MEDOVNIK – OR A LAYERED HONEY CAKE, WITH SANGUINE PEACHES
This one is a bit of fun – some “therapeutic” effort required, but as far as celebration cakes go, it’s up there. There are variations of medovnik, medovik or miodownik all over Central and Eastern Europe. It became popular during the Soviet era, in spite of the apparent fact that it seems to have been developed by chefs working in the Imperial Russian court in the early 19th century. My approach is rustic. The peaches aren’t traditional, but they’re in season, and bloody delicious.
PREP TIME: 2 HOURS COOK TIME: APPROX 1 HOUR SERVES: AT LEAST 10 GREEDY PEOPLE
• 100g caster sugar
• 140g honey
• 70g butter
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 350g plain flour
Icing
• 700g sour cream
• 200ml cream
• 250g honey (keep more at hand in case)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• A few drops of orange essence
• 4-5 sanguine peaches, sliced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease and line as many cake tins that you have of the same size – I used a standard 20cm collapsible cake tin – and two or three is ideal. It is important they are the same size.
1. In a small saucepan over a low-ish heat, combine the caster sugar, honey and butter and gently warm until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, until it is just warm.
2. Sift in the baking powder and fold into the mix. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each one.
3. Sift in the flour and mix well to create a dough. Use about 3 tbsp of batter per tin and spread out using a palette knife or wet hands into a pancake thin layer, making sure to go to the edges. Bake each batch for about 6-10 minutes, depending on your oven, until you have golden brown, slightly risen cakes. Pop each on a rack to cool.
4. You should end up with about 6 flat cakes. Depending on how high you want your cake, you may want to do another batch. Leave them to cool completely.
5. For the icing Beat together all ingredients until lovely and thick. Taste and see if it needs more honey – adjust according to your tastes.
6. Place one of the cakes on a serving dish, and spread over a layer of icing. Repeat until you are out of both. Leave to settle for a while, so the icing can soak into the cake.
7. To serve, combine the peaches with the brown sugar and allow to sit for a few minutes, so that the sugar melts into the fruit. Scatter this mix over the top.