Imagine the soft sponge that melts in your mouth, the creaminess of the mascarpone mixed with an intense caramel flavour, and tiny crumbles that add a little bit of complexity to the texture. It’s rich, sweet, and indulgent. Meet an updated version of the traditional Russian sweet treat - The Honey Cake.

First of all, I should be honest and confess that I DON’T like honey :) I mean I can still eat it when the circumstances are right. For example, there is a cheese plate with honey, grapes and nuts in front of me at the wine bar. Or I’m sick, and I drink hot black tea with honey, apples and cinnamon to boost my immune system. But I won’t probably crave a spoon of honey by itself. However, this cake is so good that even people like fell in love with it.

There is a beautiful legend that explains why the honey cake has become a staple in the Russian cuisine. In the beginning of the XIX century, Russian Empress Elizabeth, the wife of the Emperor Alexander I, hated honey so much that she prohibited royal cooks to use it in any dishes. All chefs were obedient and followed the order not to fall into disgrace. Once, when cooks had to come up with a new dessert for the royal family, a young cook who didn’t know about Elizabeth’s taste, prepared a honey cake.

Delicate layers of the sponge and classic custard cream were absolutely mouthwatering, and the Empress loved this dessert most of all. When she asked what the cake was made from, the young cook could not lie to the Empress and confessed that he used honey for his recipe. Elizabeth laughed and send an order to reward the young chef for his reckless bravery and for the delicious cake he created for her. Since then the honey cake has become the favourite sweet treat for Elizabeth and was cooked for every feast at the palace.

I’d like to offer a modern twist of the famous honey cake - made with mascarpone based cream instead of the custard or sour cream that are often used in Russia. I hope that whether you like honey or not, you’ll enjoy this decadent sweet treat.

The Honey Cake "Medovik": The recipe and directions 

INGREDIENTS (for one ~9-inch 6 layer cake):
Dough:
2 large eggs
¾ cup (150g) sugar
⅓ cup (120g) honey
90g salted butter (cut in small pieces)
1 heaped tsp baking soda
3 cups (~400g) cake flour
Cream:
~500g mascarpone cheese
380g dulce de leche (1 can)
2 tbs creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 box of blackberries (for decoration)

DIRECTIONS:

Sponge:

1. Place a wide pot with 2-3 cups of water, over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer.
2. Put eggs, sugar, honey, and butter in a bowl and set it over steaming water, constantly stirring with a whisk, until sugar dissolves completely for ~2-3min.
3. Add baking soda, quickly stir, and remove from the heat.
4. Add flour, and mix until combined. 
5. Preheat the oven to 360F (180C) and in the meantime put the dough in the fridge to cool down for ~10 min. The dough will thicken and won’t be as sticky as before.
6. Divide the dough into 6 parts/balls and roll each piece in between 2 sheets of wax paper - you should have a thin round-shaped piece of dough. Remove the top sheet, prick the dough with a fork; put your rolled-out dough on a wax paper onto the baking tray and bake for about 4-5 minutes until lightly golden.
7. Repeat step 6 five more times :)
8. While you wait for the layers to bake, cut uneven edges of the baked sponge using a 9-inch cake ring or a knife and a baking form as a stencil. 
9. Make little crumbs of those sponge leftovers and save for later. (You can use your hands, knife or put the pieces in between wax paper and crush them with your rolling pin)

Cream:

1. Mix mascarpone, dulce de leche and creme fraiche in a large bowl and whisk until well combined.

Assembly:

1. Put ~2tbs of cream in between each layer of the sponge, as well as on the top layer and sides of the cake. 
2. Cover the cake all over with crumbs that you saved and decorate with berries of your choice.