Skillet Honey Cake (Medovik)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Let's make the dough.

2. Step 2:

   

   Put the butter, honey, and sugar in a heatproof bowl or a small saucepan.

3. Step 3:

   

   Set the bowl over a double boiler and warm it until the honey and butter melt completely and the sugar dissolves. Don't let the mixture come to a boil.

4. Step 4:

   

   Take the bowl off the heat and add the baking soda.

5. Step 5:

   

   Stir thoroughly and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The mixture should foam up slightly.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the eggs to the honey-sugar mixture one at a time. By now the mixture should have cooled a little so the eggs don't scramble, so be sure to check it with your hand first.

7. Step 7:

   

   Mix everything thoroughly until smooth.

8. Step 8:

   

   Add the sour cream (I used 20% fat) and stir.

9. Step 9:

   

   Add the sifted flour.

10. Step 10:

    

    Mix into a very soft dough. It really is soft and sticky, so it's best to work it with a spoon from start to finish. The dough should be almost pourable — this matters, because the soft dough is what makes the layers so tender!

11. Step 11:

    

    So try not to add more flour — but since flour varies a lot, go by the consistency (it's easy to see in the photo) and add a little more, or use a little less, as needed. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.

12. Step 12:

    

    While the dough chills, make the frosting.

13. Step 13:

    

    Put the sour cream (the richer, the better) in a bowl and add the sugar and vanilla.

14. Step 14:

    

    Whisk until the sugar dissolves. That's it — the frosting is ready! Its thickness depends on the sour cream's fat content: the richer it is, the thicker the frosting. If it comes out very runny, you can add a thickener, but don't overdo it — the frosting shouldn't be too stiff, or the cake won't soak through properly. Aim for a happy medium. Chill the frosting!

15. Step 15:

    

    Once the dough has firmed up nicely, take it out of the fridge, put it on a flour-dusted work surface, roll it into a log, and divide it into 6 equal pieces (that's if you're cooking the layers in a 10-inch/26 cm skillet; if yours is smaller, divide it into more pieces).

16. Step 16:

    

    Shape each piece into a rough ball, keep one out to work with, and put the rest on a plate back in the refrigerator.

17. Step 17:

    

    Roll each ball of dough into a circle of the right diameter.

18. Step 18:

    

    Heat the skillet (a heavy-bottomed one is best so the layer has time to cook through — mine is cast iron). Lay the rolled-out layer on the hot skillet. If it warps a little during the transfer, just reshape it right in the pan with your hands. Cook the layer over low heat, first on one side, until golden — the top should bubble up and turn matte, with no traces of raw dough.

19. Step 19:

    

    Flip the layer over with a spatula and cook the second side for another minute.

20. Step 20:

    

    Move the finished layer to a flat surface and trim it to size right away (I used a 9-inch/22 cm plate as a guide).

21. Step 21:

    

    Cook all the layers this way, saving the trimmings together. I ended up with 7 layers about 9 inches (22 cm) across. Let the layers cool.

22. Step 22:

    

    Put the trimmings in a dry skillet and toast them, stirring, until lightly dried out — this makes them easy to crush into crumbs. Once they're lightly golden and dry, take them off the heat and let them cool (I spread them out on a wide plate, where they cool completely in about 5 minutes).

23. Step 23:

    

    Assemble the honey cake. Spread each layer with a generous amount of frosting.

24. Step 24:

    

    Stack the layers into a tight pile. Coat the top and sides of the cake with frosting as well.

25. Step 25:

    

    Crush the cooled trimmings into crumbs.

26. Step 26:

    

    Press the crumbs onto the cake all over. Refrigerate the cake for 4 to 5 hours (or longer) so it soaks through.

27. Step 27:

    

    Our skillet honey cake is ready.

28. Step 28:

    

    Enjoy!