Being soft and tender, Bird's Milk Cake consists mainly of soufflé. These thick, but exclusively airy layers are separated by thin cakes, and on top of the confectionery is covered with chocolate icing. The name of the cake is a reference to some luxury. This dessert, developed in the USSR, has achieved extraordinary popularity in the shortest possible time, and this despite the fact that it was rather difficult to buy. How to make "bird milk" at home?
Why is dessert so named?
Original Polish sweets called Ptasie Mleczko served as an inspiration for Soviet confectioners. The history of this dessert dates back to 1936 in Poland. At that time, Jan Wedel, the owner of the confectionery company E. Wedel, developed a new type of candy. They consisted of small rectangular blocks of milky airy meringue coated with chocolate. Wedel called his invention “Ptashie Mlechko”, which means “Bird's milk” in Polish. This term was used in Slavic languages ​​when it meant something precious and rare.
Secondary, more practical arguments in favor of this name can be seen in candy ingredients. Most types of meringues consist mainly of egg whites and sugar. Wedel’s idea was to create a meringue that used a large amount of milk.
When the USSR Minister of Food Industry went to Czechoslovakia in 1967, he first saw these sweets, and, returning to Moscow, gathered representatives of factories across the country. They were given candy samples and instructed to recreate their recipe. As a result, a complex but very successful recipe was developed in Vladivostok using agar-agar as a thickener. These sweets were first released in 1968, and hit the mass market in 1975. Soon after, the head of the bakery of the prestigious restaurant “Prague” came up with the idea for the “Bird's milk” cake.
What is observed today?
Cake "Bird's milk" was and remains a favorite dessert for special occasions. However, it is now produced by several companies and is available in restaurants and grocery stores throughout Russia. There are many different recipes with photos on how to make “Bird Milk” for the cake. Thus, today it is a product for everyday consumption. Many grocery stores offer full-sized versions designed for slicing, as well as small individual portions, each of which is individually packaged and served with a paper wrapper. In this case, you don’t even need a plate or fork to enjoy a deliciously simple dessert.
How to cook a bird's milk cake?
Cake “Bird's milk” consists of three main parts: layers of white cake, souffle and chocolate icing toppings. It looks like its predecessor - sweets. The recipe for the Prague restaurant uses the same agar agar that was originally used to make sweets. Being made from algae, agar agar is a gelling agent that is usually sold in powder form. It can withstand higher temperatures than gelatin. This property allowed confectioners to boil soufflé syrup to 117 ° C. This temperature gave the cake a perfect consistency. After adding additional ingredients, the mixture was cooled to 80 ° C. Cakes and filling alternate with each other and are glazed with chocolate. Below is a classic recipe on how to make "bird milk" at home.
What do you need?
The article shows the number of ingredients that you have enough to make a cake 25 cm long, 15 - wide and 5 - high. How to make "Bird's milk" at home without gelatin? So, you need the following.
For shortcakes:
- sugar - 100 grams;
- butter - 100 grams;
- eggs - 2 pieces;
- flour - 150 grams;
- vanilla sugar - ½ tsp
For souffle:
- egg whites - 2 pieces;
- sugar - 470 grams;
- condensed milk - 100 grams;
- butter - 200 grams;
- agar-agar - 2 teaspoons;
- citric acid - ½ tsp;
- vanilla sugar - ½ tsp;
- water - 140 ml.
For glaze:
- chocolate - 75 grams;
- butter - 50 grams.
How to do it?
How to make bird milk at home with agar-agar? First soak the agar in water, approximately 150 ml. Remove the condensed milk and butter from the refrigerator and let them warm slightly at room temperature.
Secondly, prepare the dough for the cake. To do this, beat the butter, eggs, plain and vanilla sugar until smooth. Add flour to the mixture, mix until a smooth paste is obtained. Divide the cooked dough into two parts. Fill each half of it into a round or rectangular shape 5 cm high.
Bake each layer in an oven heated to 210 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Do not overheat them, otherwise they will dry out. Cool the freshly baked cakes.
How to make "Bird's milk" at home, when the layers of the dough are ready? Line the bottom of the spring shape with plastic wrap and put one cake there.
How to make a souffle?
Next, you have to implement the recipe. How to make "bird milk" for the cake yourself?
To do this, beat the condensed milk with butter and vanilla sugar until a smooth consistency. Leave in a deep bowl at room temperature for a while.
Beat egg whites, put citric acid in them. Continue whipping until thick, lush foam is formed. Bring agar-agar to a boil over moderate heat. Please note that this thickener loses its properties when heated above 120 degrees. If you are not using a cooking thermometer, do not let the agar boil too much.
Pour sugar into agar-agar and simmer until done. Check if the syrup is ready using the following method. When applied, a thin thread should hang from a spoon soaked in syrup.
How to make “Bird's milk” for a cake? Cool a little and pour the resulting mass into egg whites in a thin stream, constantly stirring with a stirrer. The mixture will immediately increase in volume several times. Beat to a dense consistency. Agar agar will thicken when cooled. The souffle will freeze immediately. Add a mixture of butter and condensed milk and whisk again until smooth.
How to make a cake?
How to make "Bird's milk" at home, having ready-made ingredients? Pour half the souffle immediately onto the first cake. Place a second layer of dough on top of it, and quickly pour the second half of the souffle into the mold. Put it in the refrigerator to cool.
How to make icing?
Melt chocolate and butter in a water bath, stir thoroughly. Pour the prepared mixture onto the chilled cake. Raise the edges of the form, distribute the glaze on all surfaces. Put the finished dessert in the refrigerator to cool. When the product has completely hardened, remove it from the mold and cut into pieces.
Simplified version
Above was given the classic instructions on how to make "Bird's milk" at home. The recipe looks simple, but requires a certain culinary experience. There is also a simplified version of this treat that you can cook at home. According to this recipe, the mousse cream base and a thin velvety layer of glaze are obtained in the same way. For him you will need the following.
For souffle:
- 2 sachets (14 grams) of gelatin flakes;
- 1 cup of milk;
- 1 cup of sugar;
- 500 ml of sour cream;
- 500 ml chilled cream.
To cover:
- 5 tablespoons tablespoons of cocoa powder, unsweetened;
- 5 tablespoons of sugar;
- 1 sachet (7 grams) of gelatin flakes;
- 5 tablespoons of milk;
- 1 cup cold water.
How to make "bird milk" at home?
A simple recipe for this treat looks like this. In a small saucepan, combine 2 bags of gelatin with a glass of milk. Beat and heat over moderate heat. Continue whipping with a fork until bubbles appear on the surface. Immediately remove the mixture from the stove, do not boil it. Set aside so that the mass can cool.
Lubricate the glass baking dish with a little oil. This will prevent the soufflé from sticking.
Using an electric mixer, beat a glass of sugar, half a liter of sour cream and half a liter of cream at medium speed. Continue whipping until the ingredients are well mixed. With the mixer on, slowly add a warm mixture of milk and gelatin.
Pour the resulting mass immediately into the prepared baking dish. Flatten on top as evenly as possible to make the top layer of chocolate look beautiful. Cover and refrigerate. Now start working on chocolate icing.
How to make chocolate icing?
In a small saucepan, combine 5 tablespoons of cocoa powder and sugar and 1 bag of gelatin. Then whisk with one glass of cold water and five tablespoons of milk.
Place on moderate heat and bring to a boil with continuous stirring. If you do not continue to stir, the cocoa powder may curl into lumps. The mixture should be smooth and well mixed. Remove the pan from the stove and allow the chocolate mass to cool for an hour.
Pour the resulting glaze onto the souffle base slowly. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
Another option
You can give another recipe with a photo on how to make "Bird's milk" with gelatin at home. Cakes are used here, so this version of the goodies is close to the classical one. For her you will need the following.
For cake:
- 100 grams of unsalted butter;
- half a glass of powdered sugar;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 tsp vanilla essence;
- 1 cup plain flour.
For souffle:
- 1 cup icing sugar;
- 5 egg whites
- 150 grams of unsalted butter;
- 2/3 cans of condensed milk (approximately);
- 20 grams of gelatin flakes (one and a half tablespoons);
- 1/4 tsp citric acid.
For chocolate coating:
- 250 grams of dark chocolate;
- 250 ml of thick cream;
- 50 grams of unsalted butter.
How to cook this dessert?
Preheat the oven to 220 ° C. Cut 200 grams of unsalted butter into small pieces and grind to a soft and creamy consistency with a mixer (about 2 minutes). Add half a glass of sugar and beat until mixture blends well. Lay 2 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla essence. Beat until well compatible, then add a glass of plain flour. Continue mixing until the dough is thick and uniform.
Divide it into two parts. Place half in the baking dish. This will be a very thin layer (probably from 5 mm to 1 cm thick). Do not worry about making it completely flat. Since this cake is cooked on an oil basis, it will change shape in the oven. Bake it for about 12-15 minutes.
While the first cake is cooked in the oven, prepare the gelatin. Fill it with water so that all the flakes are completely submerged.
Cooked cake should be quite thin (no more than 1 cm thick). It will turn out quite fragile, so be careful when removing it from the form. Repeat this process with the remaining test.
Cooking souffle
How to make "bird milk" at home? First, make syrup by mixing a glass of sugar with approximately 100 ml of water in a saucepan over moderate heat. Stir constantly so that sugar crystals do not get on the bottom. Preparation of syrup will take about 7-10 minutes.
Beat 5 egg whites until soft peaks appear (do not interrupt them!). At low speed, slowly pour sugar syrup to them. The mixture will turn white and begin to thicken.
In a separate container, beat 150 grams of unsalted butter. Then pour in about 2/3 cans of condensed milk, continuing to whisk. Take beaten egg whites and slowly add to this mixture, about a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed. As soon as all the components are mixed, you get an airy, marshmallow-like mass.
Heat the mixture of water and gelatin over low heat until the crystals are completely dissolved. Slowly add the resulting liquid to the souffle.
Collect dessert
Take the spring mold and put one cake in it. Put the whole mass of souffle on top and smooth it very well. Place a second cake on top of it. Put the dessert in the refrigerator so that it can freeze.
Now make a chocolate layer. Heat 200 ml of cream in the microwave until they become very hot (in about 90 seconds). Add 200 grams of dark chocolate to them and mix until fully combined.
Put in a mixture of 50 grams of unsalted butter and mix. This will give the glaze a beautiful, shiny look. Spread the whole mass evenly over the cake, and then put it in the refrigerator for half an hour. After that, the dessert can be cut into pieces.
Many are also interested in how to make “Bird's milk” candies at home. To do this, you can follow any of the recipes presented above. The differences are that you should make a souffle and then cut it into small even pieces. Then cover them with chocolate and set to solidify.