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Fluffy, moist sponge bases with vanilla and chocolate flavors and delicate buttercream with caramel and vanilla notes are combined in the Soviet cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik”. You can now easily make this popular sweet classic from that time yourself at home. Beautifully decorated, it will be a tasty and visual highlight at any party. A detailed cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” recipe with the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions can be found below.
Soviet sweet classic
In addition to the homemade version of the Golden Key Cake, the recipe was also available according to GOST (State Standard). The cake produced according to this standard could be bought in Soviet pastry shops, bakeries and grocery stores, alongside the shortcrust cake “Landish”, the Leningradsky cake and the cake “Gusinye lapki”.
The classic cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” consists of two dark and two light sponge cake layers. It is filled with vanilla and caramel buttercream.
The cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” is still produced by some brands in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. However, just like industrially produced syrki or plombir ice cream, it now contains various unhealthy additives.
With this recipe, you can make the cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” yourself at home. It tastes like the original from a Soviet café. You also know what ingredients are in it. You can also make popular Soviet cakes such as the Kiev cake, the cake “Charodeyka” or the Wenceslas cake at home using my recipes.
Incidentally, “Zolotoy Klyuchik” translates from Russian as “the golden key”.
Select and replace ingredients
Vanilla
I used ground bourbon vanilla for the light cake base and the buttercream. Alternatively, you can use vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, for example.
Cocoa powder
Only use unsweetened baking cocoa for the chocolate cake base, just like for the chocolate pryaniki or the Crazy Cake. It should be of good quality and without additives.
Butter in the batter
Melted butter is added to the classic sponge cake in the recipe. It ensures that the cake bases have a firmer and moist consistency.
Rum
Brown rum gives the cake bases a special aroma and a subtle flavor. Cognac can also be used instead. Alternatively, you can omit alcohol and refine the sugar syrup with orange zest, lemon zest or vanilla, among other things.
Make cake bases the day before
You can make the two sponge cake bases the day before, just like the sponge cake for the cake “Slavutych”, the cake “Tavrichesky” or the banana cream cheese cake. Leave them to cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
The next day, the sponge cakes will be easier to slice. You will also have your cake ready much faster.
This cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” is
- creamy,
- moist,
- fluffy,
- slightly caramelized,
- soft,
- slightly chocolaty,
- incredibly tasty,
- aromatic,
- with cake bases and fillings in two different flavors,
- easy to make,
- an eye-catcher on the coffee table,
- ideal for a celebration or tea party with the family,
- a sweet classic of Soviet cuisine.
How to make cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik”: tips and tricks
- Instead of ground vanilla, you can use vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.
- The baking time stated in the recipe may vary. Use a wooden skewer to check whether the cake base is ready.
- For the cake cream, the butter and sweetened condensed milk or caramelized sweetened condensed milk must be room warm and both at approximately the same temperature. Otherwise the cream could curdle.
- You can leave out the rum.
- Leave the cake to set in the fridge after preparation. You can also serve it the next day.
- Before serving, allow the cake to warm slightly at room temperature. This will soften the cake cream and make it taste much better.
Cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” video recipe
You can find a short video for the cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” on my Youtube channel. There you can see exactly how to make it at home. If you don’t want to miss any more videos from me, please subscribe to my channel.
Did you make the Soviet cake “Zolotoy Klyuchik” using this recipe? I look forward to your result, your star rating and your comment below on how it turned out and how it tasted.
Also try these Soviet cake recipes:
- Smetannik cake “Mishka na severe” – Soviet classic
- Cake “Abrikotin” – forgotten Soviet shortbread cake
- Khreshchatyk cake – from the treasure chest of Soviet cake recipes
Cake "Zolotoy Klyuchik"
Equipment
- Ø 18 cm springform tin
Ingredients
for the vanilla cake base
- 3 eggs
- 90 g sugar
- 30 g butter
- 110 g flour
- 4 g baking powder
- 1 pinch of ground vanilla bean
- butter for greasing the baking tin
for the chocolate cake base
- 3 eggs
- 90 g sugar
- 30 g butter
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 90 g flour
- 4 g baking powder
- butter for greasing the baking tin
for the vanilla buttercream
- 200 g sweetened condensed milk room warm
- 150 g butter room warm
- 1 pinch of ground vanilla bean
for the caramel buttercream
- 200 g caramelized sweetened condensed milk room warm
- 150 g butter room warm
for the sugar syrup
- 100 g sugar
- 80 ml water
- 2 tbsp brown rum
Instructions
Preparation of the vanilla cake base
- Line the base of the springform tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
- Melt butter and leave to cool slightly.
- Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and the melted butter and mix briefly and carefully.
- Mix flour with baking powder and fold into the egg sugar mixture.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin, smooth it out and bake in a preheated oven at 356 °F (180 °C) for approx. 20 minutes.
- Leave the vanilla cake base to cool completely.
Preparation of the chocolate cake base
- Line the base of the springform tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
- Melt butter and leave to cool slightly.
- Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the melted butter and mix briefly and carefully.
- Mix flour with cocoa powder and baking powder and fold into the egg sugar mixture.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin, smooth it out and bake in a preheated oven at 356 °F (180 °C) for approx. 20 minutes.
- Leave the chocolate cake base to cool completely.
Preparation of the sugar syrup
- Put sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, so that the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and leave to cool.
- Stir rum into the sugar syrup.
Preparation of the vanilla buttercream
- Beat softened butter for approx. 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and sweetened condensed milk and beat to a homogeneous cream.
Preparation of the caramel buttercream
- Beat softened butter for approx. 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add caramelized sweetened condensed milk and beat to a homogeneous cream.
Preparation of the cake
- Cut the vanilla cake base and the chocolate cake base lengthwise into two cake layers of equal thickness.
- Drizzle the four cake layers with the sugar syrup.
- Spread the two chocolate cake layers with the vanilla buttercream, leaving about two tablespoons of it to decorate the cake.
- Spread the two vanilla cake layers with the caramel buttercream, leaving a small amount for the sides of the cake.
- Stack the chocolate cake layers on top of each other first and place the vanilla cake layers on top.
- Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining caramel buttercream and decorate the cake with the vanilla buttercream.
- Chill the cake "Zolotoy Klyuchik" for at least 2 hours. Leave to stand briefly at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Instead of ground vanilla, you can use vanilla sugar or vanilla extract.
- The baking time stated may vary. Use a wooden skewer to check whether the cake base is ready.
- For the cake cream, the butter and sweetened condensed milk or caramelized sweetened condensed milk must be room warm and both at approximately the same temperature. Otherwise the cream could curdle.
- You can leave out the rum.
- Leave the cake to set in the fridge after preparation. You can also serve it the next day.
- Before serving, allow the cake to warm slightly at room temperature. This will soften the cake cream and make it taste much better.
- Take note of the detailed tips and tricks for making the cake "Zolotoy Klyuchik" at the top of the article.
If you are using Pinterest, you can pin the following picture: