Medovik is one of the most popular cakes in Russia.  It is also known as Honey or medoviy cake. I altered the original recipe to create a perfect seasonal cake for the autumn season. I call my creation- Heavenly Autumn Spice Medovik cake.  The name is a mouthful but taking one bite of this cake will justify its name. This cake is delicious.  It is moist, full of seasonal flavors with has a balance of warm spices… but let me warn you first, this cake is so hard to resist!

Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
Layers:
3 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4stick butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. of baking soda
3/4 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 tsp. ginger powder
3 ½ – 4 cups flour + about 1/3 cup for rolling
 
Frosting/Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup sugar powder
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. Rum
1/2 cup walnuts – roasted and chopped
1/3 cup English toffee bits
Fresh fruits –for decorations- I used pear, pomegranate and orange
 
Direction:
Layers:
Get a saucepan and mixing bowl that would fit the top of the saucepan for a double boiler. Add water (about 4-6 cups) to the saucepan and bring it to a simmer; in a mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, honey, pumpkin puree and butter. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan and mix until the mixture will warm up, butter gets melted, sugar gets dissolved and everything will get combined.

Add baking soda mixture (in separate little bowl mix baking soda with vinegar), cinnamon, ginger powder and mix well. Turn off the heat and take mixing bowl down.  Gradually add in flour. The dough should be kind of loose but not liquid. Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. (it will thicken).
After dough has been refrigerated, transfer it onto lightly floured flat surface and shape into a log.  Then cut it into 7 equal sections.

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Take wax paper and cut 11 inch long sheets.  You will need at least 7 of these; one per layer.
Next, take one piece of dough, place it at the center of the floured wax paper, sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and roll into a thin flat circle. It needs to get about 9” circle.

Next, using a large 9” circle bowl, place onto the rolled dough upside down, so the edge of the bowl in touching the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough around the edges of the bowl. Lift the bowl and you should have a perfect circle.

You can roll all the circles of dough and then bake, or can bake as you go, one at a time.
Combine all the scraps from the sides and at the end roll it to one layer (it does not have to be perfect shape; I crush that and use crumbs to decorate the sides of the cake.)
For baking, place a baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven.
Take the wax paper with the rolled and cut dough on and place it on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 6-7 minutes, take it out, let cool and peal the wax paper from the baked layer. Baked layers will remain soft.
Continue until all 7 of the sections of the dough are baked.
Filling/Cream:
With electric mixer beat heavy cream until soft peaks, add powdered sugar, sour cream, rum and vanilla. Whip the cream until it will thicken or firm peaks appear.
Assembling the cake:
Place one layer onto the cake platter, spread 3-4 tablespoon of filling evenly over the layer, place another cake layer on top of filling and repeat until you finish all the cake layers. Cover the entire cake (sides and top) with remaining filling.

In separate bowl mix together walnuts, cake crumbs and English toffee bits; sprinkle the mixture on sides of the cake.

Decorate the top with thinly sliced pear and orange or your favorite fruit.

 

Enjoy!!!