As the name suggests, Medovik, or Honey Cake, is made with layer after layer of aromatic honey and cream made with sour cream. The flavors of honey and sour cream are traditional in the Russian food culture and remind many of home. This recipe is unique in that it can be made with all-purpose flour, with whole wheat, or gluten-free and it tastes great in all three versions. The gluten-free version is by far my personal favorite gluten-free dessert.
- 1 ¼ Cups Rice flour
- 1 ½ Cups Tapioca flour
- 1 ¼ Cups Sorghum flour
- ½ Cup Teff flour
- 1 teaspoon guar gum
- 4 Eggs
- 200 Grams unsalted Butter (about 2 sticks)
- 1 ½ Cups Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Honey
- 3 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Pint (2 Cups) Heavy Cream
- 1 Package cream cheese (8 oz)
- 1 Cup Sour cream
- ¼ Cup powdered Sugar
- Pinch Salt
- Combine the eggs, butter, sugar, honey and melt over a bain marie (water bath).
- Add baking soda and stir until bubbles appear.
- Place the flour and salt into a large bowl. Pour the hot mixture into the flour and stir to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and spread the dough, cover with more plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or freezer for 30-40 minutes.
- Divide into 8-10 sections and roll out into circles about ¼” thick. Add flour to prevent sticking. For the gluten-free version use rice flour for the bench. With the gluten-free version, it may help to roll out between two pieces of parchment paper. With so many layers, the baking process goes much faster if there are more than one pan. I use two simple 12” round pizza pans and switch between rolling out and baking. Grease and flour the pans before baking.
- Bake @350 F for 5-10 minutes until light golden. The layers can be transferred to a tray and stacked.
- To make the cream: Whip the heavy cream together with softened cream cheese until soft peaks form. Add sour cream, powdered sugar, and salt and whip until combined.
- Spread a couple large scoops of cream on each layer.
- The top and sides can be sprinkled with walnuts or a layer of the baked cake can be crumbled and sprinkled.
- The cake can be served fresh or made ahead to let the layers soak in the cream.
This recipe can also be made with 100% whole wheat flour successfully as well as all-purpose flour.
Making and assembling the cake ahead of time ensuring that the layers will be moist.
Step-by-Step Photo
Combine the eggs, butter, sugar, honey and melt over a bain marie (water bath).
Add baking soda and stir until bubbles appear.
Place the flour and salt into a large bowl. Pour the hot mixture into the flour and stir to combine.
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and spread the dough, cover with more plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or freezer for 30-40 minutes.
Divide into 8-10 sections and roll out into circles about ¼” thick. Add flour to prevent sticking. For the gluten-free version use rice flour for the bench. With the gluten-free version, it may help to roll out between two pieces of parchment paper. With so many layers, the baking process goes much faster if there are more than one pan. I use two simple 12” round pizza pans and switch between rolling out and baking. Grease and flour the pans before baking.
Bake @350 F for 5-10 minutes until light golden. The layers can be transferred to a tray and stacked.
(This cream is so yummy: its kid approved! We were at friends’ house making this cake.) To make the cream: Whip the heavy cream together with softened cream cheese until soft peaks form. Add sour cream, powdered sugar, and salt and whip until combined.
Spread a couple large scoops of cream on each layer.
The top and sides can be sprinkled with walnuts or a layer of the baked cake can be crumbled and sprinkled.
The cake can be served fresh or made ahead to let the layers soak in the cream.
Hi Victoria, I tried making medovik and had a very hard time rolling out that extremely sticky dough. Since I didn’t have a round sheet pan, I decided to make it in half size cookie sheet pan. The dough kept ripping apart and I couldn’t roll it out to a full size.
Is there anything I can do to make this thing easier? I love the taste and texture of the cake once I made it, it was a pain rolling it out.
Thanks
So sorry you had trouble rolling out the dough! Gluten-free baking is definitely not for the faint at heart! That being said, once you master a few tips and tricks it will be much easier, I promise. Chilling the dough really helps with the rolling process. Also, I’ve used 2 sheets of parchment to roll out the dough in between. Its easier to roll, if the dough gets too soft and sticky you can always pick up the parchment sheet and place into the freezer for a quick chill and its also easier to transfer to your baking sheet rather than trying to peel it off the counter! Round shapes are really just easier to roll than rectangle, so if possible keep them round. Also you can try rolling out partially, transfer to your baking sheet, then use a hand-held mini roller to roll out to the desired size and thickness. Hope this helps!
Victoria, do you have a dairy free recipe for the cream that I can substitute?
Coconut milk (Thai Kitchen) whips up great, just refrigerate it before whipping. You can add a dairy-free cream cheese alternative and maybe a little of a nut or oat milk yogurt to substitute for the sourcream.
If I want to make this with regular flour, how much do I need? The recipe only includes measurements for gluten-free flour mix. Also, could I use a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend?
You can make this cake with regular all-purpose flour. I would use 5 cups flour for all-purpose as well as from a gluten-free flour blend. I can guarantee that the all-purpose flour version will work out great because I’ve done it before, however, I have not used a gluten-free flour blend but I’m pretty sure it should work out fine. Good luck! Please let me know how that works for you!
I baked this cake with regular flour and it turned out very delicious! Rolling was easy, it was just important toI add flour to the rolling process and keep the dough in the refrigerator. Great recipe with great instructions!
Thank you,
Nastja
Hi, how long do you recommend letting the cake sit to soak in the cream?
Hi Riley,
Overnight is optimal but a few hours should be sufficient.
Thank you so much for innovating these recipes with gluten-free options. I recently discovered that I have celiac disease. I also have an Eastern European background, so I was devasted knowing that I could not eat all the cakes and pastries anymore. Now, I am very happy to discover your recipes, even blinchiki, which I love. It is difficult to find delicious recipes without gluten. Very appreciated to see yours. I hope you keep doing more gluten-free recipes, especially sweets and perhaps bread? Best wishes, Ina
You are very welcome, Ina! The more I learned about different grains and their individual properties, the more I wanted to create recipes that would be beneficial to people with various health needs. I consider it a blessing to be able to make meals that are healthy and wholesome for people with special health needs and restrictions and will definitely continue to post more recipes! Thank you for the kind encouragement!
Is it white rice or brown rice flour?
Good question. Generally I use white rice. Brown rice is a little heartier in taste which won’t go very well with a delicate cake.