Finally- I took the time to try making this wonderful layered dessert from the Czech Republic. I had the most amazing piece of this dessert with my friend Angie on a terrace overlooking the city of Prague and decided then and there that I had to try making it. There are many recipes online for this cake and I think I read through them all- trying to pick one that I thought might duplicate the wonderful dessert I tried in Prague. The one I chose was from en.ptitchef.com and since I made quite a few changes to it, this recipe is mostly original.
INGREDIENTS:
For cake layers:
- 1cup of butter or margarine
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2c. sugar
- 3 T. (dark!) honey
- 1 T. baking soda
- 3 c. flour
For fillings:
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1c. finely chopped walnuts (I used pecans- I like them better!)
- 2T. flour
- 1/2c. milk
- 1/4c. Crisco
- 1/4 c. butter or margarine
- 3/4c. sugar
- 1/2t. vanilla
- pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS:
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Melt butter completely in microwave or over stove.
- Whisk in eggs
- Gradually add sugar, honey, baking soda and flour, mix until smooth.
- Place sheets of parchment paper on baking sheets and trace circle around a cake pan (I used 8 inch and fit two per baking sheet)
- Spoon batter into each circle and spread out thin until circle is filled- like a giant pancake- PAST the lines you traced.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Watch it closely as it goes from uncooked to golden very quickly.
- Slide layers off sheet by pulling parchment paper onto a cool counter and allow layers to cool.
- Repeat this until you have 6 layers.
- Using a cake pan, cut each layer into a circle and pull away excess cake from edges (save this in a separate bowl). Gently peel away parchment paper from bottom of each layer as you assemble the cake.
- Put excess cake edges into a food processor and chop into fine crumbs.
Fillings:
- Combine sweetened condensed milk with finely chopped nuts (this is your 1st filling)
- Cook 2T. flour and 1/2 c. milk together over stovetop until thick and smooth. Cool completely. Add Crisco, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt and whip this together until light and fluffy. (this is your second filling)
Assembling Cake:
- Place one layer of cake on a serving plate.
- Top with cream filling and spread to edges.
- Place another layer of cake on top of cream filling.
- Top with sweetened condensed milk/nut layer and spread to edges.
- Repeat this until all cake layers are used. You should use all of cream filling and about 1/2 of condensed milk filling.
- Spread remaining condensed milk/nut filling over top and sides of cake.
- Press chopped cake crumbs into top and sides of cake.
- Refrigerate and serve!
My thoughts: I wish I’d used dark honey – Prague Medovnik had a wonderful molasses flavor and it was a dark cake. I think a darker honey would help match this look and flavor. I like the cream filling (borrowed it from a cake recipe my grandma makes) but it doesn’t match the cream in the Prague cake well….further experimentation is needed 🙂 I will edit this post if I come up with a better filling. The filling in Prague was almost like the filling inside a Hostess Cupcake– if any of you have a recipe that comes close to this kind of cream filling let me know!! This is an incredibly UNIQUE cake. It got rave reviews among my friends and I loved it– I will definitely be making this again!
Medovnik in Prague
My version of Medovnik
EASYBAKED 
Amazing! Was the cream in the Prague cake like the cream in a Boston Cream Pie? It looks similar in color.
Thanks Sarah- no, it was fluffier than Boston cream pie….?
This is just amazing! You did a wonderful version. I just stared at the nut crust for a bit. Probably not what it’s called, but you know….
It is actually not nuts- its the crushed bits of extra cake– I think it looks like nuts too- my food processor didn’t do a very good job of chopping these up fine 🙂 -and thank you 🙂
Oh my goodness. I’ve been browsing all your posts today after making the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake, and now that I see THIS, I know I’ve kept scrolling for a reason.
Honey cake is one of my favorite desserts (and best memories from Prague) and I’ve been looking for a manageable recipe to try. Looks beautiful, like all your work. I’ll definitely be giving this a shot soon!
Hi Laurel! Fun to meet a fellow Medovnik fan! I feel like this recipe is pretty good…but its just SO good in Prague that it is had to duplicate….I’m going back this summer and I’m going to have to “sample” as many pieces as I can!!! Nice to meet you 🙂
The cream of the honey cake is mostly sour cream and whipped cream with some condensed milk. The sour cream combined with whipped cream makes the filling a little thicker, giving the cake the fuller taste. My mom and I make the medovnik cakes as an easy cake to take somewhere, but it does require time on your hands. 🙂 I’m glad people appreciate the different cultures and like to make different food. The medovnik originally originated in Russia but it was spread to many different places:) I LOVE this cake!!:D
Oh THANK you! I’ve been wondering since last summer– I will have to try experimenting with a better filling!!!
Hello Olga, What is the recipe for the filling you make. Would like to make as authentic as possible. My mom has since passed away and never got the recipe. Thank you!
ahhh good to see others loving the honey cake. we live in germany, and love to go over to
czech to get some delicious honey cake. some are a little diferent than others. i love the really fresh ones. its so yummy! every city we go we try and find a slice. next time you guys go to czech check out some really cool cities like cesky krumluv, karlovy vary, and loket. great little places!
Thank you– I do love it SO much! I had it again in Prague this summer and oh my– even better than I remembered it! Thanks for the travel suggestions- We might be there again next summer…so who knows??!! Nice to meet you!
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You mention adding water for the cake. Do you mean add the flour there?
WHAT?!?! This has been posted for almost a year and 1/2 and you are the 1st to catch this typo?? I’m fixing it right now– thank you SO much! I’m so paranoid about making a typing mistake– I’m so glad you caught it!!!!
I’m not Polish, I’m Russian, but we also bake medovik, and I thought I could give you a couple of advices (if you don’t mind). You should whisk eggs and sugar (if you want a darker crust, use brown sugar) in a metal bowl or pot then add honey and butter and make a “water bath” (place the metal bowl over another pot with slightly boiling water). The content of the dish will get darker and as twice as big as it heats up. You should stir it constantly. I also use a little more honey and less sugar.
I loved your fillings! I’ll try those for sure.
I’m going into Medovnik withdrawal- its been almost a year since I had some in Prague. These are GREAT tips– I’m so thankful for advice from people who actually make this recipe as a part of their family tradition! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us- I think I will be needing to make this again soon to satisfy my craving– when I do I will try these tips out–I want to try some different fillings from previous comments too. THANK YOU!!!
Oh, I forgot: soda goes to the water bath as well. And after that you add the flour.
Is this like a marshmallow buttercream filling?
I’ve never made marshmallow buttercream, so I guess I’m not sure??
It’s a little gooier cream filling. Remember “Ring Dings”? Kinda like that filllig.
Hi ! May i know what is Crisco pls ?
It is shortening.
Great new version of Medovnik! Original recipe is a bit more complicated.
Thank you! I just CRAVE Medovnik sometimes. It is just so good….and so unlike any other dessert I’ve tried!
A lot of the Medovnik versions are made with.. grits. The filling is made with milk and grits cream, not the condensed milk.
Hi! Your cake looks amazing and I dare say it bears great resemblance to the one I had in Rudolfinum, Prague this April. Its flavor was overwhelming, I was flabbergasted by its elaborate appearance when served. 😀 I baked my own Medovnik using a Czech recipe by Czechcookbook (Youtube channel and FB profile), which is similar to yours except for the fact they leave out the cream layer. I want to try yours to stick to the original recipe, but I can’t find Crisco in my homecountry. Is it a whipping cream product? Any similar products that you know of and could subsitute it?
Crisco is…? Like lard. Like a solid vegetable oil? The cream filling is a must in my opinion, but I’m not thrilled with my version of it…? I feel like I ned to experiment more- I haven’t captured this recipe perfectly yet 🙂
Crisco is a solid vegetable oil. Is white…looks like lard.
Hope this helps.
Crisco is a solid vegetable shortening…is white in color…looks like lard. Let me know how it turns out.
Helen, Crisco is a solid vegetable shortening…is white in color…looks like lard.
I followed Czechcookbook’s recipe, and my pancakes stuck to the parchment. I had to throw them all out. Couldn’t salvage any of them. 😦
So sorry!!!! I don’t make this recipe often, but I haven’t ever had anything (even burnt things!) stick to parchment paper? I wish I could give you a helpful tip….? 😦 sorry!!!
Try spraying parchment with Baker’s Joy (a blend of flour and shortening). Works great! Was your oven at correct temp? I just found out mine was 25 degrees off. Check with oven thermometer.
Those are both great thoughts- thanks for sharing!!!!
I want to make this nondairy by substituting sweetened condensed coconut cream and soymilk. I’m also going to skip the walnuts and use shaved coconut instead.
Shaved coconut sounds aaaamazing on this cake- great idea!!! Glad you were able to sub things out to make this recipe your own!! Happy baking!!!!
Is this dessert cake looks similar to Czekoladowy Napoleon? Do you happen to have this recipe? Would you share with directions in English please.
I’m sorry- I’ve not ever heard of that dessert? Hopefully you have found it elsewhere on the internet though! 🙂
I am going to make this for my birthday.
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