Medivnyk (медівник, spiced honey cake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two baking trays
• •Baking parchment
• •A rolling pin
• •A long sharp knife
• •A flat board for light pressing

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the honey

   Put the honey, butter, and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the butter melts and the mixture turns glossy and loose. Add the baking soda and watch it foam up pale gold, then darker and nutty-smelling. This is where the cake begins; the soda wakes the honey, and the flavor moves from plain sweet to toasted.

   Use a bowl with room in it. Honey and soda rise like they have heard gossip.
2. 2

   Make the dough

   Take the bowl off the heat and let it cool until warm, not hot against your finger. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the tablespoon of sour cream. Mix the flour with the spices and salt, then stir it into the honey mixture until you have a soft dough. It should feel warm, pliable, and a little tacky, not dry like biscuit dough.

   If the dough drinks all the flour and still sticks badly, add flour one spoon at a time. Too much flour makes the layers stubborn, and we want them to soften overnight.
3. 3

   Rest and divide

   Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature until it relaxes and rolls without springing back at you. Divide into eight equal pieces. Keep the pieces covered while you work, because honey dough dries at the edges and then sulks.

4. 4

   Roll thin layers

   Heat the oven to 180C. Roll each piece directly on baking parchment into a thin rectangle, about 20 by 28 cm, trimming with a knife if you want clean sides. You should almost see the parchment through the dough. Aunt Nadia was right: roll thin, don't be lazy. Thick layers make eight small cakes stacked together; thin layers become one medivnyk.

5. 5

   Bake until copper

   Slide each sheet, parchment and all, onto a baking tray and bake until the surface is dry, lightly puffed, and copper at the edges. It happens quickly, so stay near. The layer should smell of toasted honey and spice, and when you lift a corner it should hold firm instead of sagging. Bake the trimmings too; they become crumbs for the top.

   Do not wait for dark brown. Honey burns with a bitter bite. Pull the layers when the color turns from gold to copper and the smell changes.
6. 6

   Whisk the cream

   Whisk the thick sour cream with icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. It should be pourable but not runny, sharp enough to answer the honey. Taste it. If your honey is very dark and bitter, add another spoon of sugar; if your sour cream is mild, add a little more zest.

7. 7

   Stack the cake

   Put the first honey layer on a board and spread it with a generous spoonful of sour cream. Add a thread of honey if you want a sweeter celebration cake, then another layer. Keep stacking, pressing gently with flat palms so the cream reaches the edges. Finish with cream on top and around the sides.

8. 8

   Crumb and wait

   Crush the baked trimmings into fine crumbs and mix with the toasted walnuts. Pat the crumbs over the top and sides. Cover the cake loosely and refrigerate overnight, weighted with a light board if the layers look uneven. By the next day the crisp sheets will have softened into a tender slice. This waiting is not decoration. It is the method.

9. 9

   Slice and serve

   Bring the cake out of the fridge for half an hour before serving so the cream loosens and the honey wakes up. Cut with a long sharp knife, wiping between slices. Serve small pieces first, then watch everyone come back for the second one they claimed they didn't need.

Chef Tips

• •Buckwheat honey gives the deepest color and that grown-up bitter edge. If you only have mild honey, use it and add a little extra spice. Cook it anyway.
• •The dough should be soft when warm and firmer as it cools. If you chill it hard, let it come back to room temperature before rolling or it will crack.
• •The resting step does not forgive impatience. Same-day medivnyk tastes like layers and cream; next-day medivnyk tastes like cake.
• •For a Christmas table, add a pinch of black pepper or ground coriander to the dough. A bit more modern, but it sits beautifully with dark honey.
• •If your sour cream is loose, drain it in a sieve lined with cloth for a few hours. Thick smetana gives clean slices and a tang that keeps the honey from becoming heavy.

Advance Preparation

• •Medivnyk needs at least 12 hours in the fridge after assembly, and 24 hours is better. Make it the day before the celebration.
• •The baked honey layers can be made 2 days ahead and kept wrapped at room temperature before filling.
• •The finished cake keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, softening a little more each day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)