‘русский торт Птичье молоко’
The expression ‘bird’s milk’, originating in Classical Greece, referred to a delicacy so exceptional that it seemed impossible to obtain.
The precursor to Bird’s Milk cake dates back to Poland in 1936, when Jan Wedel created the chocolates known as Bird’s Milk — ptasie mleczko in Polish — made with a light foam coated in chocolate. Inspired by this confection, in 1978 pastry chef Vladimir Guralnik developed the famous Soviet Bird’s Milk cake in Moscow.
Before you start
Recipe cost: €16
Preparation time: 6 hours
Difficulty: medium
Ingredients
Makes two sponge layers
7 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
350 g granulated sugar (100 + 125 + 125)
16 g vanilla sugar (8 + 8)
345 g salted butter (100 + 170 + 75)
140 g plain flour (≤10% protein)
3.3 g bicarbonate of soda (raising agent) and 2.2 g malic and tartaric acids (acidulant), such as Carmencita®
250 g condensed milk
20 g unflavoured powdered gelatine
100 g milk
150 g 50% cocoa chocolate drops, such as Simón Coll®
10 mint leaves
100 g white baking chocolate
Equipment
Electric whisk
23 cm ∅ springform cake tin
Slightly smaller springform cake tin
Cooking thermometer
Pastry brush
The cake consists of a Russian soufflé —суфле—, an aerated condensed milk cream stabilised with agar-agar, on a thin Genoise sponge base and topped with dark chocolate glaze.
The ingredients should be at room temperature.
Sponge
- Prepare the egg yolks, 100 g sugar, 8 g vanilla sugar, 100 g butter, flour and raising agent.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C with top and bottom heat and the fan on.
- Grease the tin.
- Whisk the egg yolks and both sugars until pale. Check that the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Add the butter at room temperature. Continue whisking for a few minutes.
- Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda over the mixture. Fold in gently.
- Pour the batter into the tin and bake. Leave to cool for a few minutes before turning out. Place the sponge on a wire rack.
- Once cold, cut it in half and trim the edges using the smaller ring. Set aside.
Russian soufflé
- Prepare the milk, egg whites, 250 g sugar divided into two equal portions, 170 g butter, condensed milk, gelatine, 8 g vanilla sugar and acidulant.
- Soak the gelatine in the milk.
- Whip the butter until pale and doubled in volume.
- Add the condensed milk and continue whisking for a few minutes until smooth.
- Heat the gelatine mixture over a low heat, add the sugar and stir. Continue heating and stirring until it reaches 60°C.
- Prepare the meringue: whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the acidulant and sugar. Continue whisking to stiff peaks.
- Once the gelatine mixture has cooled slightly, gradually pour it into the meringue.
- Add the whipped butter mixture and mix on the lowest speed until fully incorporated. The mixture will become slightly more fluid.
- Place one sponge layer in the tin. Pour in the soufflé and level the surface with a spatula. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Dark chocolate glaze
- Prepare the butter and chocolate.
- Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Clarify the butter: melt the butter over a low heat and remove the whey with a spoon.
- Add the butter to the chocolate, mix well and pour over the cake, taking care not to cover the sides completely.
White chocolate leaves
- Select firm, intact mint leaves.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
- Brush the underside of each leaf, where the veins are most pronounced, with an even layer of melted chocolate, taking care not to cover the stalk.
- Leave to set, then apply a second, thinner layer.
- Refrigerate the leaves for 15 minutes or until the chocolate is completely firm.
- Hold each leaf by the stalk and slowly peel it away from the chocolate, starting at the base and working towards the tip.
- Keep the chocolate leaves in a cool, dry place until ready to decorate.
– Next time, I’ll try making this dessert with agar-agar, as in the original recipe, because I suspect the texture will be more pleasant and less gelatinous.
Serve this cake very cold.