Cake Kiev ~ Киевский Торт

I have been looking forward to making this cake for a long time. So happy that this day is finally here! Cake Kiev is a very popular cake in Ukraine and all over Russia and Belarus. It's airy structure with small bites of walnuts is a perfect cake to any holiday dinner. I will cut it at our New Year celebration and will post photos on my Instagram page.   / lulis.homestead   ~~~~~~ Most cakes require more sugar and butter, however, I have decided to decrease the amount. The custard-butter cream is much softer then the traditional butter cream, yet still holds well in cool temperatures. Here is my recipe: Batter- 12 egg whites 2.5 cups sugar 1/2 cups white flour 4 cups walnuts Bake at 300F for 2 hours Simple syrup~ 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 1 Tbs rum (or may omit) Cream~ 12 egg yolks 400 ml (1 3/4 cup) milk 1 cup sugar 1 stick soft unsalted butter (1/2 cup of cream + 4 tsp cacao powder + 1 stick butter) for decor 1/2 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips for decor 1 cup walnuts and left over crumble for decor