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a slice of birds milk cake on a plate with a fork.
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4 from 4 votes

Russian Bird’s Milk Cake Recipe with Chocolate Glaze

This Bird’s Milk Cake Recipe (Ptichye Moloko) is made with an easy, soft, and moist sponge cake. Then, there is a layer of smooth custard buttercream and a thick layer of fluffy mousse-like marshmallow called “bird’s milk”. Finally, it is topped with a luxurious chocolate ganache. You’re going to love this one!
Total Time2 hours 50 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Russian
Allergy: Nut Free, Vegetarian
Servings: 10
Calories: 474kcal
Author: Marina Rizhkov

Equipment

Ingredients

Sponge cake

  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached

Bird's Milk

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tsp agar-agar
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp dry vanilla
  • 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 3 oz jello, lemon flavored
  • 2 Tbsp water

Yellow Cream Custard

  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp milk, I used 2%
  • 3 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 stick

Chocolate Glaze

  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Sponge Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350F.
  • Butter up a 9″ round cake form.
    buttered cake form.
  • In a stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until pale and well blended on high speed. On low speed, add baking powder and flour.
    3 large eggs, ½ cup sugar, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ cup all-purpose flour,
    cake mix batter in a silver bowl with a whisk on the side.
  • With the help of a spatula, transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
    sponge cake batter in a pan.
  • Bake for 25 minutes. Set on a cooling rack.
    sponge cake baked in a black pan on a wire rack.

Bird's Milk

  • Combine a package of lemon-flavored jello with water. Microwave for 30 seconds (another healthier option is to warm it up on the stove). Set aside until ready to use.
    3 oz jello,, 2 Tbsp water
    lemon jello in a white bowl.
  • In a stand mixer on high, beat egg whites from large eggs. Add in the dry vanilla. Keep beating until you combine the other ingredients.
    3 egg whites,, ¼ tsp dry vanilla
    stand mixer whisk with white cream for birds milk cake in a silver bowl.
  • On the stove, in a medium-sized saucepan, combine water and agar-agar on medium heat, and bring to a boil.
    1 cup water, 2 tsp agar-agar
    a saucepan with liquid boiling and a whisk on the side.
  • Add in powdered sugar, whisk together and boil for exactly 6 minutes (no less – no more). Take off the heat and quickly do the following two steps.
    4 cups powdered sugar
    agar agar boiling in a silver pot on a wooden board with a silver whisk.
  • Add the jello mix to the egg whites. Keep mixing.
    cake recipe mixing in a stand mixer with lemon jello being added in.
  • With the mixer still beating, pour in the sugar powder syrup. Mix for 3 minutes.
    white souffle with mixing in agar agar from a silver saucepan.
  • Transfer the bird’s milk mousse into the same size cake pan that you used for the sponge cake.
    cake in a springform.
  • Refrigerate for 45 minutes. Meanwhile you can make the cream.

Custard Cream

  • On the stove or the microwave, bring to a boil sugar, milk, and egg yolks from large eggs.
    ½ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp milk,, 3 egg yolks,
    buttercream in a saucepan with a spoon.
  • Place in the refrigerator to cool down.
  • After it cools down completely (30 minutes or so) in a mixing bowl, combine with unsalted butter using a hand mixer.
    ½ cup unsalted butter,
    buttercream recipe in a glass bowl with hand mixers.

Put the Bird's milk Cake Together

  • Spread the buttercream on the sponge cake.
    sponge cake with buttercream on a wire rack.
  • Gently take out the bird’s milk mousse from the form and place it on the buttercream.
    birds milk cake put together with sponge cake buttercream and a top layer on a wire rack.
  • Place it back into the refrigerator until the ganache is ready.
  • Important! The bird’s milk layer must be completely cooled down to pour the ganache over; otherwise, your cake will melt.
    ganache in a glass bowl for a cake recipe.

Ganache

  • Melt chocolate chips and combine with heavy whipping cream to make the ganache. Spread the ganache all over the cake.
    1 cup chocolate chips, ½ cup heavy whipping cream
    cake covered in ganache on a wire rack in a baking tray.
  • Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

  • Prepare the ingredients ahead of time. The process of baking goes smoother when you don’t have to worry about where your ingredients are and the time it takes to get them out! Pulling them out and measuring them beforehand makes baking go a lot smoother.
  • Make sure you have the time. Although this cake is not complicated, you need some patience for it. It comes together with a few different layers of cake and needs time to set. You can make the cake 2 days in advance and then serve it. The end result is worth it though.
  • ​Use lemon-flavored jello, and don’t substitute for another flavor. The taste of the bird’s milk will not be right if you do so.
  • ​Use visuals! Learn how to make an easy sponge cake from our YouTube channel. You will love this delicious dessert; the sponge cake is so simple to make, and you can with just 4 ingredients. The delicate mousse-like marshmallow layer is made in the same 9-inch cake pans as the sponge cake.
  • The white bird’s milk mousse needs to be completely cooled down to pour the ganache over; otherwise, your cake will melt.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg