"Kiev Cake for Christmas" {Киевский торт}

Kiev cake - it's not only a symbol of the city of Kiev, but it is the taste for holiday feasts. I made it for the Christmas party. It's made from meringue layers and with delicious custard butter cream. It's crunchy and soft at the same time. 

Ingredients:

12 Egg whites (Aged for 24 hours)
2 1/2 cups Sugar 
1 cup Flour 
1 1/2 cup  Nuts (cashews, hazelnuts or macadamia) 
1 tsp Vanilla powder or paste

        Cream:
500 gr Butter
12 Egg yolks 
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cup Milk 
2 tbs Cocoa  (optional)
1 tsp Vanilla 
2 tbs Cognac 

You will need to age the eggs for 24-48 hrs at room temp.
Recipe adapted from Videoculinary.ru

 Toast cashews in the frying pan, mix.







Preheat oven to 300F.

After 24 hours, egg whites are ready for further work , they were  fermented. 
Beat egg whites in a mixer at high speed to a solid foam. And without stopping beating add 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue beating until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight.

Prepare 9 in circle cake pans. Line em with parchment paper and spread melted butter inside.

In a separate bowl , mix the remaining 2 cups of sugar, flour and nuts.

Carefully fold it in with the spoon.

As soon as you are done mixing the cake batter, 
transfer it in the baking pans.

Bake at 350F for 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. Finished cakes put upside down on the grid (do not remove the parchment paper) and let it cool for 12 - 24 hours.

Cream directions:

In a heavy sauce pan combine sugar and milk. Bring it to a boil. Remove from the stove.

In a separate bowl mix egg yolks until fluffy. 

Take 1/4 cup of hot milk and add it to a whipped egg yolks while mixing. Then add a few more of 1/4 cups in. 

Next add all the yolks in to the milk while mixing. Bring it to a boil and take it off the stove. Let cool completely. Then whip butter until it's fluffy add custard in small portions while mixing. Add vanilla and cognac.

Peel the parchment paper from the cakes. Put one layer into the cake mold.

Add a generous amount of cream. then lay the second cake upside down on top.

At this point you can mix the cocoa powder in  the cream and cover the whole cake with it. For sides I used crushed meringue cookies.

Then sifted on top with it too. I got a blue color powdered sugar sprinkled on top, and gum paste snow flakes for decor.

Enjoy!!!