This week’s bake is a Ukrainian Honey Cake from Zoe Francois of Zoe Bakes!
It’s a nine layer honey cake filled with honey whipped cream, frosted with a honey buttercream and topped with honey cake crumbs!
According to tradition, the cake was created in the 19th century in the Russian Empire by a young chef who sought to impress Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna, wife of Alexander I. Empress Elizabeth could not stand honey, and any dish made with it drove her mad. One day, however, a young new confectioner in the Imperial kitchen did not know the empress's dislike, and he baked a new cake with honey and thick sour cream. Surprisingly, and unaware of the honey content, Empress Elizabeth immediately fell in love with it.
Here is the recipe:
Ukranian Honey Cake with Honey Buttercream from Zoe Francois
Makes one eight-inch 9-layer cake
Ingredients
Cake
1/2 cup (170g) honey
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup (120ml) mild-flavored oil such as vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract homemade vanilla extract
4 eggs at room temperature
4 egg yolks at room temperature
2 2/3 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream at room temperature
Whipped Cream
2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract homemade vanilla extract
Honey Buttercream
3/4 cup (255g) honey
1/2 cup (120ml) egg whites (from about 3 eggs) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (330g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract homemade vanilla extract
pinch salt
Instructions
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously grease as many 8-inch / 20cm cake pans as you have, then line them with greased parchment paper. (To bake the nine layers, you will have to bake multiple batches. The more pans you have, the faster this will go).
In a medium-sized pot heat the honey over medium heat until just simmering around the edges. Turn off the heat, add the baking soda, stirring constantly until the honey foams, thickens and turns from light color to a caramel color, about 2 minutes. Transfer into a bowl to cool.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
Turn the mixer speed to medium; add the oil, sugar, and vanilla to the butter; and beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is light in color and about double in volume.
Turn the speed to medium-low and add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing each until incorporated before adding the next. Scrape the bowl after each addition.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and add half of the milk mixture, mixing until combined. Repeat with another one-third flour, the remaining milk mixture, and then finish with the final one-third flour, scraping the bowl and paddle after each addition.
Fold in the cooled honey mixture.
Pour 150g (3/4 cup) of the batter into the prepared pans and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Gently tap the pans on the counter to release excess air bubbles.
Bake until golden and set, about 12-14 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, cool completely on a wire rack. Line the pans again with greased parchment and bake the next batch of cakes. Repeat until you have baked all of the batter. If you are not weighing the batter, you may get more or less layers.
Whipped Cream
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy whipping cream, sour cream, honey, and vanilla and beat on medium speed (you read that right) until just thick—it will start to leave marks from the whip in the cream. Take the bowl off the mixer and continue whipping by hand, using the whisk attachment, for several seconds until it reaches the desired consistency; this way, you can ensure the mixer won’t take it too far.
Assemble the Cake
Remove the parchment paper and place one cake layer on a serving plate.
Using an offset spatula, spread 75g (1/2 cup or about a 1/8-inch /3mm-thick) layer of the whipped cream over the cake, making sure it goes all the way to the edge. Place the next cake over that and top with another 75g layer of whipped cream. Repeat with all the cake layers, leaving the last layer of cake without whipped cream. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate the cake layers.
While the cake is setting up in the refrigerator, make the honey buttercream and create the buttercream sunflowers.
Honey Buttercream
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the honey and egg whites.
Put 1 inch / 2.5cm of water in the bottom of a double boiler or a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Place the bowl over the simmering water and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula, until melted, hot (140°F / 50°C), and thin.
Place the bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed, until the mixture is light, fluffy, glossy, and the bowl feels at just about room temperature. (If the egg whites are not cooled off sufficiently, the butter will melt when you add it.)
Once the egg whites are whipped and cooled, turn the mixer speed to medium, add the butter, 2 Tbsp at a time, and beat until incorporated. Once you have finished adding the butter and it has mixed for about 1 minute, the buttercream will be creamy and glossy looking again. Add the vanilla, and salt and mix on low speed until well blended. Can be used right away or covered and refrigerated for 7 days or frozen for up to a month.
Serve
Serve the cake at room temperature. Store remaining cake in the refrigerator, wrapping the layers, The cake itself is good either at room temperature or refrigerated.
Here are some pictures from the bake:
Have a great day!
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