Ammonia White Cake
Ammonia White Cake with Sour Cream Frosting: dry cake layers creamed with sour cream frosting, topped with chocolate ganache. An old family favorite!
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White Ammonia Cake Recipe:
This cake is an old family favorite since Ukraine. This was literally the only cake recipe we ever made. Ammonia baking powder has always been very popular ingredient among Ukrainian bakers and I believe it still is. People use it for dry cake layers and for many amazing cookie recipes.
Back in Ukraine, when we were little kids, we would bake several of these cakes and decorated with different colored sprinkles for Easter, Christmas and other major holidays. Baking this cake and the smell of ammonia powder in my home during baking process really brings back my childhood memories.
The secret ingredient Ammonia Baking Powder in this recipe can be bought at most or all Ukrainian/Russian, European and Asian markets. Make sure that it’s the baker’s version and not the home one. Sometimes these are sold in bottles and sometimes in little pockets. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, which isn’t enough in 1 bottle, but I have tested with just the amount in 1 bottle and it’s also enough. These also come in different brands, but the exact one I usually use, you can see by clicking HERE.
Important things to keep in mind:
- Working with ammonia baking powder: NEVER try to smell it; keep face at least 18” away from the bottle and the dough. The smell will come out during baking process. When you first open oven after each layer is finished baking, keep your face as far as possible so you don’t get this flush of ammonia in your eyes.
- Use Daisy brand for sour cream frosting to get the best results.
White Ammonia Cake Ingredients:
- Egg yolks – room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Sour Cream
- Ammonia baking powder
- All-purpose flour
Sour Cream Frosting Ingredients:
- Cold sour cream
- Frozen cool whip
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
Basket Weave and Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
- Cold heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Lindt chocolate (3.5 oz)
How to Make Ammonia White Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 360°F. Lightly oil Springform Pan. In a small bowl, combine and stir 2 tbsps ammonia baking powder and 2 tbsps sour cream (leave other 2 tbsps. for later); set aside while you prep the other ingredients. It will become fluffy and a bit bubbly. (Ammonia baking powder usually has dried bubbles, press it with spoon to make it into smooth powder).
2. Separate 4 eggs; refrigerate egg whites and use for other recipes or for breakfast. In a large bowl, combine and beat 4 egg yolks and 6 oz sugar for about 1 -1 ½ mins until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the ammonia baking powder mixture and remaining 2 tbsps sour cream to the egg batter. Beat for 1 minute on high. Start by sifting 1 cup all-purpose flour at a time into the batter, and start by beating on low so you don’t end up covered in flour. When batter starts to come together, continue mixing flour with your hands. I usually end up with 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour while mixing and then the other 1/4 cup while rolling out each layer. It should represent a cookie dough: not sticky, but together. (Don’t make it extremely hard because you will add more flour when rolling each layer).
Rolling Thin Layers:
4. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Lightly flour work surface and roll out 1st dough piece to about 2 mm thickness. Add flour when needed to prevent dough from really sticking and ripping apart. Cut out a circle by placing springform bottom on rolled out dough. Transfer the cutout dough onto spring form bottom with help of rolling pin. (HINT: the dough might tear a bit, but it’s an easy fix; just place pieces of dough and press to patch up). Bake for 10 minutes. (I have 3 forms and bake 2 at a time – a lot faster). Remove baked cake layers from forms right away. Stack them with parchment paper in between; let cool before adding cream. Use remaining cutouts to make another cake layer. I ALWAYS end up with 7, sometimes 8 cake layers. (These cake layers can stay up to a week at room temperature; you don’t have to cream right away).
5. Cut out a cake size carton out of box and wrap it in foil. Stack cake layers before frosting, choosing the best looking (smooth) for the top.
How to Make Sour Cream Frosting:
6. In a mixer bowl, combine all ingredients at once: 16 oz sour cream, 8 oz cool whip, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 pocket vanilla sugar. Beat on high for about 10 minutes until cream is fluffy and thick.
7. Spread little frosting on foil to keep cake from moving. Place first cake layer and spread about 3 tbsps sour cream frosting, covering edges (very important to get edges as this cake is dry and needs its cream to become moist). Continue with the rest cake layers until you get to the 7th layer. You can use sour cream for the top OR chocolate ganache. Let cake stand in room temp while you make the basket weave frosting.
How to Make Basket Weave:
8. In a medium bowl, beat 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream and 4 tbsps powdered sugar for about 2 mins until fluffy. Decorate cake sides with basket weave.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache:
9. In a small sauce pan, bring 3.5-4 oz heavy whipping cream to steam, but not boil. Meanwhile break chocolate into pieces. Pour hot cream over chocolate, let stand for about 1 minute and then whisk or stir until it becomes smooth chocolate ganache. Slowly pour the chocolate over the top cake layer in the center and spread with knife or spatula to the edges. Work fast as it will cool and dry. (You can do the top first and THEN the sides if you’re afraid that the ganache would go over cake sides. I always go in whenever order).
Decorate top of ganache with remaining cream anyway you like. Refrigerate cake for at least 10-12 hours so it has time to absorb the cream and that the cake layers become moist.
More Cake Recipes:
- Chocolate Spartak Cake – our favorite chocolate cake of all time
- Honey Cake with Sour Cream Frosting – the easiest sponge cake and so fluffy
- Strawberry Kiwi Cake – the perfect cake for spring and summer
Ammonia White Cake with Sour Cream Frosting
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 4 egg yolks – room temp
- 6 oz sugar
- 4 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons ammonia baking powder
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Cream Ingredients:
- 16 oz sour cream - cold
- 8 oz cool whip - frozen
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 pocket vanilla sugar OR 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Basket Weave & Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:
- 1 cup + 3.5 oz cold heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 Lindt chocolate, 3.5 oz
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360°F. Lightly oil Springform Pan. In a small bowl, combine and stir 2 tbsps ammonia baking powder and 2 tbsps sour cream (leave other 2 tbsps. for later); set aside while you prep the other ingredients. It will become fluffy and a bit bubbly. (Ammonia baking powder usually has dried bubbles, press it with spoon to make it into smooth powder).
- Separate 4 eggs; refrigerate egg whites and use for other recipes or for breakfast. In a large bowl, combine and beat 4 egg yolks and 6 oz sugar for about 1 -1 ½ mins until sugar is dissolved.
- Add the ammonia baking powder mixture and remaining 2 tbsps sour cream to the egg batter. Beat for 1 minute on high. Start by sifting 1 cup all-purpose flour at a time into the batter, and start by beating on low so you don’t end up covered in flour. When batter starts to come together, continue mixing flour with your hands. I usually end up with 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour while mixing and then the other 1/4 cup while rolling out each layer. It should represent a cookie dough: not sticky, but together. (Don’t make it extremely hard because you will add more flour when rolling each layer).
- Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Lightly flour work surface and roll out 1st dough piece to about 2 mm thickness. Add flour when needed to prevent dough from really sticking and ripping apart. Cut out a circle by placing springform bottom on rolled out dough. Transfer the cutout dough onto spring form bottom with help of rolling pin. (HINT: the dough might tear a bit, but it’s an easy fix; just place pieces of dough and press to patch up). Bake for 10 minutes. (I have 3 forms and bake 2 at a time – a lot faster). Remove baked cake layers from forms right away. Stack them with parchment paper in between; let cool before adding cream. Use remaining cutouts to make another cake layer. I ALWAYS end up with 7, sometimes 8 cake layers. (These cake layers can stay up to a week at room temperature; you don’t have to cream right away).
- Cut out a cake size carton out of box and wrap it in foil. Stack cake layers before frosting, choosing the best looking (smooth) for the top.
- To make cream: In a mixer bowl, combine all ingredients at once: 16 oz sour cream, 8 oz cool whip, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 pocket vanilla sugar. Beat on high for about 10 minutes until cream is fluffy and thick.
- Spread little frosting on foil to keep cake from moving. Place first cake layer and spread about 3 tbsps sour cream frosting, covering edges (very important to get edges as this cake is dry and needs its cream to become moist). Continue with the rest cake layers until you get to the 7th layer. You can use sour cream for the top OR chocolate ganache. Let cake stand in room temp while you make the basket weave frosting.
- For Basket Weave: In a medium bowl, beat 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream and 4 tbsps powdered sugar for about 2 mins until fluffy. Decorate cake sides with basket weave.
- To make chocolate ganache: In a small sauce pan, bring 3.5-4 oz heavy whipping cream to steam, but not boil. Meanwhile break chocolate into pieces. Pour hot cream over chocolate, let stand for about 1 minute and then whisk or stir until it becomes smooth chocolate ganache. Slowly pour the chocolate over the top cake layer in the center and spread with knife or spatula to the edges. Work fast as it will cool and dry. (You can do the top first and THEN the sides if you’re afraid that the ganache would go over cake sides. I always go in whenever order). Decorate top of ganache with remaining cream anyway you like. Refrigerate cake for at least 10-12 hours so it has time to absorb the cream and that the cake layers become moist. Enjoy!
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ANNA ZADEREJ says:
I am a Ukrainian American and am so excited to try this cake. I have never heard of Ammonia desserts as well. Looks like an amazing cake.
So happy to see Ukrainian ladies with blogs. Do you ever make anything with gluten-free? My son and now grandson are gluten intolerant. We all have been adapting to gluten-free recipes. I will experiment with your recipes. Thank you again for such absolutely lovely Ukrainian recipes. Reminds me of my babusya’s and mama’s cooking. Be well. Halya Z.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂 Baker’s Ammonia used to be the “it” ingredient back in the days. I’m sure people still used it today. We used it in cakes and cookies all the time. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with gluten-free food, I only share regular foods we eat daily. But I’m sure ingredients in many recipes can be replaced for gluten-free. The outcome will probably be slightly different though.
Joy says:
Made this cake for our daughter’s birthday, added some sprinkles and it was WOW! My family loved it and said they have never tasted a cake so delicious.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
That’s wonderful, Joy! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed this cake!
Taisa M. says:
This cake reminds me a lot of my childhood. Ammonia desserts were always the favorite. When I saw this recipe, I got so excited. I totally forgot about this cake. So delicious, it’s definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thanks Taisa 🙂 this was also our childhood favorite cake!
Oksana says:
Could I use normal baking soda?
Olga in the Kitchen says:
I have never tried with baking soda, but I do know that the results will be different (according to my mom). The baking ammonia makes the layers grow and turn them into fluffy layers. I have yet to try with baking powder and/or baking soda. I read somewhere in order to get similar results to sub 1 tsp ammonia for 2 tsp baking powder, but I did not have time to test it yet, therefore I cannot really suggest a green light on this substitution 🙂
Sophia says:
I’ve never heard about cakes with ammonia until I baked my own with your recipe. Wow! This cake is heavenly. I noticed Ukrainian ladies have such a huge variety of cakes and each is tastier than the other 🙂 this cake definitely going into my recipe book, thank you!!!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thanks Sophia! Ammonia cakes were very popular especially back in the days in Ukraine. Nowadays everyone switched to sponge cakes, but it’s one of my favorites!?
Jenny says:
Ammonia? Whoa amazing! I never seen it before
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Yes, cakes and cookies with ammonia are probably the best. My husband doesn’t really likes cakes, but when I make ammonia one he LOVES it. I also have a chocolate/cocoa version one, just need to find time to work on it for the blog – cakes tend to take a lot of time 😀