Russian Honey Cake

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For the full directions go to Smitten Kitchen, where I got this recipe!

COOKIE LAYERS

  • 1/2 cup (170 grams) honey

  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar

  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

  • 3 1/2 cups (455 grams) all-purpose flour, divided

FROSTING AND FILLING

  • 32 ounces (just shy of 4 cups or 900 grams) sour cream

  • 1 14-ounce can (400 grams) sweetened condensed milk

  • Pinch of Cinnamon

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Pre-heat the Oven 350º F, Bake each cookie for about 6 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

Mix the dough by first melting the butter, honey, and sugar in a small saucepan and simmering for 3-4 minutes. Let it cool for a minute while you beat the eggs. In the tiny-est stream possible, then pour the eggs into the warm saucepan with the sweet butter mixture. Whisk continuously.

Stir in the salt and vanilla and 3 cups of flour. The dough is thick and you will get an arm workout! Divide the warm dough into 8 pieces and roll it out between parchment paper sheets until it is about 9” round. It will be quite thin and no flour is needed. (It is easier when the dough is warm). Save the scraps from making them round to uses as a crumb topping.

Pounce the cookie all over with a fork to perforate it. I baked mine on mesh pizza pans on a sheet of parchment paper and then transferred them to a cooling wrack. Bake all the layers as well as the scraps. Once they are cool, set them aside and mix the frosting filling.

The frosting could not be simpler… Just swirl the ingredients and add a pinch of cinnamon : )

Once the layers are cool, begin the stack with a dollop on the serving dish. (arrange parchment paper around and under the first layer to catch all the excess that will flow down the sides.) Plae the first layer and add about 1/2-3/4 cup of frosting. Leave about 1/2” unfrosted at the edge. It will cover this area as the layer add weight. Continue this process. It will be messy. Scoop frosting that oozes out back up and use it. Finish with a layer of frosting on top.

Let refrigerate overnight and soak up the moisture from the frosting. (I have heard this cake is best at day 3 to 5, but mine is not going to last that long). Create a paper stencil to make a pattern on the top. Pulverize the extra baked pieces to use as a topping. Place the stencil and with a clean brush, move the crumbs from a small pile in the middle of the stencil outward toward the edge of the cake. Kind of push/ brush them onto the sides as well. Remove the stencil.

Cut with a clean warm knife for a crisp edge.
It’s SO Good!



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Deborah Schwartzkopf

As a studio artist, she makes fabulous tableware that infuses life with purposeful beauty. Deb was inspired by the guidance of amazing mentors along the way. These important relationships fostered her desire to engage and build community through clay. Her adventurous spirit has taken her across the country and beyond to form a depth of experience, knowledge, and a supportive network.

In 2013 Deb established Rat City Studios in her hometown of Seattle, WA. RCS is her home and personal studio, as well as, a creative space for multiple studio members working independently. In 2022 she opened a sister studio, Rain City Clay in West Seattle. RCC is a community art center focusing on experiential learning through ceramics classes of all levels.

With over 15 years of experience, a Master’s of Fine Art at Penn State, artwork included in collections such as the Kamm Teapot Foundation, San Angelo Museum, and the WA State Arts Collection, numerous publications including Ceramic Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Studio Potter Magazine, she has been recognized and honored in her career as a maker.