Kiev cake

If you were trying to come up with a food to symbolize the capital of Ukraine then this cake would be it.

The one and only original Kiev cake has been invented in the 1950s and is since then produced by the former "Carl Marx confectionery factory", now known as Roshen. The Kiev cake is one of the most popular souvenirs to bring from this city.

There is no way one could make the exact same thing at home, altough many people try. It's simply something like Sacher, it's best bought. And the best Kiev cake is made by the Roshen factory, there is really no argument about that, although you could find many cheaper and uglier copies all around the former USSR.

See how beautiful it is? :-) The kitchy old-school thick cream decor has become a trademark of this cake and even though Kiev is now full of modern looking desserts no one will ever dare to modernize this legendary cake. It looks just the way it looked when my mom and dad were kids. Children loved the buttery, melting pink and blue flowers and the green leaves. The whole family fought over the big, fat white rose.

But what's inside? Inside are 3 layers of very dense meringue with big and small pieces of nuts between which are 2 layers of extremely rich buttercream. The whole thing is creamy, buttery and crunchy at the same time. On top of the cake is a layer of cocoa flavoured buttercream topped with the cream flowers and leaves, the sides are heavily sprinkled with crushed meringue and nuts. It is very sweet and very high in calories, but so incredibly good. Until today, exclusively butter is used to make this cake, no vegetable fats.

When buying Kiev cake it's always best to buy the freshest piece and eat it within 1-2 days. After 2 days some of the cream soaks into the meringue and the meringue also dries out a bit, making the cake difficult to eat. It should be eaten cold, if it stands around for too long the cream becomes soft and unappetizing. The cake is sold in two sizes, the one pictured is the smaller one. This one costs 36 hrivnas, which is about 80kc and is more than enough as dessert for 5 people.

So, if you're ever in Kiev this cake is a must.