilla. Spread the two sponge cake bases and the meringue cake base with the cream and stack them on top of each other, placing the meringue between the sponge cakes. Chill the cake for at least 4 hours. Finished!

Sponge meringue cake with butter cream

How to make cake “Tavrichesky”: tips and tricks

  • Cornstarch in the sponge cake makes it taste even more airy. You can replace it with the same amount of flour.
  • To bake the sponge cake, you need a Ø 26 cm baking pan.
  • Check with a wooden skewer if the sponge is baked.
  • Use room-warm egg whites and fine sugar for the meringue so that the sugar dissolves more quickly when whipped.
  • The meringue is finished drying when it is also dry from the underside and no longer moist. To check, carefully turn the meringue over along with the baking paper and tap the underside.
  • Be careful with the meringue because it is very fragile.
  • You can make the sponge cake and the meringue the day before, let them cool well and store them overnight individually wrapped airtight in a dry place.
  • Butter and caramelized sweetened condensed milk need to be room-warm when whipped into the cream, and both need to be about the same temperature to combine well.
  • You can also add toasted chopped nuts to the cream or meringue.
  • You can make the meringue layer smaller if you like the cake less sweet. In this case, reduce the corresponding quantities and make a thinner meringue cake base. Note that the drying time will be shorter.

Did you make the cake “Tavrichesky” using this recipe? I’m looking forward to your result, your star rating and your comment below on how you liked the Soviet sponge meringue cake with butter cream.

Got an appetite for more Soviet cakes? Try:

Cake "Tavrichesky" – luxury Soviet cake from Yalta

Cake "Tavrichesky"

The popular Soviet cake "Tavrichesky" consists of an incredibly soft sponge cake, which melts in your mouth, the crispy meringue, which melts on the tongue, and the delicate butter cream with a light caramel note. It belonged to a cake jewel in those days and could not be got in every confectioner's shop. With this recipe you can make it yourself at home.
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Drying and cooling time 7 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Russian, Soviet
Servings 12

Equipment

  • Ø 26 cm large baking springform pan

Ingredients
  

for the sponge cake

  • 4 eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 165 g sugar
  • 20 ml water room-warm
  • 150 g flour
  • 15 g cornstarch
  • 4 g baking powder
  • 8 g vanilla sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

for the meringue

  • 3 egg whites room-warm
  • 200 g sugar fine
  • 1 generous pinch of citric acid food grade

for the cream

  • 330 g butter room-warm
  • 245 g caramelized sweetened condensed milk room-warm

for the sugar syrup

  • 80 ml water
  • 65 g sugar
  • 8 g vanilla sugar

Instructions
 

Preparation of the sponge cake

  • Line the bottom of a 26 cm Ø springform pan with baking paper.
  • Beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
  • Add water and beat to a homogeneous fluffy mass.
  • Mix flour with cornstarch and baking powder and fold it into the egg-sugar mixture to make a fluffy thick sponge batter.
  • Pour the batter into the baking pan, bake the sponge cake in a preheated oven at 170 °C top and bottom heat for about 30 minutes and let it cool down.

Preparation of the meringue

  • Beat egg whites until foamy.
  • Add sugar in batches and beat until stiff, and the sugar should dissolve.
  • Add citric acid and whip briefly.
  • Spread the meringue mixture evenly on a sheet of baking paper in the shape of an approx. Ø 24 cm circle (it will become slightly larger in diameter when baked), dry it at 100 °C top and bottom heat for approx. 3 hours and let it cool.

Preparation of the sugar syrup

  • Put water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring so that the sugar dissolves before boiling.
  • Remove the sugar syrup from the heat, stir in vanilla sugar and let it cool.

Preparation of the cream

  • Beat softened butter for about 5 minutes until fluffy and creamy.
  • Add caramelized sweetened condensed milk in batches and whip each time to a homogeneous cream.

Preparation of the cake

  • Cut off any unevenness in the sponge cake and the meringue, crumble them and mix them together.
  • Cut the sponge cake lengthwise into two equally thick cake layers and soak them with the sugar syrup.
  • Leave some cream for decorating, if necessary, and a small amount for the edge of the cake. Spread the remaining cream on the two sponge cake bases and the meringue cake base and stack them on top of each other, placing the meringue cake base between the sponge cake bases. Lightly brush the edge of the cake with the cream and sprinkle with the sponge meringue crumbs.
  • Decorate the cake as desired and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Notes

  • Use a wooden skewer to check if the sponge cake is done baking.
  • The meringue is finished drying when it is also dry from the bottom and no longer moist. To check it, carefully turn the meringue together with the baking paper and tap on the underside.
  • Be careful with the meringue because it is very fragile.
  • You can make the cream or meringue cake base additionally with toasted chopped nuts.
  • You can make the meringue layer smaller if you like the cake less sweet. In this case, reduce the appropriate amounts and make a thinner meringue cake base.
  • Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the cake "Tavrichesky" above in the post.
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