By popular request from my blog readers, I present the Bird's Milk cake! If you browse through the many recipes for this cake online, you'll find all kinds of variations of this dessert. People throw in the most unexpected things — 15 whole eggs, two cups of milk, a cup of semolina — and still proudly call it "Bird's Milk." I can say with confidence that none of those ingredients belong in a classic Bird's Milk soufflé. There should definitely be no egg yolks in it — only egg whites, and for good reason: the store-bought soufflé in Soviet times was pure white on the inside, and yolks would make it yellowish. Likewise, there should be no semolina in the soufflé — it would give you the texture of cream of wheat rather than a springy, elastic soufflé. It's actually much simpler than that! This snow-white wonder is made with just carefully whipped egg whites cooked with a hot sugar syrup. You also add butter and a little condensed milk for flavor, plus agar or gelatin so the soufflé holds its shape firmly. The classic Soviet-era cake was made with rich, whipped pastry layers; I made mine with a sponge cake, which gives a more delicate result. It also gave me a great use for the two leftover egg yolks that aren't needed for the soufflé. One more note about the sugar: in the classic recipe, about 400–450 g of sugar is used per 2 egg whites. To my taste, that's quite a lot — I used 250 g and have no regrets. The cake turned out exactly as I envisioned: sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. If you're not a big sweets lover, feel free to reduce the sugar a little more, or increase it if you want something closer to the original flavor.
Ingredients:
- Sponge cake:
- 50 g flour
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Soufflé:
- 2 egg whites
- 250 g sugar
- 150 g butter
- 100 g condensed milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 packet gelatin (10 g)
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (10 g)
- Glaze:
- 100 g chocolate (I used 56%)
- 50 g butter
How to cook Bird's Milk cake
Make the sponge cake. Beat the egg and two egg yolks with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, gradually adding the sugar (beat for at least 5 minutes).
Sift the flour together with the baking powder. Gently fold the flour into the beaten egg mixture in batches, using upward folding motions.
Line the bottom of a springform pan with a sheet of parchment paper and close the pan (my pan is 22 cm in diameter). Pour in the batter and spread it evenly with a spatula. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 10–15 minutes.
Then unclasp the springform pan and peel the sponge away from the parchment. The bottom side of the sponge will be porous.
Wash the pan ring, close the pan again, and place the sponge cake back inside with the porous side facing up.
Make the soufflé. Beat the butter and condensed milk together into a smooth, uniform cream. Take the butter and condensed milk out of the refrigerator ahead of time — they should be at room temperature so they combine easily.
Soak the gelatin in 80 ml of water and let it bloom for 10 minutes, or for the time indicated on the package. Then warm it gently until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
Place 250 g of sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add 80 ml of water, stir, and set over heat. If you adjust the amount of sugar, change the amount of water proportionally.
Cook the syrup, stirring constantly, for about 10–15 minutes over medium heat. If you have a thermometer, great — cook until the syrup reaches 110°C (230°F), no higher. If you don't have a thermometer, it's trickier to catch the right moment, but still doable. Cook until the syrup forms a thin thread when it drips off a spatula or spoon. Let the finished syrup rest for about 10 minutes, or if you have a thermometer, until the temperature drops to around 80–90°C (175–195°F).
Beat the egg whites until fluffy, adding the lemon juice and vanilla sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form (at least 5–7 minutes). The egg whites must be cold, and the bowl and whisk must be clean and completely dry.
With the mixer still running, pour in the hot syrup in a steady stream, then continue beating for another 4–5 minutes.
Pour the soufflé mixture over the sponge layer in the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate for 3–4 hours, until set.
Prepare the glaze. Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl, then add the cubed butter. Set the bowl over a double boiler, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Melt the chocolate and butter together into a smooth mixture.
Pour almost all of the chocolate over the set surface of the cake (leave about 1–2 tablespoons for decorating). Wait for the chocolate to set.
Transfer the remaining chocolate into a small zip-lock or piping bag, seal it, and snip off a tiny corner. Draw a bird, or whatever your imagination suggests. You can also simply decorate the cake with thin vertical and horizontal lines.
Run a knife carefully along the edge of the cake, release the springform pan, and transfer the cake to a serving plate. The cake doesn't need to be soaked — you can eat it right away. But if you have the time, it's better to let it sit overnight. The soufflé will firm up even more and become springier; personally, I liked it even more the next day. Bird's Milk Cake turns out wonderfully delicate, with a springy, snow-white, airy soufflé layer, a soft sponge, and a lovely contrast from the chocolate.
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