Kyiv Cake
Recipe for a small Kyiv cake with meringues and custard-butter cream
Kyiv cake with custard-butter cream and sweet, crispy meringues is a delicious and elegant sweet treat perfect for special occasions. Its soft and fluffy base hides crispy meringue pieces, and the whole is covered with a delicate custard-butter cream, which gives it a velvety texture and subtle sweetness. This is an ideal choice for lovers of creamy and crunchy baked goods. Highly recommended!
Table of contents
Kyiv cake recipe step by step
If you’re looking for a unique cake recipe perfect for various occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays, try this extraordinary cake with meringues and custard cream :)
Kyiv cake recipe
Wyposażenie
- Baking pan with a maximum diameter of 22 cm.
Składniki
ingredients for Kyiv cake sponge cake
- 3 egg whites (from size L eggs)
- 3 egg yolks
- 100 g sugar (- half a glass)
- 75 g wheat flour – all-purpose (- half a glass)
ingredients for nut meringues
- 2 egg whites (- from size L eggs)
- 100 g sugar (- half a glass)
- nuts (- preferably hazelnuts – chopped – can be croquant)
ingredients for custard-butter cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 100 g sugar (- half a glass)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- 5 tablespoons wheat flour
- 300 ml milk
- 200 g butter (soft – at room temperature)
ingredients for cake soaking syrup
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 glass water
additional ingredients
- blackcurrant jam
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 ml heavy cream
Instrukcja
How to make sponge cake for the cake
- Line the bottom of the baking pan with parchment paper, leave the sides empty and dry.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan-assisted).
- Lightly beat the egg whites, and when they fluff up, add sugar and beat on high speed until the egg whites are white, thick, and shiny.3 egg whites, 100 g sugar
- Meanwhile, sift the flour through a sieve.75 g wheat flour – all-purpose
- Add the egg yolks to the beaten egg whites and mix on the lowest speed, or fold in with a spatula.3 egg yolks
- Add the flour and mix gently.
- Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes – until a dry stick comes out clean.
- After baking, cool, then cut into two layers.
How to make nut meringues
- Lightly beat the egg whites, and when they fluff up, add sugar and beat on high speed until the egg whites are white, thick, and shiny.2 egg whites, 100 g sugar
- Prepare a large baking sheet from the oven – line it with parchment paper – grease the corners underneath with a little beaten meringue – this will prevent the paper from “flying around”.
- Transfer the beaten meringue to a piping bag with a large nozzle – I used two bags with smaller and larger nozzles to have two sizes of meringues.
- Pipe the meringues onto the parchment paper and sprinkle some of them with chopped nuts.nuts
- Bake the meringues at 110 degrees (fan-assisted) for about 1.5-2 hours.
- After this time, turn off the oven, slightly open the door, and leave the meringues inside until they cool.
- Store the cooled meringues in an airtight container.
How to make custard-butter cream for the cake
- Put the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, and flour into a saucepan – mix thoroughly, adding milk gradually.100 g sugar, 2 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar, 5 tablespoons wheat flour, 300 ml milk
- Pour in the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly.
- Bring the custard to a boil and cook until it thickens considerably.
- Cover the prepared custard with cling film or a bag and set aside to cool – at room temperature.
- Beat the soft butter with a mixer on high speed – until it is white and fluffy – I beat for about 10 minutes.200 g butter
- Add the cooled custard to the beaten butter, one tablespoon at a time, and mix on medium speed.
- Set aside approximately 1/4-1/3 of the cream in a container.
- To the remaining cream, add approximately half of the meringues – both with and without nuts – lightly crush them and mix everything with a spatula.
How to make Kyiv cake – assembly
- Place the bottom sponge cake layer on a cake stand/plate and secure the springform ring around it.
- Soak the sponge cake with water mixed with sugar and lemon juice.2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 glass water
- Spread blackcurrant jam (or another tart jam) on the sponge cake.blackcurrant jam
- Spread out the custard cream with meringues and distribute evenly.
- Soak the second cake layer and spread with jam.
- Carefully place the sponge cake on the cream, jam-side down.
- Put the cake in the fridge for about two hours.
- After chilling, take the cake out of the fridge and remove the ring.
- Spread the reserved cream on the sides and top of the cake.
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream – when bubbles start to appear around the edges, remove the pot from the heat and add the broken chocolate to the cream.100 ml heavy cream, 100 g dark chocolate
- Stir until it melts and a smooth glaze forms.
- Set aside the glaze to cool slightly.
- Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake.
- Finally, decorate with the remaining meringues – you can also sprinkle the top with chopped nuts.
Wartości Odżywcze
Kyiv cake with custard cream – notes
I stumbled upon a Kyiv cake online and decided to bake one for my birthday. I must admit, as a visual person, the photo of this cake caught my eye. When I started reading the recipe, my face fell a bit. This was because that particular recipe used butter cream. And one with a huge amount of butter mixed only with condensed milk. I sometimes use such a cream, but only for covering a cake, and I can’t really imagine it inside. I started searching and, of course, found a whole lot of recipes and photos that often differed dramatically from each other – hmm. So I extracted the common parts – sponge cake, butter cream, nuts, and meringues. And so I decided to make my version of the Kyiv cake. In fact, I don’t even know if this type of cake actually originates from Kyiv, because I don’t speak Russian or Ukrainian and cannot verify it. If there are people from Ukraine among you who know about such a Kyiv cake, please let me know!
How to make Kyiv cake with custard cream – tips
First, I prepared a white sponge cake and let it cool. I baked small meringues – and sprinkled some of them with chopped nuts (I used ready-made croquant). Theoretically, you should use hazelnuts here, but you can replace them with others. Instead of pure butter cream, I prepared a custard-butter cream – the only cream with butter that I can eat with pleasure. To break the sweetness and add character, I added tart blackcurrant jam to the cake – but you can also use another tart jam, or fresh tart fruits. Finally – just before serving, I drizzled the top of the cake with chocolate glaze. To ensure the whole thing wasn’t too sweet, I used dark chocolate here. If you want to use milk chocolate, use less heavy cream in the recipe – about 50-75 ml. The Kyiv cake will be easier to cut if you use a warmed knife (just hold it in hot water for a moment) and if you take it out of the refrigerator about half an hour beforehand.
If you like cakes with cream, I also recommend my recipe for Egyptian cake – it’s also a cake with custard-butter cream. You’ll find many more ideas for birthday cakes and more in my cake recipes.
By the way, I also recommend my book “Beata’s Best Bakes”, where you’ll find the best cake recipes, including those for layer cakes.
I recommend following my instagram for delicious and easy recipes!
Recommended cake recipes for various occasions
Be sure to also check out my other recipes for various cakes perfect for different occasions. Here I recommend, among others, three such cakes:
Popularne Przepisy
Polecane przepisy
Kyiv Cake Recipe
A recipe for a delicious cake with custard buttercream and nutty meringues. Kyiv cake (tort kijowski) is not difficult to make, but it does require preparing it in stages. If you break the work down into steps, everything will go smoothly and without a hitch.
How do you make a Kyiv cake?
-
First: Bake the sponge cake. When should you bake a sponge cake for a cake? Well, you can bake it up to three days in advance. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and only use it when you are ready to assemble the cake. A sponge cake that has rested for a bit cuts into layers much better than a freshly baked one.
-
Second: Make small meringues. You can also bake these several days ahead of time. Once they are baked and cooled, store them in an airtight container. You can keep meringues in a box like this for up to several months. That’s exactly what I do—every now and then, I bake a tray of mini meringues, transfer them to a container, and use them whenever I need decorations for cakes and desserts.
-
Third: Cook the custard for the buttercream. The custard needs to cool down to room temperature, so make it in the morning, for example. Cover it with plastic wrap (letting it touch the surface so a skin doesn’t form) and leave it until you are ready to prepare the buttercream for the Kyiv cake.
Kyiv Cake with Meringues
Take a look at my detailed Kyiv cake recipe described above and see how to prepare each component. The step-by-step instructions and preparation photos will guide you through the entire process. This custard buttercream cake, layered with tart blackcurrant jam, tastes exquisite, and I am convinced all your guests will love it.
The buttercream in the Kyiv cake features added meringues with a nutty topping. You can also add extra chopped nuts to the cream—they will bring a nice crunch and great flavor. A cake made without whipped cream is a bit heavier, but it certainly offers a fascinating flavor and texture. See for yourself!
You can prepare this Kyiv cake recipe for a birthday, just like I did, or for any other family occasion. Be sure to also check out my other cake recipes that are perfect not just for birthdays.
