Bird’s Milk Cake recipe is one of my favorite cakes. It’s also known as Ptichye Moloko.
What’s inside the Bird’s Milk Cake?
This cake 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!
Don’t let the name throw you off, this recipe doesn’t really use bird’s milk 🙂 this is a very common dessert in Europe. It comes in cake or individual candy form and can be found premade at European stores around the country, but nothing compares if you make it yourself: and it’s not as complicated as it may look.
Tips for Making Bird’s Milk Cake
A mistake that I usually make is not gathering all the ingredients ahead of time, only to find out that I don’t have all of what I need when I’ve already started.
First tip: Prepare the ingredients ahead of time.
Second tip: Make sure you have the time. Although this cake is not complicated, you do need some patience for it. It comes together with a few different layers and needs time to set.
Third tip: Just like any cake, this one needs to be kept refrigerated. This cake can stand in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Fourth tip: 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.
What You Will Need to Make Ptichye Moloko
Ingredients
For the sponge cake base:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
For the Birds Milk:
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tsp agar-agar
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 egg whites (room temperature)
- 1/4 tsp dry vanilla
- 3 oz lemon flavored jello
- 2 Tbsp water
Butter Cream:
- 3 Tbsp milk (I used 2%)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks from large eggs
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
Ganache:
- 1 cup of chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
How to make Ptichiye Moloko:
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9” round cake form.
- Using a stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until it comes to a pale yellow color and is well blended.
2. Lower the speed to the lowest, add in 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 cup of flour.
3. With the help of a spatula transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
4. Bake for 25- 30 minutes. Set aside to cool down.
How to make the Bird’s Milk:
Combine a 3oz package of lemon-flavored jello with 2 Tablespoons of water. Microwave for 30 seconds. (If you want, you could also warm it up on the stove for a healthier way). Set aside until ready to use.
In a stand mixer on high speed, beat 3 egg whites from large eggs. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of dry vanilla. Keep beating until you will combine the other ingredients together.
On the stove, in a medium sized pot combine 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of agar-agar on medium heat, then bring to a boil.
Combine to the mixture 4 cups of powdered sugar, whisk together and boil for exactly 6 minutes (no less – no more). Take off heat and quickly do the next two steps.
Add the jello mix into the egg whites. Keep mixing.
With the mixer still beating, pour in the sugar powder syrup you made on the stove. Mix together for 3 minutes.
Transfer the bird’s milk mousse into the same cake pan that you used for the sponge cake (mine was 9″ round cake pan)
Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can make the buttercream:
On the stove or the microwave bring to a boil 1/2 cup of sugar, 3 Tablespoon of milk, and 3 egg yolk from large eggs.
Take the yolk mixture and place it in the refrigerator to cool down.
After it completely cools down (30 minutes) beat with 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter using a hand mixer.
Carefully spread the buttercream on the sponge cake, that has already cooled down.
Gently take out the bird’s milk mousse from the form and place it on top of the buttercream.
Place it back into the refrigerator until the ganache is ready.
Important! The white bird’s milk mousse needs to be completely cooled down in order to pour the ganache over, otherwise, your cake will melt.
For the ganache recipe, I used 1/2 of this recipe.
- Spread the ganache all over the cake.
Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
I hope you enjoy this delicate, fancy, and delicious cake recipe. Here are a few more cake recipe options:
Products I used in this recipe:
Bird’s Milk Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge cake base:
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
For the Birds Milk:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp agar-agar
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp dry vanilla
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 3 oz lemon flavored jello
- 2 Tbsp water
Buttercream:
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk I used 2%
- 3 egg yolks from large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
Ganache:
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Butter up a 9″ round cake form.
- In a stand mixer, beat together 3 Large eggs and 1/2 cup of sugar, until pale and well blended.Lower the speed to the lowest, add in 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 cup of flour.
- With the help of a spatula transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Set a side to cool down.
- Combine a 3oz package of lemon flavored jello with 2 Tablespoons of water. Microwave for 30 seconds (another healthier option is to warm it up on the stove). Set aside until ready to use.
- In a stand mixer on high, beat 3 egg whites from large eggs. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of dry vanilla. Keep beating until you will combine the other ingredients together.
- On the stove, in a medium sized pot combine 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of agar-agar on medium heat, then bring to a boil.
- Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar, whisk together and boil for exactly 6 minutes (no less – no more). Take off heat and quickly do the next two steps.
- Add the jello mix into the egg whites. Keep mixing.
- With the mixer still beating pour in the sugar powder syrup. Mix together for 3 minutes.
- Transfer the birds milk mousse into the same size cake pan that you used for the sponge base (mine was 9″ round cake pan).
- Refrigerate for 45 minutes. Meanwhile you can make the cream:
- On the stove or the microwave bring to a boil 1/2 cup of sugar, 3 Tablespoon of milk and 3 egg yolk from large eggs.
- Place in the refrigerator to cool down.
- After it completely cools down (30 minutes) beat with 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter using a hand mixer.
- Spread the buttercream on the cake base you made first.
- Gently take out the bird’s milk mousse from the form and place it on top of the butter cream.
- Place it back into the refrigerator until the ganache is ready.
- Important! The white bird’s milk mousse needs to be completely cooled down in order to pour the ganache over, otherwise your cake will melt.
- To make the ganache, melt the chocolate chips and combine with heavy whipping cream. Spread the ganache all over the cake.
- Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Nutrition
This looks amazing! Wow! You are an incredible baker, Marina. This looks so elegant. Thanks for sharing this with us. I love that you use organic products too..it really makes a difference in the taste and nutrition!