Kyivskyi Tort (київський торт, hazelnut meringue cake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two 22 cm round cake tins or baking rings
• •Stand mixer or electric hand whisk
• •Baking paper
• •Small saucepan
• •Offset spatula
• •Piping bag with star tip

Instructions

1. 1

   Age the whites

   Separate the eggs the day before. Put the whites in a scrupulously clean bowl, cover loosely, and leave them in the fridge for 24 hours, then bring them to room temperature before whisking. The whites should look looser and smell clean, not eggy or sour.

   Old factory recipes aged whites at room temperature. At home I use the fridge, especially if the kitchen is warm. If anyone at your table is pregnant, elderly, or immune-compromised, use pasteurized egg whites.
2. 2

   Prepare the pans

   Line two 22 cm round tins or baking rings with baking paper. Heat the oven to 150C, or 130C fan. Stir the chopped hazelnuts with 200g of the meringue sugar, the flour, vanilla sugar if using, and salt. The nuts should be small enough to fold through the foam but not ground into paste.

3. 3

   Whip the meringue

   Whisk the aged whites until they foam, then rain in the remaining 50g sugar and keep whisking until the meringue is glossy, thick, and holds a bent peak. It should shine like satin and move heavily around the whisk. Fold in the hazelnut mixture in three additions, turning the bowl gently so you keep the air you worked for.

   This is the step that decides the cake. If the foam collapses, the layers bake heavy; if it stays buoyant, the knife will crack through properly tomorrow.
4. 4

   Bake until dry

   Divide the batter between the tins and smooth it level without pressing hard. Bake until the discs are pale beige, set all the way across, and sound dry when tapped with a fingertip. They should not brown deeply. Turn off the oven, prop the door slightly open, and let them cool there until they release from the paper without sticking.

5. 5

   Cook the syrup

   For the Charlotte cream, whisk the egg yolks with a splash of the milk in a small saucepan, then whisk in the rest of the milk and the sugar. Cook over a low flame, stirring all the time, until the syrup thickens enough to coat the spoon and the raw yolk smell disappears. Do not boil it hard. Strain into a bowl and cool until it feels the same temperature as the butter.

6. 6

   Beat the cream

   Beat the soft butter until pale and light. Add the cooled syrup spoon by spoon, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla and cognac if you're using it. The cream should look smooth, glossy, and able to hold a soft ridge from the spoon.

   If the cream splits, don't panic. Warm the bowl for a few seconds over barely warm water and beat again. Buttercream forgives temperature mistakes better than pride does.
7. 7

   Make cocoa cream

   Set aside a few spoonfuls of pale cream for decoration. Beat the sifted cocoa into the remaining cream, loosening with a spoon of milk only if it turns stiff. The cocoa cream should be the color of dark milk chocolate, not black, and it should spread without tearing the meringue.

8. 8

   Fill the cake

   Place one meringue disc on a serving plate, flat side up, and spread with a generous layer of cocoa cream. Set the second disc on top and press only enough to settle it. Cover the top and sides with more cocoa cream, then press the finely chopped hazelnuts around the sides with your palm.

9. 9

   Pipe and rest

   Pipe a border and a few chestnut-flower shapes with the pale cream, tinting a spoonful pink with beet or berry powder if you like. Let the cake rest in the fridge overnight, then bring it out before serving so the buttercream softens and the knife breaks cleanly through the meringue. Cut with confidence. The first slice is always a little dramatic.

Chef Tips

• •Hazelnuts need to be toasted until the smell changes, from raw and dusty to warm and sweet. Rub off the loose skins in a tea towel, but don't chase every last fleck.
• •The meringue layers can be baked a day ahead and kept dry, loosely covered, at cool room temperature. Moisture is their enemy, not time.
• •If you don't pipe flowers, spread the top smooth and scatter chopped hazelnuts. A bit more modern, still very much a Kyiv birthday table.
• •Use butter that is properly soft, not melted. If it is cold, the cream curdles; if it is greasy, chill it briefly and beat again.
• •This cake is best after one night and still good on the second day. After that the meringue softens, which some aunties will tell you is better and some will argue about until tea is gone.

Advance Preparation

• •Age the egg whites in the fridge for 24 hours, then bring them to room temperature before whipping.
• •Bake the meringue discs the day before assembly if your kitchen is dry; keep them loosely covered at room temperature.
• •Assemble the cake at least 8 hours before serving so the cream and meringue settle together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 122g)