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    Cooking Gorgeous » Pastries & Sweets » Cakes and Muffins

    Russian Honey Cake - Medovik

    Published: Sep 15, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Russian Honey Cake or Tort Medovik is a layered cake made with 8 crispy honey cake layers sandwiched between tangy sour cream frosting. This beautiful dessert is perfect for celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas, or big family gatherings.

    a slice of honey cake

    Same as my other delicious layered cake "Eclair Cake", or Classic Italian Tiramisu, it needs a bit of work and patience but the end results are definitely worth the effort. This beautiful Russian Honey Cake will surely impress your dinner guests!

    Jump to:
    • What is Russian Honey Cake?
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • How to Make Russian Honey Cake - Tort Medovik
    • Top Tips From The Chef
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Related Recipes
    • Russian Honey Cake - Medovik
    a slice of Russian honey cake served with pistachio and a drizzle of honey

    What is Russian Honey Cake?

    Medovik or Russian Hone Cake is a popular dessert in the former Soviet Union countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. It is a layered cake made with golden and crispy cakes and tangy sour cream filling. This beautiful layered cake is usually served on special occasions as it requires a bit of time and effort.

    There are many different recipes and variations of this popular Russian cake but the characteristic ingredients are honey, sour cream, sugar, and eggs.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • This Medovik recipe doesn't require cooking the dough over a hot water bath for half an hour!
    • The leftovers freeze beautifully. Slice and wrap individually any leftover cakes and freeze them for up to 5 months.
    • This soft and satisfying cake is not overly sweet, and it is surprisingly light and unbelievably delicious.
    • You can make the cake layers in advance and keep them wrapped in cling film for up to five days until you are ready to build your Medovik!

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    Labelled picture of ingredients for medovik
    • Honey - I use mild honey that is available in most of the supermarkets in the U.K. You can use wild honey or local honey if you prefer.
    • Sugar - I use caster sugar for making the dough. You can also use granulated sugar for this recipe.
    • Eggs - Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before using them for the pastry.
    • Butter - A good quality unsalted butter is necessary for this honey cake.
    • Flour - Plain flour or all-purpose flour is perfect for making cakes.
    • Sour cream - It is one of the characteristic ingredients of Honey Cake. It gives a slight tanginess to the frosting.
    • Double Cream - Also known as heavy cream. You can substitute it with whipping cream.

    How to Make Russian Honey Cake - Tort Medovik

    This iconic cake takes a bit of time and preparation. And it is not the easiest recipe here on this blog. Therefore, make sure you are diligent with the measurement and follow the steps exactly. To achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:

    Prepare The Honey Cake Dough

    Preheat the oven to 200° C (390° F). Place the honey, sugar, and butter in a large saucepan on low heat.

    honey, butter and sugar are placed in a pan

    Let them melt together, stirring occasionally for about five minutes. 

    honey, sugar and butter are melted over low heat

    Remove the pan from the heat and add the lightly beaten eggs to the mixture gradually while continuously whisking to avoid ending up with scrambled eggs.

    lightly beaten eggs are added to melted honey mixture

    Stir in the vanilla paste and baking soda, and then add the sifted flour.

    adding the flour into the honey mixture

    Fold the flour into the honey mixture using a spatula to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.

    folding the flour into the honey mixture to form a dough

    Bake The Cake Layers

    Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and start rolling them out on a lightly floured surface.

    the dough is divided into 8 balls

    Roll one of the dough balls into a 23 cm (9") circle. Using a bottom of a cake pan, trim it with a paring knife to make the circle perfect. Reserve the extra scraps for later to use decorating the cake.

    rolling the dough into a 9" circle

    Transfer the dough circles to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

    2 dough circles are placed on a baking sheet

    Bake two circles at a time at 200° C (350° F) preheated oven for 4-5 minutes or until golden.

    dough circles are baked until golden and crispy

    Place the cooked pastries on a wire rack to let them cool down before assembling the cake. Repeat the same with the remaining dough balls.

    You can roll out the next two dough balls while the first ones are baking in the oven.

    Spread the scraps on a baking sheet and bake them until crispy and golden brown. Let them cool down and proceed to make the frosting.

    dough scraps are baked in the oven until golden

    Prepare The Frosting

    Place the double cream (heavy cream) in a large bowl and beat it until it forms stiff peaks.

    cream is whipped until stiff

    In a separate bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and sour cream.

    sour cream and icing sugar in a mixing bowl

    Gently fold the whipped cream into the sour cream mixture until nicely combined.

    whipped cream is folded into sour cream

    Assemble The Honey Cake

    Place a layer of cake on a serving plate and spread 2 large spoonfuls of frosting evenly. Gently press while placing another layer of pastry on top. 

    spreading some frosting on top of a cake layer

    Repeat the same with the remaining pastries.

    building the cake by spreading the frosting on all cake layers

    Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

    the cake layers are covered with frosting

    Place the baked dough scraps in a food processor and blitz them into fine crumbs. You can add some roasted nuts and blitz them together for an extra texture and flavor.

    pastry scraps blitzed into crumbs

    Decorate the top and sides of the cake with crushed crumbs. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight to allow all the layers to soak in that delicious sour cream frosting.

    the cake is covered with crumbs

    Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts and some red berries just before serving.

    medovik is garnished with rasberries

    Top Tips From The Chef

    • To save some time while baking the cake layers, roll out the next two dough balls while the first ones are baking in the oven.
    • Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the cake mixture.
    • Add the beaten eggs to the warm honey mixture slowly and whisk them vigorously to avoid ending up with scrambled eggs!
    • Prepare your cake layers up to five days in advance to save some time and keep them wrapped in a cling film until you need them.

    Recipe FAQs

    How to store the leftover Tort Medovik?

    The leftovers would keep for up to five days when refrigerated in an airtight container. If you want to store them longer, wrap the slices individually and keep them in the freezer for up to 5 months.

    What is Medovik made of?

    It is made with crispy and golden cake layers sandwiched between a tangy sour cream frosting and covered with nuts or/and crumbs made from leftover cake scraps.

    Related Recipes

    For more scrumptious & celebrational dessert recipes why not try:

    • Homemade Turkish Baklava Recipe
    • Moist Chocolate Cream Cake
    • Chocolate Eclair Cake with Choux Pastry
    • Sekerpare (Turkish Semolina Cookies)

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

    I hope you enjoy the process of making this iconic Russian Honey Cake - Medovik as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

    This post is featured by Twinkl in their "20+ Delicious MacMillan Coffee Morning Recipes" blog post.

    a slice of Russian honey cake

    Russian Honey Cake - Medovik

    Ayla Clulee
    Russian Honey Cake or Tort Medovik is a layered cake made with 8 crispy honey cake layers sandwiched between tangy sour cream frosting.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Russian
    Servings 12 portions
    Calories 504 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 kitchen scale
    • 1 measuring spoons
    • 1 Measuring cups
    • 1 9" springform cake tin
    • 1 Kitchen Aid stand mixer

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the Honey Cake

    • 90 g honey
    • 135 g caster sugar
    • 70 g unsalted butter
    • 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 400 g plain flour (+ extra for dusting)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste

    For the Frosting

    • 500 ml sour cream
    • 100 g icing sugar
    • 500 ml double cream, whipping cream, or heavy cream
    • berries and ground pistachio (for decorating)

    Instructions
     

    Making the Cake Layers

    • Preheat the oven to 200° C (390° F).
    • Place the honey, sugar, and butter in a large saucepan on low heat and let them melt together, stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and add the lightly beaten eggs to the mixture gradually while continuously whisking to avoid ending up with scrambled eggs.
    • Stir in the vanilla paste and baking soda, and then add the sifted flour.
    • Fold the flour into the honey mixture using a spatula to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
    • Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and start rolling them out on a lightly floured surface.
    • Roll one of the dough balls into a 23 cm (9") circle. Using a bottom of a cake pan, trim it with a paring knife to make the circle perfect. Reserve the extra scraps for later to use decorating the cake.
    • Transfer the dough circles to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake two at a time at 200° C (350° F) preheated oven for 4-5 minutes or until golden.
    • Place the cooked pastries on a wire rack to let them cool down before assembling the cake.
    • Repeat the same with the remaining dough balls.
    • Spread the scraps on a baking sheet and bake them until crispy and golden brown. Let them cool down and proceed to make the frosting.

    Preparing the Frosting

    • Place the double cream (heavy cream) in a large bowl and beat it until it forms stiff peaks.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and sour cream.
    • Gently fold the whipped cream into the sour cream mixture until nicely combined.

    Assembling the Honey Cake

    • Place a layer of pastry on a serving plate and spread 2 large spoonfuls of frosting evenly. Gently press while placing another layer of pastry on top.
    • Repeat the same with the remaining pastries and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
    • Place the baked dough scraps in a food processor and blitz them into fine crumbs.
    • Decorate the top and sides of the cake with crushed crumbs, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight before serving.
    • Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts and some red berries just before serving.

    Notes

    • To save some time while baking the cake layers, roll out the next two dough balls while the first ones are baking in the oven.
    • Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the cake mixture.
    • Add the beaten eggs to the warm honey mixture slowly and whisk them vigorously to avoid ending up with scrambled eggs!
    • Prepare your cake layers up to five days in advance to save some time and keep them wrapped in a cling film until you need them.
    • When blitzing the dough scraps to make some crumbs, add some roasted nuts to add your cake extra texture and flavor.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 504kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 7gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 135mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 1082IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sonia

      September 21, 2022 at 5:08 am

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this recipe and will definitely be making it soon!!!

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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