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Bird's milk cake (Russian soufflé cake)
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Bird's milk cake (Russian soufflé cake)

Airy, tender, fluffy – a heavenly treat is the popular Bird's milk cake. There is certainly no other cake in the world that tastes better than the Russian soufflé cake. Not without reason, during the Soviet era, it was counted among a jewel that you could not get without effort. According to this recipe, you can make the Bird's milk cake yourself at home.
Course Nachspeise
Cuisine Russian
Prep Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cooling time 2 hours
Servings 9

Equipment

  • Ø 20 cm large springform pan
  • kitchen thermometer

Ingredients

for the cake layers

  • 70 g butter (room temperature)
  • 70 g sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • approx. 100 g flour
  • 3 g baking powder
  • vanilla

for the soufflé

  • 100 g butter (room temperature)
  • 50 g sweetened condensed milk (room temperature)
  • 4 egg whites
  • 270 g sugar
  • 100 ml water
  • 15 g agar agar
  • 1 pinch of salt

for the chocolate glaze

  • 60 g dark chocolate
  • 40 g butter

Instructions

Making the cake layers

  • Beat softened butter, sugar and vanilla for about 3 - 4 minutes until creamy.
  • Add egg yolks one at a time, beating thoroughly each time so that you end up with a fluffy, creamy mixture.
  • Add flour with baking powder a little at a time and mix briefly and briskly to form a viscous dough (about the consistency of paste).
  • Divide the dough into two halves, first spread one half of it evenly in the shape of a Ø 20 cm circle on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake the cake base in a preheated oven at 200 °C top and bottom heat for about 7 minutes, until its edges turn a little golden brown. Repeat the same with the second half of the dough and let the two cake layers cool.
  • Line the bottom and sides of the springform pan with baking paper and place one of the two cake layers on the bottom of the springform pan.

Making the soufflé

  • Beat soft butter for about 4 - 5 minutes until fluffy and creamy.
  • Add sweetened condensed milk in a thin stream and continue to whip to a homogeneous cream. Then set the butter cream aside at room temperature.
  • Add water, sugar, and agar agar to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula so that the sugar dissolves before it reaches a boil.
  • Continue to boil the sugar syrup with agar agar over medium heat, stirring until 110 °C.
  • Beat parallel egg whites with salt first on low speed of hand mixer or food processor, gradually increase the speed to maximum and beat the egg whites.
  • Once the sugar syrup with agar-agar reaches 110 °C, add it to the beaten egg whites in a thin stream without stopping to beat it further. Then beat the egg whites together with the sugar syrup until stiff.
  • Once the egg white mixture is stiff, turn the hand mixer or food processor to low speed and beat in the butter cream in small portions. The egg white mixture should end up a little runny.
  • Quickly spread about half of the soufflé on the cake layer in the springform pan. Place the second cake layer on top and spread the second half of the soufflé on the second cake layer. Chill the cake in the springform pan for about 1 hour.

Making the chocolate glaze

  • Melt dark chocolate together with butter and let the chocolate glaze cool down a bit.
  • Spread the chocolate glaze on the surface of the cake in the springform pan and chill the Bird's milk cake for about 1 hour.

Notes

  • The amount of flour indicated for the cake base may vary. Therefore, add flour in batches to the other ingredients until the dough becomes the consistency of a paste.
  • Do not stir the dough for the cake base too long after adding flour.
  • To distribute the dough in the shape of a circle on the baking sheet, you can either draw the circle on the baking paper first, use a silicone baking mat with measurement or place the edge of the appropriate springform pan on the baking sheet and remove it after distributing the dough.
  • Butter and sweetened condensed milk for the soufflé must be room warm and both about the same temperature when whipped to combine well.
  • Use good quality agar agar for the soufflé.
  • Do not reduce the amount of sugar used for the soufflé, because the structure, firmness and stability of the soufflé depends on it.
  • The temperature of the sugar syrup for the soufflé, to which it must be cooked, is very important. It is best to use a kitchen thermometer to measure it.
  • As soon as the soufflé is ready, spread it quickly on the cake layers, as agar-agar sets at 40 °C already.
  • Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the Bird's milk cake at the top of the post.