2011 Cooking Club Week 27: Czech Honey Cake

Also known as "Medovnik," the origins of this layered cake may be Russian or Armenian. But, seeing as I got the recipe from a Czech website/video (don't worry, the recipe works), in this case it's Czech.

No step-by-step pics like the 2010 entry, but it's fairly easy. There are three main elements. First, the cake layers. The mixing method is slightly unusual, but it works. Because there's six layers, you just need time/patience/organisation to bake them all off. Secondly, the filling between each layer; basically a caramel buttercream. And finally, the decoration, which is a blend of walnuts and gingerbread.

If you don't want to make gingerbread to make crumbs (I did), then just buy some and blitz or bash it to a powder, or use gingersnaps, or whatever you favourite spiced biscuit is.

Ingredients

Cake

• 100g Icing sugar
• 30g Butter or Margarine
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tbsp. Honey or Golden syrup
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 250g Plain flour, sifted

Filling

• 1 tin Carnation Caramel
• 250g Unsalted butter, soft

Decoration

• 1 cup Filter coffee, cold
• 1 Tbsp Rum
• 100g Walnuts, ground
• 100g Gingerbread crumbs

Directions:

1. Warm icing sugar, butter, eggs and honey in a double boiler, stirring until smooth and just warm, not hot. You don't want to cook the eggs.
2. Add baking soda, mixing in. Add flour into wet ingredients to form a dough.
3. Turn out onto work surface. Knead until smooth. Divide into 6 even pieces. If you like, you can weigh the total dough and divide that number by six, then scale the pieces by weight.
4. Roll out 6 circles. Roll each one onto a square of baking paper. Place a 22cm/8.5" circular cake board or springform base over the dough, and then trim the edges. If you have a lot of trimmings after the 6th piece, make another layer. It won't hurt.
5. Bake each circle @ 180c for 4-5 mins, upper-third of the oven. The cake layer should be lightly browned, and offer resistance when poked.

6. For the filling: Cream the unsalted butter, and gradually add the caramel until smooth.

7. To assemble: Combine coffee with rum. Combine ground walnuts with the gingerbread crumbs.
8. Brush first layer with the syrup. Spread on a layer of filling, then a sprinkling of walnut and gingerbread. Repeat, finishing with a layer of filling on the top layer, and coating the entire cake with the walnut and gingerbread mixture.
9. Refrigerate for 24 hours before consumption.

Any questions, post 'em here.

Edit: Here's the link to the original recipe/video; it should help to see the technique.