This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Ooooh, this will knock your socks off! If you’ve made the Biskvit cake, you know how to make the bulk of this cake. It has a special layer sandwiched between the biskvit called “byuze or beze” which is a crunchy meringue.
The cakes have a unique syrup discovered by my Mama-in-law with apricots. You don’t know Ukrainian desert until you’ve tried Kiev Cake! The meringue part is quick to make, but it does take a long time to bake/dry-out and you can make it a day ahead. Ooooooh it’s so worth it!
This is definitely a special occasion cake, or a “make it on a Tuesday so you can share the recipe quicker and hope your family comes over to eat it” cake. For maximum meringue crunchiness, this cake should be eaten the same day it’s assembled. There are many different recipes of this cake, this one is my mom’s version.
Kiev Cake Biskvit Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
8 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Beze/ Meringue Ingredients:
6 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted for wax paper
Syrup/ Puree Ingredients:
15 oz Can Apricot Halves in light syrup (I used DelMonte Brand)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp granulated Sugar
Click Here for the Frosting Recipe
The frosting from the Russian Cherry layer cake (whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk) is also fantastic for this recipe.
How to Make the Byuze/ Beze/ Meringue:
1. Line a 9×13 non-stick cake pan with wax paper. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and brush the top of the wax paper with butter.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, over high-speed, beat 6 egg whites and 1 1/3 cup of sugar together for about 6 minutes, or until stiff peaks form (see picture). It will be white and fluffy.
3. Spread the egg whites evenly into the cake pan lined with wax paper. Bake at 250˚ F for 4 hours and 10 minutes. When the time is up, remove from oven and peel off the wax paper. Set on a tea towel and cool to room temperature. The Meringue can be left on the counter overnight, covered with a dry tea towel.
How to Make the Russian Sponge Cake Beskvit:
1.Preheat the Oven to 350˚ F and line 1 non-stick cake pans with wax paper. Use a (13×9) non-stick pan.
2. First, separate egg whites from yolks. Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together 8 yolks, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Add 1 cup of flour until well blended.
3. In a large bowl, beat 8 egg whites on high-speed until they foam and are about 3-4 times in volume (about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes). Don’t beat too long or you will begin to lose volume.
4. Use a spatula to gently fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites until well combined. Don’t mix too much or you will lose volume. The batter should have a fluffy texture.
5. Place the batter into the lined cake pan and bake 22 minutes until the top is golden.
6. As soon as the cake is done, turn the cake out onto a clean surface and peel off the wax paper. This is much easier to do while the cake is still very warm. Use a knife to remove rough edges. Let cakes cool to room temperature.
Assembling the Cake:
(note: for maximum crunchiness of the meringue layer, this cake should be eaten the same day it is assembled).
1. Drain the apricots reserving the syrup. Mix all of the syrup ingredients (drained apricot syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp sugar) together until sugar dissolves. Puree Remaining Apricots in a Blender.
2. Slice the cake evenly into two layers. Place the first cake layer(with the cut side up) on the dish you will be serving it on. Once you put the syrup on, it will be very difficult to move it.
3. Pour half the syrup evenly over the first cake layer and spread half of the apricot puree over it.
4. Spread about 1/4 of the frosting evenly over the puree. Click here for Russian Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe that I used.
5. Set baked meringue over the cake and trim it to fit evenly over the biskvit cake. Reserve Crumbs for the top of the cake. Place the meringue on top of cake and spread frosting over the top
6. Place the second cake on top of the meringue . Pour the second half of syrup evenly over the second cake and spread the rest of the apricot puree on the top.
7. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
8. Crush the meringue crumbs and Sprinkle them all over the cake. It helps to hold a spatula next to the side of the cake as you sprinkle crumbs to keep more of them on the cake. Or you can use a fine mesh sieve if you have one for more even distribution. You may need to tilt the cake a little to cover the sides, just do this cautiously.
Notes: The final layers should be: cake, syrup, puree, frosting, meringue, frosting, cake syrup, puree, frosting on all sides, covered with meringue crumbs. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. It stays yummy in the fridge for a few days.
Kievsky aka Kiev Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Biskvit Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 8 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Beze/ Meringue Ingredients:
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted for wax paper
Syrup/ Puree Ingredients:
- 15 oz Can Apricot Halves in light syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp granulated Sugar
Frosting Ingredients:
- Follow the link in the post
Instructions
How to Make the Byuze/ Beze/ Meringue:
- Line a 9x13 non-stick cake pan with wax paper. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and brush the top of the wax paper with butter.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, over high-speed, beat 6 egg whites and 1 1/3 cup of sugar together for about 6 minutes, or until stiff peaks form (see picture). It will be white and fluffy.
- Spread the egg whites evenly into the cake pan lined with wax paper. Bake at 250˚ F for 4 hours and 10 minutes. When the time is up, remove from oven and peel off the wax paper. Set on a tea towel and cool to room temperature. The Meringue can be left on the counter overnight, covered with a dry tea towel.
How to Make the Russian Sponge Cake Beskvit:
- Preheat the Oven to 350˚ F and line 1 non-stick cake pans with wax paper. Use a (13x9) non-stick pan.
- First, separate egg whites from yolks. Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together 8 yolks, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Add 1 cup of flour until well blended.
- In a large bowl, beat 8 egg whites on high-speed until they foam and are about 3-4 times in volume (about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes). Don't beat too long or you will begin to lose volume.
- Use a spatula to gently fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites until well combined. Don't mix too much or you will lose volume. The batter should have a fluffy texture.
- Place the batter into the lined cake pan and bake 22 minutes until the top is golden.
- As soon as the cake is done, turn the cake out onto a clean surface and peel off the wax paper. This is much easier to do while the cake is still very warm. Use a knife to remove rough edges. Let cakes cool to room temperature.
Assembling the Cake: (note: for maximum crunchiness of the meringue layer, this cake should be eaten the same day it is assembled).
- Drain the apricots reserving the syrup. Mix all of the syrup ingredients (drained apricot syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp sugar) together until sugar dissolves. Puree Remaining Apricots in a Blender.
- Slice the cake evenly into two layers. Place the first cake layer(with the cut side up) on the dish you will be serving it on. Once you put the syrup on, it will be very difficult to move it.
- Pour half the syrup evenly over the first cake layer and spread half of the apricot puree over it.
- Spread about 1/4 of the frosting evenly over the puree. Click here for Russian Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe that I used.
- Set baked meringue over the cake and trim it to fit evenly over the biskvit cake. Reserve Crumbs for the top of the cake. Place the meringue on top of cake and spread frosting over the top.
- Place the second cake on top of the meringue . Pour the second half of syrup evenly over the second cake and spread the rest of the apricot puree on the top.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Crush the meringue crumbs and Sprinkle them all over the cake. It helps to hold a spatula next to the side of the cake as you sprinkle crumbs to keep more of them on the cake. Or you can use a fine mesh sieve if you have one for more even distribution. You may need to tilt the cake a little to cover the sides, just do this cautiously.
Notes
Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. It stays yummy in the fridge for a few days.
Hi Natasha, Can you give me some instruction on splitting the cake in half? It sounds very fragile. Thanks and a blessed Pascha to you.
Use a sharp serrated knife and work from the outsides in.
This cake is soooo good! I am usually into making meat dishes and real food. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and made this cake. It turned out perfect in taste. I am soo happy to have found your blog. May your blog continue to grow. I can’t wait to try more recipes! Please keep it going. God bless you and your family.
Nelya, thank you for your sweet words 🙂 God bless you too in all of your cooking adventures and I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Let’s rename this cake “heaven on earth” 😉
I will confess that this cake was consumed in two days by two people!
That’s funny, I like your alternate name for the cake :D. I hope you at least spread it out over 6 meals :).
Thank you so much for responding! You are such a great gal! I want to make this for my husband’s 27th birthday next week! Eeeeek 🙂 Excited! Hopefully it will taste amazing!
Hi Natasha! What flour do you use for this cake? All-purpose or Canadian? Also, when do you make this cake? The night before the event or the day of the event?
You can make it the night before and assemble and frost the day of your event. Use all-purpose flour (I always specify if it needs Canadian 😉
Hi Natasha. I was wondering how many days ahead can I make this cake? For it to be good and moist?
You can make the layers up to 2 days ahead and assemble and frost everything the same day or the day before your event; you don’t want the crunchy meringue to get soft so it’s not necessary to let it get moist.
Thank you so much
Natasha, I made this cake and it was amazing! BTW, you are awesome at decorating and photography!
Thanks Dina 🙂
Natasha, I looked at some Kiev cake recipes and found some that add hazelnuts to their cakes. I wondered if I was to add nuts, would I add them to the meringue? I would like to make this cake in the near future for my husband’s birthday.
Many people put them in the meringue and then you can put pieces of hazelnuts over the top with the crushed remaining cooked meringue. I have also heard that the oils from nuts can cause your meringue not to rise properly or leave gaps in your meringue. I don’t make it with nuts since my son doesn’t eat them, but I think the original kievsky cake has nuts at the bottom of the meringue (as in sprinkle them on the bottom of the pan and top with meringue; then bake. I’m not sure if that’s super helpful but it’s all I’ve got 😉
I add hazelnuts in between the frosting laters with some prunes;) it makes me feel as if i’m eating a healthy version and don’t feel too guilty going for a second piece:)
I like where you’re going with this! lol.
Happy 2013! Love this recipe. Must try!
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake a few days ago and it turned out so good. Though it was a lil too tall for me. Do you think its possible to reduce the buze, as in use half the eggs but still pour into the 9 by 13 pan? Just to make it shorter in height?
And instead of cutting the cake, which i had a problem with making it a even cut.. haha. Think I could just split the batter into the pans and bake 2 pieces of the cake part? I really want to make this again but a lil shorter.
You can bake it in two pans, but I don’t know what to tell you regarding baking time. I haven’t experimented this way 🙂
Hi natasha,
I sent my husband to buy apricot in a can. Day 1 he bought a 29 oz peach halves in heavy syrup, so I told him to find apricot one instead just in case. Next day he finds a apricot halves but a lite version. Lol. Because there wasn’t a del Monte brand. So this can has apricot & pear juice mixture. Which would you use? Lol
Lol :). My first choice would be lite apricot. Or if you like peachy flavor, than can use that as the second option.
Hi Natasha! so what do you do with 6 egg yolk that are left after taking egg whites for meringue? I want to make this cake but don’t want them just to spoil in my fridge.
So just divide everything in half and use that 8 x 8 pan?
Yes Olga, you will have nice square cake 🙂
Like a 8 x8 size??
Yep! You sure can! 🙂
Natasha could I make half of this cake using half ingredients??
Do you need to let the cake rest after making it (propitatsa), or it can be eaten right away?
You can eat it right away! 🙂
Hi, do you use powdered sugar in the meringue or regular sugar? What works best? Thank you!
Regular sugar. I think powdered sugar would ruin the meringue.
I am Russian, and this is not kievsky tort!!! it is infact a delicious cake, don’t get me wrong, but Not kievsky tort. A Canadian friend of mine made it for me thinking it was authentic, and Ive ordered Kievskiy from Kiev, the original store when it was open, Sorry guys.
Everyone makes it a little different and this is our family’s version of Kievsky I’ve never tasted two that were the same unless they were store-bought.
Making your version of this cake right now 🙂 I am intrigued by the apricot puree idea but I was only able to find apricots in heavy syrup at my grocery store. Should I add more water or what would you recommend?Also I want to say, you should not use wax paper for baking, it is coated with wax and the wax melts into your food. Try parchment paper instead 🙂
Thank you for the tip and parchment tends to stick less. Yes just dilute the syrup with water an it will be fine. Might take a few minute more to really soak in but your finished cake will taste just as good.
Making this yummy cake this weekend for the first time. Very excited, sounds very tasty.
I noticed that some of the steps contradict each other……
step 7. ( cake prep) Divide the batter evenly among the two, lined cake pans.
step 2. ( cake assemble) Slice the cake evenly into two layers.
Ill follow the assemble cake and only bake the batter in one pan like the picture shows. 😀
thanks for your posts, love to try out new recipes!!!
Sveta; you’re right! I updated the recipe and now just make 1 large layer and cut it in half. I found that to be easier 🙂 I’ve updated the recipe to correct that. Thanks for letting me know and I hope you love the cake!