Classic Kiev Cake Recipe – Киевский Торт Рецепт
Kiev cake is one of the most popular and famous cakes in Ukraine. This sweet and delicious Ukrainian cake is made with airy layers of sponge cake, crunchy meringue layers and a chocolate caramel frosting! You’ll love the combination of textures and flavors!
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More Recipes
I have a new and improved version of this cake on my blog! Check out this amazing ‘Hazelnut Meringue Cake’! https://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/recipe-items/hazelnut-meringue-cake/
And watch my updated video recipe for the caramel frosting here: http://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/recipe-items/salted-caramel-frosting/
Classic Kiev Cake Recipe - Киевский Торт Рецепт
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For Meringue:
- 6 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
For Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 14 ounces dulce de leche
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
For Filling:
- 1 cup unsalted hazelnuts, finely diced
Instructions
For the Meringue:
- For meringue: It is best to prepare the meringue a day ahead of time before making cake. I usually prepare the meringue in the morning and let it dry and cool in the oven with the door ajar. Store prepared meringue covered well and away from moisture until ready to use.
- Cover a large, flat baking sheet with parchment paper and use an 8-inch round cake pan to draw 2 circles on the parchment paper. Set pan aside and preheat oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To prepare meringue, place egg whites into a stand mixer bowl (preferably use a heavy duty stand mixer so egg whites reach their optimum consistency). Beat egg whites and sugar on high speed until they reach stiff peaks. Divide the meringue evenly and spread onto prepared parchment paper, using the circles as guides. Use a flat spatula to make sure top and sides are as even as possible.
- Place meringue into oven and bake for 8 hours at 175F, until completely dried and crisp. To check doneness, tap lightly on the top in the center of meringue -- it should sound hollow. After 8 hours, turn oven off and leave door ajar, letting meringue cool slowly in the oven. When getting ready to assemble cake, gently remove the meringue off from the parchment paper.
For Sponge Cake:
- For sponge cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2, 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and set aside. Sift together flour and baking powder. Place eggs and sugar into mixer bowl; whisk on high speed until eggs are thick and pale. Using a fine strainer, slowly dust the flour over the eggs and fold the flour in. Immediately pour cake batter into prepared cake pans, dividing the batter evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until cake is golden on top. Remove hot cake layers from pan, invert onto cooling rack and remove parchment paper.
- For frosting: place softened butter into a large bowl and use mixer to beat until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add cooked condensed milk (dulce de leche) and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cocoa powder and beat until well combined.
- To assemble cake, spread frosting between alternating layers of sponge cake and meringue, placing diced hazelnuts between layers.
Hi Tatyana, thank you very much for these great recipes. Last week I made kievsky cake for my dad’s birthday and it was a hit, we fell in love with this cake so delicious and not too sweet. Can’t wait to try all your recipes. God bless you and wish you all the success. I give it 5*
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Hi! 🙂 I’m very glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed my cake recipe! Thank you dear! 🙂
HI Tatyana thank you for the recipe but my question is in the video recipe you are saying to add 1/3 cup of sugar to egg whites and the recipe says 3/4 so not sure which should i do. Thanks
Hi there! 🙂 It’s 3/4 cup sugar into the egg whites for the meringue
How long can I keep this cake frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing this cake but it should be fine; not sure on the timing since I usually don’t freeze my cakes
[…] Kiev Cake A cake made with airy layers of sponge cake, meringue and caramel frosting. Photo from Tatyanas Everyday Food […]
I am thinking of cutting this recipe in half. I would use an 8″ pan and make 1 meringue layer that I would leave whole and 1 cake layer that I cut in 1/2. Should I use a full recipe for the buttercream? Also, I’d like to add the hazelnuts to the meringue instead of between the layers – is there any reason not to do that? Also, I would add apricot jam between the layers. How does this plan sound to you?
I sincerely hope that your family and loved ones in Ukraine are ok, and that the war will end soon.
Hi Gail! Yes, you can prepare just half the recipe for a smaller cake. I would cut the buttercream recipe in half, too so you don’t end up with too much. I love the idea of adding the apricot jam, too. That will be delicious. And yes, you can add hazelnuts directly into the meringue, too. Hope you enjoy the cake! Thank you for your thoughts on Ukraine!
This was absolutely delicious and I strongly recommend adding apricot jam between the layers. I used a full recipe of the buttercream because I wanted to make sure I had enough to cover up messy sides. I don’t usually like buttercream, but I will use this dulce de leche buttercream for other cakes in the future. And it couldn’t be easier!
I’m so happy you loved the recipe! The apricot jam is a great addition! And I’m glad you enjoyed the buttercream. I’m not always a big fan of buttercream either but dulce de leche makes it better! 🙂
I made the sponge cake but it tastes very much like eggs. Is this supposed to happen? I want to make sure the cake won’t taste like eggs! Thanks!
Hi Laura! Sorry about that! The key is mixing the eggs for a longer period of time and adding vanilla. I recommend using cheaper eggs, since they will have less flavor. The more air that’s incorporated into the eggs, the less eggy they will be. Enjoy!
Hi, I am planning to make this for a monthly Ethnic dinner I will be doing tomorrow with my family. This month is obviously the Ukraine. So, hopefully you will see before then. I was just wondering what you used to make the chocolate decorations on top?
Hi Penny! This is a wonderful cake to celebrate Ukraine! I hope everyone enjoys it. For the chocolate garnishes, I simply melted some chocolate, transferred it into a ziplock bag, cut off a tiny bit of the corner, then piped the chocolate onto the cake.
First time making this torte! I love the fact you have a video alongside with the recipe, totally helps! Can’t wait to make more recipes on your website.
Wonderful!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! And I’m happy you found my video tutorial helpful – I personally love learning from videos, too! Hope you enjoy some of my other cakes!
Hi I want to make this cake for my son’s birthday. I just have a question how many days ahead can you make meringue before assembling the cake?
Hi Victoriya! This will be a fantastic cake for a birthday celebration! You can make the meringue 2 to 3 days ahead of time. Just let it cool down at room temperature, then wrap it with plastic wrap and keep store at room temperature away from moisture. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi Tatiana
I am making your cake but the frosting is too runny.
HELP!! Any tricks?
😁🤣🇺🇦
Hi Hazel! Oh, no! That happens sometimes to me, too. Simply place the entire bowl of frosting into the refrigerator and let it chill for a few hours. Once chilled, beat again until the frosting is fluffy. Enjoy!