Medovik (Medovyk) Recipe
Medovik is a Russian cake that was incredibly popular during the Soviet era, but it’s still loved today in many Eastern and Central European countries. It is also a popular cake in Ukraine (know locally as medovyk) or in Georgia (know locally as Medok cake).
Medovik recipes can vary from country to country.
The smell of the honey in Medovyk cake will fill the entire house as you bake. You’ll love the fantastic balance of sweet honey dough and tender sour cream frosting. Your taste buds will be dancing with joy as the first tiny piece of this cake finds its way to your tongue. I just cannot describe the wonderful sensation of this dessert in any other way.
It is neither too sweet nor sour, neither too complex to make nor too simple and unimpressive. Ukrainian Medovyk just checks all the boxes for a perfect cake on any occasion. What is also great about layered honey cake is that it’s one of those make-ahead cakes. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better the taste develops. So you won’t get stressed finishing the dessert as your guests arrive.
Medovyk (Layered Honey Cake)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 eggs
- 3 ½ oz butter
- 8 oz sugar
- 14 oz flour
- 1 tsp soda
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 2/5 oz vanillin
Instructions
- Melt the honey, 0.2 oz butter (6g), and 1 cup (200g) of sugar in a water bath. Stir continuously. Leave it to sit melted for 5 minutes until fully combined. Add the soda. Stir for another minute.
- Set the honey batter aside. Let it cool for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 eggs. Stir quickly with a whisk. Add 12 oz (350 g) flour. Stir the pastry well. Place it in the freezer.
- Take the pastry out of the freezer. Divide it into 8 equal parts. Shape every piece into a ball and put them into the freezer again.
- Heat the oven to 390 ºF (200 ℃).
- Take one ball out of the freezer. Roll it into a thin circle on a flat work surface dusted with flour.
- Use the bottom of a spring form pan to trace a pastry circle. Put the trimmings aside.
- Line the baking tray with baking parchment. Place the pastry on top. Place the pastry trimmings round it. Bake for 3-5 mins.
- While one layer is in the oven, make the second layer. Repeat for 8 layers. Put them aside and allow to cool.
- Combine half a cup of milk, 1 egg, a cup of sugar, and 1 oz of flour. Bring the remaining milk to a boil. Pour the milk into the egg batter and stir well. Cook the cream until dense.
- Add the vanilla sugar to the cream. Stir and set aside. Add 1.8 oz of softened butter and whisk the cream well. Cool the cream.
- Poke the pastry layers with a fork so the cream soaks in. Spread the cream (2-3 tbsp for every layer) over the pastry layers. Put them on top of each other. Generously coat the top and sides with cream.
- Crumble up the pastry trimmings. Sprinkle the top and sides of the honey cake with the trimmings.
- Cool the honey cake for at least 8 hours. Serve.
Notes
