Effortless Bird's Milk Cake (Printable Version)

Soft cake layers hold fluffy mousse and a thick chocolate top. It’s a sweet Russian classic that'll win everybody over.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1/2 cup boiling milk (or use water and 4 TBSP sugar stirred in)
02 - 2/3 cup Cool Whip, split up
03 - 1/2 cup flour
04 - 1/2 cup sugar
05 - 3 eggs

→ Sour Cream Mousse

06 - 1 stick of unsalted butter
07 - 4 packets of Knox gelatine
08 - 1/2 cup milk
09 - 15 oz sweetened condensed milk
10 - 1 1/2 cups sugar
11 - 2 lbs Daisy Brand sour cream

→ Ganache

12 - 1 cup heavy cream
13 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Wait until the mousse is nice and set. Warm your cream in the microwave just until it gets a little bubbly. Toss it over chocolate chips hanging out in a bowl, don't touch for a minute or two. Now, whisk it all up until it's shiny and smooth. Pour the ganache on both cakes when it cools a bit. Let them chill again until the shiny top is fully set.
02 - First, grab your sour cream and sugar and beat together for a good 15 minutes. Dump in the condensed milk, then keep the mixer going for another 5 minutes, so it's really creamy. In a tiny pot, mix gelatine and milk and heat just to a gentle boil. Throw in the butter—keep stirring until melted. While mixing, slowly pour this hot combo into your creamy bowl and mix for 2 more minutes. It'll look watery—you're doing it right! Divide the mousse right between both springform pans on top of your cake layers, then let them firm up in the fridge for 3–4 hours.
03 - Crack eggs and sprinkle in sugar, then whip together until the mix turns super light and fluffy (don't rush, about 10 minutes). Gently add flour, going one way with your spatula, just until it's combined. Slide your batter into a greased and floured 9-inch pan. Bake at 350°F and check with a toothpick—pull it out when clean. Cool the cake, then cut it across (sideways) for two skinny circles. Drop each piece into its own 9-inch springform. Splash the hot milk-sugar mix over each cake layer to soak. Spread a bit of Cool Whip (about 1/3 cup) on each. They'll feel thin but that's how it should be! Leave 'em while you prep the rest.

# Additional Notes:

01 - This sweet called 'Ptichye Moloko' (which means 'Bird's Milk') has a custard-like, wiggly mousse that just melts away as soon as you taste it.
02 - You'll end up with two cakes—great for a crowd or stashing one in the freezer if you want dessert later.
03 - Skip the Cool Whip if you want. The fluffy sour cream filling will hold onto the cake layers on its own.

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