The recipe was being passed on from one household to another although, of course there wasn’t one ‘master recipe”. Every cook made it her own. It was impossible to have any sort of celebration without Medovik crowning the meal.
It was so common that after a while it didn’t seem special anymore. I am glad I re-discovered this treasure because despite its simplicity of ingredients and the method of preparation the end result is far from plain.
Ingredients
Honey in Russian is med, so you can expect honey to be one of the dominant ingredients in this cake. Although only 4 tablespoons is used, they add a very rich, caramel like flavour to the cake. This is due to a high quality, flavourful honey that’s been traditionally used in Russia.
My grandfather came for a beekeeping family and as a child I always remember seeing a large 3 litre jar of raw honey being stored in a kitchen cupboard. So using great tasting honey is the key to the unforgettable taste of this honey cake.
The rest of the ingredients are very common for cakes. Butter, sugar, flour, baking soda and vanilla extract make thin, cookie like layers of Medovik.
They are softened with a cream filling that is one part whipping cream and one part sour cream mixed with sugar and vanilla. Sometimes a filling made with butter and sweetened condensed milk is used. I however, find it too sweet.
How to make Tort Medovik
Although the ingredients for this honey cake are quite common for a cake, the method of preparation is quite unorthodox.
Cake Layers
Instead of making cake batter and baking it in cake pans this honey cake recipe calls for preparing cookie dough, then baking the layers one by one on cookie sheets in a preheated oven.
Baking the thin layers is the lengthiest process according to this method but trust me, it produces the most stellar results. This cake is so impressive that after it got discovered and reproduced by one San Francisco bakery, it developed a cult following!
After the layers are baked they are cut into round circles or rectangles. As you can see in the photos, I went with rectangles.
When Medovik is made for large gatherings it’s not uncommon to make it into a large rectangular 4 layer cake instead of a tall 8 layer one. Both are authentic and equally delicious.
Honey Cake Filling
Beat sour cream or creme fraiche with whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until sugar is dissolved and it’s doubled in volume. Fill all 8 cake layers except for the top and the sides.
Medovik Frosting
Once again I’ve changed the frosting as in the original Medovik. The filling above is used for the outside of the cake as well and later coated with the cake crumbs. Since I decided to go crumb free, I’ve used a mascarpone frosting similar to the one I’ve used for my Naked Cake.
