The Bird’s Milk cake is very popular and loved in Russia. Its story started with polish sweets ‘ptasie mleczko’ which began to be produced in 1936 in Warsaw.
However, in the form of a cake, this dessert appeared in 1978 in Moscow thanks to V. Guralnick, the pastry chef of the Prague restaurant, restaurant in the center of Moscow close to Arbat street.
For many years it has been a tradition to bring Bird’s Milk cake as a gift or to buy Bird’s Milk for the New Year party. At one time in Moscow, two confectionery factories produced Bird’s milk cake. They differed in taste – and each version had its own fans. Moreover this cake had (and has) its own box with fairy bird on the top side.
I’ve tested several versions of the cake in my kitchen. For instance it were butter sponge version and sponge on yolks, soufflé based on agar and soufflé with gelatin as the gelling agent. Today I’m going to present the classical Bird’s Milk and hope you will like it.
Above all there are some notabenes.
Firstly I highly recommend to find acetate film for this cake. It makes cake preparation comfortable, and the result will be pleasing to the eye.
In addition it would be good to use pyrometer on soufflé stage, a special thermometer for remote temperature measurement. Caramel thermometer (it looks like a stick) works also in the same vein.
Bird’s Milk Cake
russian classics
Special tools and fixtures
Mixer
Pyrometer or caramel thermometer
Acetate film
Baking ring diameter 20 cm
Ingredients
For sponge
110 g soften butter
100 g sugar
140 g all propose flour
2 eggs
For soufflé
4 g agar
1 tsp good flavoured tea leaves (be guided by your taste: for instance it could be a jasmine or mint tea; on this stage you have a great opportunity to play with your cake’s flavour)
100 g condensed milk
2 egg whites
300 g sugar
200 g soften butter
1/2 tsp lemon acid
For chocolate ganache
50 g butter
100 g milk chocolate
Decoration
20 g milk chocolate, berries
Instruction
Sponge
You can bake a sponge the day before, after that put it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C.
- Meanwhile whisk butter and sugar until fluffy and whiter.
2. Then add eggs one by one and mix to homogeneity.
3. Sift the flour and stir it into the dough. Bring the dough to a smooth state.
4. After that prepare a baking dish. I use a metal baking ring, which I wrap with foil on the outside, and in addition put a circle of baking paper inside.
Another way to get perfect sponge layer is to bake it on baking paper without any rings. Just after that cut sponge with the help of metal baking ring.
5. Put the dough in a mold and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Check the readiness of the cake with a wooden toothpick : pierce the cake in the middle with a stick. It should be dry.
6. Cool sponge completely then wrap it into plastick and place in the refrigerator for a night. Clean the baking dish.
7. Next day prepare the dish for assembling the cake. Put the acetate film inside the mold, fix it with a clip, after that place the sponge inside.
Soufflé
- Pour 200 ml of boiling water over the tea leaves. Cool completely.
2. Further take 100 ml of tea from the previous step, add agar and leave for an hour.
3. Whisk butter and condensed milk until corporated. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile bring agar to a boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar.
5. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
6. Boil the syrup for 5-6 minutes. Finished syrup temperature is 110 °C.
7. Whisk the egg whites until mousse, soft peaks.
8. Add lemon acid, whisk a while.
9. Add syrup to egg whites continuing to whisk. Whisk untill very thick.
10. After that add butter mixture, whisk a little. Don’t work for a long time. Keep in minad that agar solidifies at 40 °C.
11. Pour the soufflé over the sponge, flatten.
How to flatten the cake in a case of using wide acetate film? For example with the help of spatula from an art store.
12. Put the cake in the refrigerator overnight until it solidifies.
Ganache
- Chop the chocolate finely.
- After that melt the chocolate with butter at the same bowl. I use micro on this stage.
- Pour the chocolate over the soufflé, flatten then cool down. Chocolate quickly solidifies on a cold cake so work promptly.
Decoration
- Similarly the previouse step chop the chocolate finely.
- After that put chocolate into culinary cornet, close it, put in a high glass and pour of boiling water until chocolate is melted completely. This is the best way to melt a small portion of chocolate but most importantly that in this case you will never overheat it.
- To sum up draw on top on the cake. Be brave and daring.
- It’s time to brew coffee!
In conclusion
I like to work either without haste or without unnecessary waiting. As a result for me personaly it’s very comfortable to make the Bird’s Milk Cake in three days. Therefore my own scheduler for the cake is followed:
Day 1: baking sponge.
Day 2, morning: making tea.
Day 2, late morning: soufflé stage.
Day 2, evening: chocolate ganache.
Day 3: decoration stage.
Looks like Bird’s Milk is not yours? Taste another cakes from this blog: cakes.