Medovník

Ingredients

Honey dough

• 150 ghoney
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 120 gbutter
• 2eggs
• 500 gplain flour
• 2 tspbicarbonate of soda
• 2 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground ginger
• 1/2 tspground cloves
• a pinch of salt

Filling

• 600 mldouble cream, cold
• 400 gthick sour cream, cold
• 150 gicing sugar
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 150 gdulce de leche or boiled condensed milk, if wanted

To finish

• the trimmings from the layers, crushed
• 50 gchopped walnuts, if wanted

Equipment

• baking paper
• a plate or ring to cut around

Directions

1. Put the honey, sugar and butter in a heatproof bowl. Set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir until everything has melted and combined. Take the bowl off the heat and let it cool for five minutes. Whisk the bicarbonate of soda into the warm honey mixture. Keep whisking for a minute as it rises. Beat in the eggs one at a time, quickly.
2. Work fast so the eggs do not begin to set. Bringing the dough together needs speed. Sift the flour, spices and salt into the bowl. Stir it in until it forms a soft sticky dough. It will be very soft and warm at this stage. Turn it onto a floured surface and knead it briefly. Divide it into six equal pieces.
3. Wrap each piece and chill them for thirty minutes. Chilling firms the dough enough to roll. Roll each piece directly onto a sheet of baking paper. Roll it very thin, about two millimetres. Lay a plate on top and cut around it to make a neat circle.
4. Leave the trimmings attached, since they bake alongside. Baking the layers is fast and needs watching. Heat the oven to 180C in good time. Bake each layer for five to seven minutes only. They should be golden brown and will still be soft when hot. Keep all the trimmings, since they are used to finish the cake.
5. Crush them to coarse crumbs in a bag with a rolling pin. The filling is whipped and must stay cold. Whip the cold double cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks.
6. Fold in the cold sour cream and the vanilla. Do not overwhip it, since sour cream loosens the mixture. Put a small spoonful of cream on the serving plate to anchor it. Lay down the first honey layer. Spread a generous layer of cream over it, right to the edges.
7. Add a thin spread of dulce de leche if you are using it. Lay the next layer on and press it down very gently. Repeat this with all six layers. Use plenty of cream, since the layers absorb a great deal of it. Finishing the outside is done with the crumbs.
8. Spread the remaining cream over the top and sides. Press the crushed trimmings all over the top and around the sides. Scatter chopped walnuts over the top if you want them. Cover the cake loosely and refrigerate it.
9. Leave it for at least twelve hours, and twenty-four is better. The crisp layers absorb the cream and turn soft and yielding. Cut it with a long thin knife, wiping the blade between cuts. The cut face should show clear alternating bands. Serve it cold with strong coffee. It keeps for four days in the fridge and improves for the first two.

Technique

• Rest the assembled cake for at least twelve hours, or the layers stay hard.
• Bake the layers only five to seven minutes, since overbaked honey dough turns bitter.
• Keep the trimmings and crush them, as they coat the finished cake.

Substitutions

• Crème fraîche in place of sour cream.
• Boiled condensed milk in place of dulce de leche.

Variations

• With walnuts pressed into the sides.
• With a dulce de leche layer between the cream.
• Made with more layers, rolled thinner.

History

A honey layer cake that spread through central and eastern Europe and is sold in every Czech café and bakery.

Frequently asked questions

What is Medovník?

Medovník is a dessert from Czechia: layered honey cake with sour cream filling, soft and spiced. A honey layer cake that spread through central and eastern Europe and is sold in every Czech café and bakery.

How long does Medovník take to make?

Medovník takes 1 hour 30 min plus overnight resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 slices. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Medovník?

Yes, within limits. Crème fraîche in place of sour cream. Boiled condensed milk in place of dulce de leche.

What is the most important thing to get right in Medovník?

Work fast so the eggs do not begin to set. Bringing the dough together needs speed. Sift the flour, spices and salt into the bowl. Stir it in until it forms a soft sticky dough. It will be very soft and warm at this stage. Turn it onto a floured surface and knead it briefly. Divide it into six equal pieces.