Ukrainian Honey Torte
Honey Cake Layers Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 to 4 cups flour
Sour Cream Frosting Ingredients:
- 4 cups sour cream (32 oz. or 2 pint-sized containers)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
How to Make a Honey Cake:
Preparation: If using Rolling Method 2, prepare parchment paper now. Cut eight pieces of parchment paper a bit larger than 7x9 inches, and mark 7x9 inches with a pen or marker. You may also cut a very large sheet of parchment paper and mark it for two or more 7x9-inch pieces. Set aside.
1. Whisk eggs well and set aside.
2. Melt sugar, honey and butter together in a medium sauce pan on med-low heat.
3. Remove from heat and immediately add in your beaten eggs in a slow, steady stream while whisking vigorously until all of your eggs are incorporated, like you do for homemade pudding (if you don't whisk constantly, you might end up with scrambled eggs).
4. Whisk in the baking soda, then use a spatula to fold in flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough reaches a clay consistency and doesn’t stick to your hands.
5. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and move on to the next step right away (these roll out best when the dough is still warm). Keep extra dough pieces in covered saucepan on your pre-heating oven while rolling.
6. Cutting Method 1: On a well-floured surface, roll the first two pieces into a thin 9″ circle (about 1/8″ thick). You can sprinkle the top with a little flour too, to keep dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Place a 9″ plate or the base from a springform pan over your rolled dough and trace around it with a pizza cutter to get a perfect circle. Keep the scraps for later. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment paper and bake 2 at a time. (It also works to roll out dough on the parchment paper, so you don't have to worry about stretching it while transferring.) While first layers are baking, roll out the rest of the dough. Repeat baking process with remaining layers.
OR
Cutting Method 2: Lay one piece of dough on previously marked parchment paper and roll to a 7x9-inch rectangle, dusting with a little flour as needed to keep from sticking. Trim to fit lines in parchment paper. Keep scraps. Repeat with all of the dough pieces. (Or try rolling out two dough balls at a time into 14x18-inch rectangles. Cut in half after baking.)
7. Bake at 350˚F for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before stacking. (If you don't have a big enough baking sheet, just bake directly on the parchment paper on the oven rack.)
8. Bake the scraps, separated evenly, on a re-used sheet of parchment. Once the scraps are baked, cooled, and firm, crush them with a rolling pin or pulse them in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
How to make the frosting:
1. Beat 1 cup heavy cream until fluffy and stiff peaks form (1-2 min on high speed).
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream with powdered sugar and vanilla. Fold the whipped cream into the sour cream. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembling your cake:
1. Spread about 1/2 cup frosting on each cake layer (don’t skimp on it since the cake needs to absorb some of the cream to become ultra soft. Press the cake layers down gently as you go to keep the layers from having air gaps. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Be careful moving it, as the layers might slide around. After it is refrigerated for an hour or so, it will set up and become stable.
2. Dust the top and sides with the crumbs made from the scraps, then cover well with plastic wrap, as this cake will absorb flavors from your fridge. Also, it needs time to absorb some of the cream and soften, so refrigerate it overnight or up to a few days.
Comments