Vanilla Souffle Cake

Vanilla Soufflé Cake, or Tорт "Птичье Молоко" (Bird’s Milk Cake), is a decadent dessert featuring a fluffy vanilla soufflé filling and a rich chocolate ganache coating. This indulgent treat is perfect for any celebration or special occasion.

Vanilla Soufflé Cake, also known as Tорт "Птичье Молоко" (Bird’s Milk Cake), is the ultimate indulgent treat. This chocolate-covered dessert features a fluffy, cloud-like vanilla soufflé filling that melts in your mouth with every bite. Perfectly paired with tea or coffee, it’s a cake that deserves to be shared with good company and celebrated on special occasions.

The soufflé filling of this cake is incredibly creamy and light, creating a luxurious texture that’s unlike any other. The tender cake itself is soaked in a chocolate liqueur syrup (my personal touch), and it’s all finished off with a rich, smooth chocolate ganache. While it might take some effort to make, the end result is completely worth it. After many years of tweaking and testing, I’m excited to share this perfected recipe, which has become a beloved family tradition.

Ingredients

Cake: 

cake recipe from America's Test Kitchen

¼ cup milk

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons cake flour

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

8 Tablespoons (½ cup) butter, room temperature (cut into 1 inch pieces)

Chocolate Syrup:

¼-1/3 cup chocolate liqueur

¼ cup water, heavy cream or milk

Souffle: 

Soufflé recipe adapted from videoculinary.ru

12 Tablespoons (¾ cup) butter, room temperature

¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

6 teaspoons unflavored gelatin + ½ cup water

1 cup sugar, divided

7 egg whites

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

8 oz semi sweet chocolate (chips, chunks, or a chocolate bar)

1 cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt

How to Make Vanilla Souffle Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and spray the bottom and the sides of the pan with oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla extract, whisking with a fork (or whisk) until evenly combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. If you don't have cake flour, you can make a substitute very easily. Measure out 1 cup of flour, remove 2 Tablespoons of the flour, and return the flour to your flour canister and then add 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour. Sift the flour and the cornstarch together several times. (Of course, you still need ¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons of cake flour for the recipe, not the full cup.)Using a standing mixer, or a hand mixer, turn it to low speed and add the butter to the flour mixture, one piece at a time, just until you get coarse crumbs, you definitely don't want to mix it too much.

Pour in half of the milk mixture and mix on medium speed until the light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the rest of the milk mixture and mix just until combined. Don't over mix it, or the cake will not be as tender and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to make sure there isn't any unmixed batter on the sides or bottom of the bowl.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the cake pan for about 5 minutes and then take it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake is completely cool, cut it in half horizontally.

Chocolate Syrup

Mix the chocolate liqueur and the milk in a small cup or bowl (you can also use water, evaporated milk, heavy cream, half n half, etc). All you're doing here is diluting the chocolate liqueur. If you'd rather not use chocolate liqueur, you can make a sugar syrup instead, with ¼ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water(heat them up on the stovetop in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves.)

I really like using syrups in cakes because it helps to keep them moist and tender. Since in this cake we are not using any frosting, I think it's pretty important to use a syrup to soak into the cake layers, which will not only keep the cake layers from drying out, but will add additional flavor to the cake.

At this point, make sure that you are ready to assemble the cake, because as soon as the soufflé mixture is done, you have to act quickly, because the gelatin will start to set.

Use a 9 inch springform pan to assemble the cake. Line the edges of the springform pan with parchment paper. A regular 9 inch round cake pan is just a tad bit smaller than a 9 inch round springform pan, which is perfect, since the cake layers will be slightly smaller than the springform pan, allowing the soufflé to settle around the cake layers and will create a really smooth surface for the sides of the cake.

Souffle

Quick disclaimer: For this cake, raw egg whites are used. If you make sure to buy fresh eggs and keep them refrigerated at all times, you should be ok, but of course, there are always risks when consuming raw eggs. I've been making this type of soufflé and other meringue type frostings for many years and we have never gotten sick. 

If you are worried about that, then I'm really sorry, but you will have to find another recipe for this cake. You can try using pasteurized egg whites, or other substitutes, but since I have never personally used them, I can't tell you how they will work in this recipe. 

If you want to avoid eggs for the soufflé, you can make a soufflé with just cream and gelatin, etc., but the texture will be completely different. 

In a large bowl, using a paddle attachment of a standing mixer or using a hand mixer, mix the butter until it's light and fluffy. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and mix until evenly combined. Set it aside at room temperature.

While the buttercream is being mixed, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a medium bowl and set aside, for about 5 minutes, giving the gelatin a chance to bloom.

Add the bloomed gelatin mixture to a small heavy bottomed saucepan along with ½ cup of sugar. On low heat, cook the mixture just until the sugar and the gelatin dissolve, but don't boil it. Set it aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in the large bowl of a standing mixer, using a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until frothy and then gradually pour in the remaining ½ cup sugar, then add the lemon juice and the vanilla extract.

Continue mixing and pour in the gelatin mixture in a thin stream, while mixing on low speed.

Continue mixing on low speed and gradually add the butter cream into the egg whites, a spoonful at a time and then mix until evenly combined.

Assembling the Cake

Place the first half of the cake on the bottom of the springform pan. Brush the top of the cake layer with the chocolate syrup. Immediately pour in half of the soufflé mixture over the cake layer and smooth it out, tapping the pan gently on the counter to help the souffle settle around the cake layer. Brush the bottom of the second half of the cake layer and place it syrup side down on top of the soufflé layer.

Brush more chocolate syrup over the top of the cake layer. You may have some syrup left over, or you may not:). Pour in the remaining half of the soufflé over the cake layer and smooth it out, once again tapping the cake pan gently on the counter to help it settle around the cake layers.

Place the cake in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 2 hours. I usually do this overnight.

To make the chocolate ganache, heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer. (You can also use a microwave.)

Place the chocolate (you can use chocolate chips, chocolate chunks or cut up a bar or chocolate into small pieces) into a medium bowl with the salt. Pour in the hot, simmering heavy cream over the chocolate, and let it stand for about 7-10 minutes. Use a whisk to mix it all together until smooth.

Take the cake out of the refrigerator and remove it from the springform pan. Place the cake on top of a rack and gently remove the parchment paper from the sides of the cake.

Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake. I like to pick it up and very careful swirl the cake so that the excess ganache run down over the sides of the cake, adding more ganache as necessary and then let it stand for about 5 minutes, just so that the excess chocolate drips off. I don't have a good picture of this process, since I was making this cake alone and didn't have anyone around to give me a hand with a picture.

(Cool Tip: Make chocolate truffles from the leftover ganache. Scrape together all the leftover ganache and put it in the refrigerator until it is completely cool. Scoop out small portions of the chocolate and roll it in your hands to form balls and then roll them in cocoa powder or nuts.)

Transfer the cake to a serving plate or cake stand. Refrigerate until the chocolate ganache is set. You can decorate the cake as you wish. I melted some milk chocolate and piped swirls over the top of the cake, and the color of the milk chocolate is lighter than the semi sweet chocolate that I used for the ganache, making a color contrast. You can also decorate the cake with berries, nuts or chocolate shavings.

Vanilla Souffle Cake

Olga Klyuchits

Vanilla Soufflé Cake, or Tорт "Птичье Молоко" (Bird’s Milk Cake), is a decadent dessert featuring a fluffy vanilla soufflé filling and a rich chocolate ganache coating. This indulgent treat is perfect for any celebration or special occasion.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Sweets

Cuisine Russian

Servings 1 (9 inch) cake

Ingredients

  

Cake:

• ¼ cup milk
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons cake flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 Tablespoons ½ cup butter, room temperature (cut into 1 inch pieces)

Chocolate Syrup:

• ¼ cup chocolate liqueur
• ¼ cup water heavy cream or milk

Souffle:

• 12 Tablespoons ¾ cup butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 6 teaspoons unflavored gelatin + ½ cup water
• 1 cup sugar divided
• 7 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

• 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips, chunks, or a chocolate bar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and spray the bottom and the sides of the pan with oil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla extract, whisking with a fork (or whisk) until evenly combined. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a standing mixer, or a hand mixer, turn it to low speed and add the butter to the flour mixture, one piece at a time, just until you get coarse crumbs, you definitely don't want to mix it too much.
• Pour in half of the milk mixture and mix on medium speed until the light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the rest of the milk mixture and mix just until combined. Don't over mix it, or the cake will not be as tender and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to make sure there isn't any unmixed batter on the sides or bottom of the bowl.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the cake pan for about 5 minutes and then take it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
• When the cake is completely cool, cut it in half horizontally.

Chocolate Syrup

• Mix the chocolate liqueur and the milk in a small cup or bowl (you can also use water, evaporated milk, heavy cream, half n half, etc). All you're doing here is diluting the chocolate liqueur. If you'd rather not use chocolate liqueur, you can make a sugar syrup instead, with ¼ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water(heat them up on the stovetop in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves.)
• I really like using syrups in cakes because it helps to keep them moist and tender. Since in this cake we are not using any frosting, I think it's pretty important to use a syrup to soak into the cake layers, which will not only keep the cake layers from drying out, but will add additional flavor to the cake.
• At this point, make sure that you are ready to assemble the cake, because as soon as the soufflé mixture is done, you have to act quickly, because the gelatin will start to set.
• Use a 9 inch springform pan to assemble the cake. Line the edges of the springform pan with parchment paper. A regular 9 inch round cake pan is just a tad bit smaller than a 9 inch round springform pan, which is perfect, since the cake layers will be slightly smaller than the springform pan, allowing the soufflé to settle around the cake layers and will create a really smooth surface for the sides of the cake.

Souffle

• In a large bowl, using a paddle attachment of a standing mixer or using a hand mixer, mix the butter until it's light and fluffy. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and mix until evenly combined. Set it aside at room temperature.
• While the buttercream is being mixed, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a medium bowl and set aside, for about 5 minutes, giving the gelatin a chance to bloom.
• Add the bloomed gelatin mixture to a small heavy bottomed saucepan along with ½ cup of sugar. On low heat, cook the mixture just until the sugar and the gelatin dissolve, but don't boil it. Set it aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in the large bowl of a standing mixer, using a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until frothy and then gradually pour in the remaining ½ cup sugar, then add the lemon juice and the vanilla extract.
• Continue mixing and pour in the gelatin mixture in a thin stream, while mixing on low speed.
• Continue mixing on low speed and gradually add the butter cream into the egg whites, a spoonful at a time and then mix until evenly combined.

Assembling the Cake

• Place the first half of the cake on the bottom of the springform pan. Brush the top of the cake layer with the chocolate syrup.
• Immediately pour in half of the soufflé mixture over the cake layer and smooth it out, tapping the pan gently on the counter to help the souffle settle around the cake layer.
• Brush the bottom of the second half of the cake layer and place it syrup side down on top of the soufflé layer. Brush more chocolate syrup over the top of the cake layer. You may have some syrup left over, or you may not:).
• Pour in the remaining half of the soufflé over the cake layer and smooth it out, once again tapping the cake pan gently on the counter to help it settle around the cake layers.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 2 hours. I usually do this overnight.
• To make the chocolate ganache, heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer. (You can also use a microwave.)
• Place the chocolate (you can use chocolate chips, chocolate chunks or cut up a bar or chocolate into small pieces) into a medium bowl with the salt. Pour in the hot, simmering heavy cream over the chocolate, and let it stand for about 7-10 minutes. Use a whisk to mix it all together until smooth.
• Take the cake out of the refrigerator and remove it from the springform pan. Place the cake on top of a rack and gently remove the parchment paper from the sides of the cake.
• Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake. I like to pick it up and very careful tilt the cake so that the excess ganache run down over the sides of the cake, adding more ganache as necessary and then let it stand for about 5 minutes, just so that the excess chocolate drips off.
• Transfer the cake to a serving plate or cake stand. Refrigerate until the chocolate ganache is set. You can decorate the cake as you wish. I melted some milk chocolate and piped swirls over the top of the cake, and the color of the milk chocolate is lighter than the semi sweet chocolate that I used for the ganache, making a color contrast. You can also decorate the cake with berries, nuts or chocolate shavings.

Notes

(Cool Tip: Make chocolate truffles from the leftover ganache. Scrape together all the leftover ganache and put it in the refrigerator until it is completely cool. Scoop out small portions of the chocolate and roll it in your hands to form balls and then roll them in cocoa powder or nuts.)