Medovik - Russian Honey Cake

Medovik is a Russian Honey Cake made with thin honey biscuit layers and a sour cream frosting. It isn't too sweet, and the honey comes through in every bite. My recipe skips the double boiler, so the dough comes together in one saucepan.

The cake needs a night in the fridge before you cut it, so the layers go soft and the flavors settle. That makes it perfect for making ahead, and it's why I bake it for Christmas and family birthdays. Cover the sides in the baked crumbs and it's done, no decorating skills needed.

Jump to:

• What Is Medovik?
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Medovik?
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
• Serving Ideas
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Medovik - Russian Honey Cake

What Is Medovik?

Medovik is a layered honey cake from Russia. The name comes from med, the Russian word for honey. In Russian it's called tort medovik, and some families call it ryzhik, which means the redhead, after the golden brown color of the layers.

It's made with thin honey biscuit layers stacked with a cream, and the cream is usually sour cream sweetened with sugar. The cake sits in the fridge until the layers soak up the cream and go soft. The trimmings are baked into fine crumbs for the outside, and that's all the decoration it needs.

There's a story that the first medovik was baked for Empress Elizabeth, the wife of Alexander I, who supposedly hated honey and loved the cake. It's a nice story, but there's no record of it.

The cake we know today became popular in the Soviet years, when recipes were copied by hand and passed between neighbors. It's still a birthday and holiday cake in a lot of homes across Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the former Soviet Union.

If you'd rather watch than read, the video below shows the whole process, from rolling the layers to covering the cake in crumbs.

Why This Recipe Works?

• Not too sweet, the tangy sour cream frosting balances the honey layers.

• You make it the day before, and it tastes better after a night in the fridge.

• No double boiler, the dough comes together in one saucepan.

• Each layer bakes in 4 to 5 minutes, so the baking goes faster than you'd think.

• The baked trimmings become the crumb coating. No piping, no decorating.

• Only 10 everyday ingredients, and nothing you need to hunt down.

• It slices cleanly into 12 tall pieces, and I think it's the best-looking cake on a Christmas table.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Honey - It gives Medovik its flavor, so use a honey you like eating. A mild floral honey gives a softer taste, and a darker honey gives darker layers and a stronger caramel taste.

• Sugar - Granulated sugar goes into the dough. Superfine (caster) sugar works just as well.

• Eggs - Use large eggs at room temperature, they mix into the warm honey more evenly.

• Baking soda - It reacts with the warm honey, and the mixture foams up and turns lighter. That foam is what keeps the layers light instead of dense.

• Butter - Butter adds flavor and helps the dough come together. Use unsalted butter so you can control the taste.

• Flour - All-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK) gives the dough structure. Add it after the warm mixture has cooled slightly, then fold until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.

• Sour cream - It is the main ingredient in the frosting. It gives the cake its tangy taste and softens the layers overnight. Use full-fat sour cream, the low-fat kind makes a runny frosting.

• Powdered sugar - Called icing sugar in the UK. It sweetens the frosting and dissolves without any grittiness.

How to Make Medovik?

Prepare the Honey Cake Dough

Preheat the oven to 356° F - 180° C. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the honey, sugar, and butter in a large saucepan.

Warm them over low heat, stirring now and again, until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. This should take about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes. It should still be warm, but not hot enough to cook the eggs.

Add the eggs a little at a time, whisking constantly as you pour. Take your time with this step. If the honey mixture is too hot or the eggs go in too quickly, they scramble.

Stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture foams up and turns lighter, which is exactly what you want. Add the sifted flour.

Fold the flour in with a spatula until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not add too much extra flour at this stage. The dough firms up a little as it rests and cools.

Bake the Cake Layers

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Start rolling as soon as the dough is cool enough to handle, it gets harder to roll as it cools.

Lightly flour your work surface and roll one piece of dough into a thin 9-inch (23 cm) circle. Use the base of a cake pan or a plate as a guide, then trim around it with a small knife.

Repeat with a second dough ball. Roll each circle loosely onto the rolling pin to lift it, then unroll it onto a lined baking sheet. Bake the cake layers for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden.

The layers bake quickly, so keep an eye on them. They should be golden, not dark brown. If a layer has spread or lost its shape in the oven, trim it again with the plate as soon as it comes out, before it cools and turns brittle.

Transfer the baked layers to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, rolling the next 2 layers as the first ones bake to save time.

Spread the reserved scraps on a baking sheet and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until dry and golden. Let them cool completely, then crush them in a food processor to make fine crumbs.

Prepare the Sour Cream Frosting

Place the heavy cream in a large bowl and beat it until it forms stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the sour cream mixture. Try not to knock out too much air. The frosting should be smooth, light, and easy to spread.

Assemble the Cake

Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Spread a layer of frosting over the top, using about 2 large spoonfuls.

Add the next cake layer and press it down very gently. Continue layering the cake and frosting until all 8 layers are used.

Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. It does not need to look perfect because the crumbs will cover it.

Cover the top and sides with the crushed cake crumbs. Press them gently with your hands or a spatula.

Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The layers need that time to soak up the frosting and go soft.

Before serving, decorate with chopped pistachios and berries if you like.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• Let the honey mixture cool for a few minutes before the eggs go in. It should be warm, not hot, or the eggs will scramble.

• Roll the layers when the dough is still warm. Cold dough is much harder to roll thin.

• Don't add much extra flour when rolling. Too much flour makes the layers tough and slow to soften.

• Bake two layers at a time and roll the next two as they bake. The baking is done in about 20 minutes.

• Take the layers out as soon as they're golden. Overbaked layers go dry and brittle and take much longer to soften.

• Trim the layers again straight out of the oven if they have lost their shape. Once they cool they go brittle and crack when you cut them.

• Use all the frosting, even if it looks like a lot. The layers soak it up overnight, and too little frosting means a dry cake.

• Chill the cake overnight. Cut it early and the layers are still hard.

• A long sharp knife wiped between slices gives you clean layers. Cut straight down rather than sawing.

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

You can bake the cake layers up to 5 days ahead. Let them cool completely, wrap them well in plastic wrap and keep them at room temperature in a dry place.

Make the finished cake 1 or 2 days before you need it, and add the berries or pistachios just before serving so they look fresh.

Store leftover Medovik in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The cake stays soft, but the crumb coating darkens a little as it sits.

To freeze, wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap, put the slices in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.

Serving Ideas

Medovik is rich, so I cut it into thin slices and serve it with a glass of Turkish Tea or a strong coffee. In Russia it's a birthday and holiday cake, and it makes a good Christmas dessert here because it's made the day before.

It doesn't need much on top. A few raspberries, some chopped pistachios or a dusting of powdered sugar is enough.

On a dessert table it sits well next to other make-ahead desserts like Chocolate Eclair Cake, Classic Italian Tiramisu or Soğuk Baklava.

Recipe FAQs

If a layered cake feels like too much work some days, my Plum Cake Recipe is a much quicker bake.

Related Recipes

More holiday dessert recipes to try:

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 Medovik - Russian Honey Cake as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂