While I was individually baking all 12 layers for Michelle Polzine’s Russian Honey Cake (that Samin adapted for the NYT), I had to admit I was maybe a little bit of a masochist for attempting this and a full Friendsgiving menu in the same week.
BUT I have to say it was worth every hour of work and quite possibly one of the most amazing desserts I’ve ever made at home. One bite and I quickly went from never again to when can I make this next!
The magic starts with boiling wildflower honey until it just begins to smoke, turning into a deeply aromatic burnt honey that perfumes both the cake layers and the cream. That honey, plus a bit of cinnamon, gives the cake its warmth.
The batter gets spread very thinly onto parchment with 9-inch circles traced underneath. (Prepare yourself: you will use an absurd amount of parchment.) Each layer bakes in just 6 to 7 minutes, but since my oven (like most) can only fit two pans at a time, I had to repeat this process six times – the point where I was truly questioning my life choices. The saving grace: you can bake the layers one day and mix the cream/assemble the next.
For the cream, you whip together the burnt honey, a can of dulce de leche, a pinch of salt, and four cups of heavy cream until it becomes this light, airy, perfectly caramel-honey cloud.
Assembly is simple: place down a layer of cake, spread about a cup of cream, and repeat until you’ve stacked ten layers high. Give the outside a thin coat of cream. Then the final two cake layers go back in the oven to fully dry out – those get blitzed into fine crumbs and patted onto the outside for that signature golden finish.
After a chill in the fridge, you’re rewarded with a show-stopping, slice-and-gasp dessert with all those layers of perfect cake to cream ratio!! I’m already dreaming about making it again.
Samin includes an icebox cake version in Good Things, and I will 100 percent be making that this summer!
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Intermediate
How Easy Is That – Time Involved: 4 hours
Store-Bought Is Fine: dulce de leche
Recipe on NYTCooking.com (unlocked)
