This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. This is the Russian/Ukrainian version of cake pops (I didn’t have the sticks when I made these). My cousin Katerina shared this Russian Cake Truffles recipe with me and we loved it! The center is a traditional Russian sponge cake called biskvit which is mixed with cooked poppy seeds and sweetened condensed milk. They are coated in melted chocolate truffles and made pretty with white chocolate. P.S. Merry Christmas to all of you!
These Russian Cake Truffles are so so good! P.S. The chocolate truffles are sold at Costco and fairly inexpensive right now. Stock up on them now because it’s way more expensive and only found online later on in the year! My cousin also shared with me that the chocolate can be used as a ganache topping for a cake. How delicious! P.S. This Russian Cake Truffles recipe works best if you have a meat grinder to make the prepared poppy seeds. I tried a blender and it just didn’t cut through the tiny poppy seeds even after they were cooked.
Ingredients for Russian Cake Truffles:
the biskvit cake:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly 1/2 tsp baking powder 5 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla
The poppyseed mix:
3/4 cup poppy seeds 2 cups water 6 oz (1/2 of a 12oz can) of sweetened condensed milk (Note: I made 1 1/2 cups poppy seeds with 3 cups water and a full 12 oz can of sweetened condensed milk.
Other fillers & toppers:
8 oz tub of cool whip 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 3/4 – 1 cup white chocolate chips to decorate 1/2 of one bag of chocolate truffles to melt and dip
How to prepare poppy seeds:
(these can be made a few days ahead and refrigerated): 1. Place 3/4 cup dry poppy seeds in a pot and fill with water, then drain (this gets rid of impurities). Add 2 cups water to the pot. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer, then turn off heat, cover and let it stand 30 minutes. No need to stir. Return to a simmer again then turn off heat, cover and let sit 30 minutes. 2. Drain poppy seeds well. You can use a cheesecloth over the lid so the poppy seeds don’t escape while draining or use a fine mesh sieve like this one from OXO.
- Using a food grinder with the fine grinding disk, push poppy seeds through the mill. You have to push them through or they won’t ground up well (they need a little pressure). Stir in 6 oz of condensed milk.
How to make the Russian biskvit cake:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. 1. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet (12×16) with parchment paper ). This will keep the cake from sticking to the pan. 2. Separate egg whites and yolks into two medium bowls. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla into the egg yolks.
3. Sift 2/3 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder into the yolk/sugar mixture. whisk together until well blended.
4. Beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff-ish peaks form (about 2-3 min). Gently fold egg whites into the rest of the batter until well combined
5. Transfer your batter to the prepared baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 12-15 minutes or until top is golden. Remove cake from the pan and immediately peel off the parchment paper. If you wait till it cools; it will get stuck to the paper. Let cake cool to room temp on a wire rack or kitchen towel.
6. Cut the cake into small dice and place in the bowl of an electric mixer (or just a large bowl if you have no mixer).
- Add 3/4 cup of the prepared poppy seeds to your diced cake (You will have a little poppyseed mix left over; use it or eat it), also add an 8 oz tub of cool whip and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional; I made this batch without the nuts). Mix for a minute or 2 on lowest speed setting, just until well combined.
P.S. If you are one of those who prefer not to use cool whip, you can use sweetened whipped cream and just add enough to be able to make a ball with the dough
Roll into balls (about 3/4″ in diameter, not too big because the chocolate coating will seem too thin. You need a balance of chocolate and dough). Of course I always re-use parchment paper as many times as humanly possible in a recipe (less mess; less waste)
Melt your chocolate truffles in a bowl (microwave method) or in a small pot on the stove. Don’t overheat the chocolate or it will be too runny. If you find that the coating is too thin and doesn’t coat the cake ball well, pop your chocolate in the fridge until it thickens to a nice dipping consistency. Dip the cake balls into melted truffle chocolate and place them on the parchment paper (yep re-using it again!). Refrigerate the cake balls to let the chocolate set (double dipping in the chocolate is more than ok). When the chocolate hardens, top with melted white chocolate. That’s it. :
These Russian Cake Truffles are so good, it’s hard to stop at just one. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
