Medovik (Russian Honey Layer Cake)

About This Recipe

Medovik is built from many thin layers of honey-sweetened dough, baked individually until golden, then stacked with a tangy sour cream frosting between each one. The dough itself is cooked briefly over a double boiler with honey, sugar and butter before flour and eggs are worked in, a technique that gives the baked layers their distinctive dense, slightly caramelized flavor. What makes medovik genuinely special is the overnight rest: freshly assembled, the cake tastes dry and crumbly, but after 12-24 hours in the fridge, the moisture from the frosting migrates into the layers and the entire cake softens into something closer to a moist, honeyed torte than a dry cake. Skipping this rest is the single biggest reason home versions disappoint.

Ingredients

Serves 10

• 0.5 cuphoney
• 0.5 cupgranulated sugar
• 6 tbspunsalted butter
• 3eggs
• 1 tspbaking soda
• 3.5 cupsall-purpose flour(plus more for rolling)
• 3 cupssour cream
• 1 cupheavy cream
• 0.75 cuppowdered sugar
• 0.5 cupwalnuts(crushed, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt the honey base

   In a double boiler, melt honey, sugar and butter together, whisking, until smooth. Whisk in baking soda; the mixture will foam up.

2. 2

   Add eggs and flour

   Remove from heat, whisk in eggs one at a time, then gradually work in flour until a soft, warm dough forms.

3. 3

   Divide and roll

   Divide the dough into 8-9 pieces. Roll each piece on floured parchment into a thin 8-inch circle.

4. 4

   Bake the layers

   Bake each layer at 350°F for 4-5 minutes until golden at the edges. Trim to an even circle while still warm, saving the scraps.

   Bake layers one or two at a time and trim them warm — cooled dough is brittle and cracks when trimmed.

5. 5

   Make the frosting

   Whip sour cream, heavy cream and powdered sugar together until thick and spreadable.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Stack the layers, spreading a generous layer of frosting between each. Frost the top and sides with remaining frosting.

7. 7

   Crumb-coat and rest

   Crush the baked scraps into crumbs and press onto the sides and top of the cake. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, ideally overnight, before serving.

Variations

• •

  Add a tablespoon of instant coffee to the frosting for a mocha-honey variation.

• •

  Use dulce de leche between a few of the layers for extra sweetness.

• •

  Make individual mini medoviks using a small ring cutter for portioned servings.

Storage

Refrigerate the assembled cake up to 5 days in a sealed container; it continues to improve for the first 2 days as the layers soften further.

Frequently Asked Questions