Kiev cake

Chop the nuts, but not to dust, rather to a fine-medium crumb. Mix the nuts, 45 grams of flour, 190 grams of sugar, and ground vanilla with a spatula.

Whip 204 grams of egg whites separately, gradually adding 47 grams of sugar. It's preferable to let the egg whites sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours before whipping, but this can be skipped if you're short on time. Whip at medium speed, about three-quarters of the mixer's maximum speed, for 5 minutes. Towards the end, when the mixture becomes homogeneous, you can slightly increase the speed. The correct egg white foam should not drip from the spatula but stand up like a peak.

Carefully fold half of the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites and mix everything with a silicone spatula from bottom to top. Then add the second half and mix again until the mixture is completely homogeneous. Mix quickly and as efficiently as possible from bottom to top. Do not stir the mixture like soup or tea!

Divide the mass into two parts, level it with a spatula in forms with a diameter of 20 cm — without pressing, but spreading in circular motions. Do not worry about whether its surface is even or not. Bake for 70 minutes at 150–160 degrees. Then cool down. In winter, you can place the layers on the balcony to cool them faster.

While the cakes are baking and cooling, prepare the 'Charlotte' syrup. It's very simple: mix 208 grams of sugar, 37 grams of eggs (about 1 egg), and 139 grams of milk. Slightly whisk it, pour into a saucepan, bring to a boil and let it reduce on low heat while constantly stirring with a whisk. The syrup is ready when its temperature reaches 104–105 degrees. Cool the syrup in the refrigerator.

Remove the cooled layers from the mold, take a culinary ring with a diameter of 18 cm, and cut smaller layers. One layer can be left in the new mold. The leftovers can be crushed and used to sprinkle the cake at the end.

Whip the softened butter with a whisk or mixer until smooth. Add 225 grams of 'Charlotte' syrup (which acts as sugar in the cream), 1 gram of ground vanilla, and 2 grams of cognac. Whip until everything turns into a fluffy homogeneous mass.

Chocolate cream is prepared just like regular buttercream. You need less of it. The proportions are: 69 grams of butter, 106 grams of 'Charlotte' syrup, 1 gram of vanilla, 2 grams of cognac, and 9 grams of cocoa powder. Both creams should be placed in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Now the most interesting part — assembling the cake. Spread almost all of the buttercream on the first layer (which is in a ring) and evenly distribute it with a spatula over the surface. Leave about 10% of the cream. Flip the second layer and place it on top of the cream, pressing down slightly. Since the top of the cake is currently resting on parchment, it will turn out perfectly flat. Remove the ring. The layer of cream will be very thick, which is how it should be. Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.

Take chocolate cream, spread a thick layer on the edges and top of the cake. Leave about 20% of the cream for decoration. Take crumbs of the cake in one hand and the cake in the other, gently press the cake to your palm — crumbs will stick to the surface. Make sure some crumbs slightly go over the top of the cake, hiding where the surface meets the sides. With coating and sprinkling, the diameter of the cake returns to its original 20 cm.

Decorate the edge of the cake with leftover 'Charlotte' chocolate cream. Then you can get creative and decorate as you wish.