Medovik Tort (Russian Honey Cake)

Cut yourself a big slice of this iconic Russian honey cake, aka Medovik tort, and enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee. It is sweet and rich due to its honey flavor, majestic in taste, and beautiful in stature. Just bake, eat, enjoy, and repeat!

Honey cake Medovik, also known as tort Medovik, is a childhood dream cake for many Russians.

They make the traditional recipe and different variations baking it in the regular oven or the ancient Russian oven/stove.

What is a Medovik tort?

Medovik tort is a layered cake of Russian origin made with the main ingredient - honey - translated in Russian as мёд [mʲot].

Medovik consists of 4 to 8 thin layers, sometimes 10 to 15. But the number of layers depends on your preference: the thinner the layers, the more layers you will get out of the cake batter.

Why you should try this recipe

1. Medovik cake recipe isn't complicated; you don't need years of experience to succeed with the cake.
2. It is a perfect make-ahead cake. Make it one day in advance, chill it in the refrigerator overnight, and serve it the next day.
3. Russian honey cake is a popular cake for birthday parties, weddings, other special occasions, and even potlucks. Make it larger (use this simple Cake Pan Converter) and taller by increasing the number of cake layers and amount of cream.
4. Medovik Russian cake is a classic of Russian cuisine and the former Soviet Union.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Find the recipe card below for exact amounts and detailed instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

For the cake batter, you will need the following:

• Flour: use all-purpose flour to make the cake. Sift it using a flour sifter. To make Medovic cake gluten-free, use a gluten-free plain flour blend.
• Sugar: use granulated white or caster sugar to make the biscuit.
• Honey: to make the flavorful cake layers, choose buckwheat honey or replace it with the honey you prefer. You can use liquid or crystallized honey to liquify; it won't affect the taste of the cake.
• Eggs: the recipe calls for large whole eggs at room temperature.
• Butter: use unsalted butter cut into cubes. If desired, replace it with good-quality margarine.
• Lemon juice: to make fresh lemon juice, use untreated organic lemon and a citrus juicer.
• Sodium bicarbonate is the same as baking soda. Please, keep the amount of soda as recommended in the recipe. It requires 2 (two) teaspoons of baking soda.

For the Medovik frosting, prepare the following:

• Whipping cream: use your favorite brand of whipping cream with at least 30% fat content.
• Sour cream: the recipe calls for sour cream with at least 20 %, better 25% fat content.
• Icing sugar: use a coffee grinder to make it yourself or use store-bought powdered sugar.
• Bee icing decorations are optional. Leave the cake plain or use fresh fruit for decoration.

Recipe variations

There are plenty of Medovik recipe variations, with alcohol (vodka) and without alcohol, with a double boiler and without, but all of them have two ingredients in common: honey and sour cream.

There are two known ways to make Russian honey cake: a sponge cake technique (express cake) and rolling out the layers (this Medovik cake recipe).

The original recipe for Medovik frosting is based on sour cream. However, creamy frosting with sweetened condensed milk (cream version of chef Damien Piscioneri), dulce de leche, heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, crème fraîche, or even alternated cream layers are famous nowadays.

The delicious sour cream frosting made with adding whipping cream works best. It is stable enough while spreading between layers and have a distinctive look once the cake is sliced.

You can experiment with adding chopped roasted walnuts or pieces of dried prunes between the cake layers.

How to make tort Medovik

To make the biscuit, place butter cut into cubes, sugar, and honey in a medium/large saucepan.

Heat the mixture over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, constantly stirring with a hand whisk until the sugar melts (photo 1).

Remove the saucepan from heat, add baking soda and lemon juice, and mix with the whisk. The mixture will start foaming and will almost double in volume (photo 2).

Add eggs one at a time while whisking vigorously to avoid getting scrambled eggs. Next, stir in the sifted flour and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (photo 3).

Transfer the cake batter onto the lightly floured surface. It will stick to your hands. Make a ball using some flour, but don't overuse it (photo 4). Wrap with plastic film, and refrigerate for 50 to 60 minutes.

Prepare 5 pieces of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees C.

Take the dough from the fridge and divide it into 4 equal dough balls. Then, using a rolling pin, roll each piece into about an 8-inch/20 cm circle right between two sheets of parchment paper (photo 5).

It does not need to be perfect since the 8-inch (20 cm) disk will be cut out of the baked biscuit. Do not use any flour while rolling.

Place the rolled dough layers on parchment paper aside. Bake each circle (on parchment) for 5 minutes until golden brown. While the biscuit is hot, cut a disk using an 8-inch (20 cm) cake ring or use a plate and a knife to get a perfect circle (photo 6).

Continue with the remaining layers. Keep the biscuit scraps for decoration.

To make the sour cream frosting, place a clean bowl in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour whipping cream, and add sour cream, icing (powdered), sugar, and honey. Whisk at high speed using an electric or stand mixer until stiff peaks (photo 7).

To assemble the cake, place the first biscuit layer on a cutting board lined with parchment. Pour a layer of cream and spread it with a rubber spatula.

Then place another layer of biscuit and another layer of cream. Take care to even the surface between each layer and gently press the cake layers.

Continue with the remaining layers and cream. Cover the sides of the cake with the frosting and even the cream on top and sides with a bent spatula (photo 8).

To decorate the cake, place the biscuit scraps in a food processor and crush until fine crumbs (photo 9).

Using your hands, cover the top and sides of the cake with the cake crumbs. Use a honeycomb stencil and dust icing sugar on top of the cake. Arrange a few bee icing decorations (photo 10). Transfer the cake to a serving plate and refrigerate for at least 5 hours; better overnight.

Expert tips

1. To be precise, use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
2. Don't overuse flour while making the ball out of the dough. And don't use flour at all while rolling the layers. The dough is easy enough to work with on parchment paper.
3. To save preparation time, roll out the next cake layer while the first one is in the oven. 5 minutes of baking time is enough to manage the rolling step.
4. To make more honey biscuit layers, divide the dough into 6-8 equal pieces and roll them out into thin layers. You will need to increase the amount of cream ingredients by 30-50%.
5. To get the biscuit scraps crisp and darker in color, place them on parchment paper and bake at 355 degrees F/180 degrees C for 3-5 minutes until they have a very amber color. Take out of the oven and let cool. Crush them in a food processor or a plastic bag using a rolling pin.
6. To assemble your Medovik, you can use a mousse cake mold and an acetate cake collar, although they are optional. They both help get the neat assembling of the cake.

Storage instructions

Keep the Medovik cake refrigerated until serving. Store cake leftovers in the fridge for up to one to two days.

Can you freeze Medovik? It isn't recommended to freeze the finished cake, but you can freeze the honey cake layers for up to one to two months. Cut biscuit circles while hot, let them cool completely, cover each with plastic wrap (aka cling film), and freeze.

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on June 09, 2018. It has been updated and may differ from what was originally published. It was revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.