Out & About #1023 | Pecan Pie + Challenging Russian Honey Cake (Medovik)

Even in the absence of outings, weekends tend to fly by in the blink of an eye. Between daily duties, house maintenance, expense documentation, and simply survival steps, little time is left for deviations.

By working efficiently, and tirelessly, those few pockets were repurposed into an experimental experience in the kitchen.

1) Pecan Pie

My leftover pie crust had been intentionally shaped as a rectangle to facilitate the formation of pecan tarts. Having forgotten my desire to craft individual servings, I continued with the usual SK formula for a pie.

​Allocating adequate thawing time for the crust ensured that I could reshape the dough to fit my circular glass pan without tearing. That said, I did find the elongated shape a bit tricky to crimp, and the crust eventually drooped at the edges during the parbaking process.

​In light of my oven's frustrating fluctuating internal temperature, I had erred on the conservative side and baked the crust at 400 F for 20 minutes, as SK specifies. The sudden surge in heat caused the rim to darken rapidly, later scorching to a moderate bitterness as the filling was added and the tray returned to the oven.

It was also with minor grievances that I noted a distinctly sweeter profile than usual. While my browsing partner had commented on the sugar levels previously, I hadn't paid much attention to it. The somewhat cloying profile was irrefutable this time around though.

Reviewing SK's formula, I was perplexed at this outcome, for I hadn't deviated at all from the ingredient quantities. Even the types and brands of sugar had remained the same! Referencing my previously converted recipe, I had adhered to the following:

Filling

• 6 tbsp = 6 x 14 g = 84 g unsalted butter
• 1 cup = 135 g brown sugar
• 3/4 cup = 168 g golden syrup
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

The only deviation I could note was the use of Allen's apple cider vinegar instead of Heinz, which may had proven less acidic, thus unable to neutralize the sugars in the recipe. All in all, it may be worth adjusting the quantity of brown sugar in future runs and/or using a combination of golden yellow and brown to prevent loss of nutty complexity.

2) Medovik / Russian Honey Cake

​The grander project at hand would be the Russian Honey Cake. Known traditionally as "Medovik" (or "Medovic"), the creation involved 8 layers (reason unknown) of honey-flavoured cookies alternated with sour cream filling.

​Truthfully, I had been eyeing the recipe on SK's site for some time now - at least since my toxic consulting days. But even after roughly four years, I hadn't succeeded in locating an authentic slice of the specimen for sampling - Heck, I never found it on any bakery shelf to start! Battling an inkling of inspiration for a weekend bread project supplemented with a craving for crisp cookies, I resolved to embark on the multi-step concoction once and for all.

I had probably read the recipe at least three times before commencing, though hadn't sought out other sources to subsidize my knowledge. In her writeup, SK had detailed a labourious mission with regard to dough formation, though barely described the filling and assembly. She had taken to constructing the dough manually, only introducing a food processor in the final stages for decoration. My approach would utilize a greater number of tools, which reserved arm strength for assembly but consequently led to more dishes.

​A) Dough

SK's recipe was stated to make 8 layers of 9 in rounds, with enough excess to coat the exterior with crumbs. I had initially regarded the ingredient list with some skepticism, for 115 g of butter and 3 large eggs did not seem any more than the quantities I'd normally use for 6 in cakes. Then, I reached the specified quantity of flour: 455 g of AP flour. It all made sense: They were cookies that would be rolled quite thin.

For my first attempt, I opted against scaling the recipe:

• 170 g honey *
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 115 unsalted butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 455 g AP flour, separated into 300 g and 150 g portions

​Our household does not regularly see inventory of honey. In order to attain the required 170 g, I used a mixture of: Dr. Bee Ice Honey, T&T Raw Honey, and billy bee liquid honey. Dr. Bee Ice Honey was a mild, light-coloured variety, while T&T golden and billy bee residing on the amber side. The trio contributed to a well-rounded honey profile. As most Medovik recipes would suggest, a good quality honey is essential to the cake, for it constitutes the central pillar of flavour.

​i) Dough Formation

The cookie dough commenced in a saucepot over the stove. Honey, eggs, butter, and a pinch of salt would be emulsified over heat. Once bubbling, baking soda would be added, inciting volume throughout the solution. This process was not unlike making Dalgona, though it was far more forgiving. Honey inherently contains water, making for seamless formation of a sugar syrup that is less temperature-sensitive that merely sugar and water. A candy thermometer was not required to ensure success, unlike Dalgona. The addition of butter also prevented the formula from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning with the introduction of heat.

SK then notes the importance of beating the eggs in advance and slowly streaming in the natural coagulant to prevent scrambling. The step reminded me of making pâte à choux.
But instead of tempering the eggs in the saucepot, I did the reverse: Eggs were whisked in a stand mixer, then the foamy dalgona-like formula was streamed in while mixing. This was, by no means, easy with my compact apparatus, and some of the mixture would be lodged onto the mixer head, hardening immediately. Thankfully, none of it clumped to the sides of the bowl.

​Rather than taking to manually folding with a wooden spoon. I'd then switch to the paddle attachment and incorporate 300 g of AP flour, followed by 150 g more. The final third of flour gave rise to a white cloud, prompting the realization that the shield should have been installed prior to mixing.
In hindsight, I saw no obvious benefit to separating the flour into 300 g and 150 g portions. The stand mixer incorporates the flour readily and the dough remained warm and easy to work with. At this point, I had questioned why SK described the dough process as being so brutal; it wasn't any harder than the standard enriched bread dough.

Baking and assembly, on the other hand, were the areas where I struggled.

​ii) Baking

The dough was to be portioned into 8 equal pieces.
For my first piece, I had forgotten to subtract weight of stand mixer bowl, resulting in a portion nearly double the intended amount. This round emerged too thick and not quite cracker/cookie-like.

Calculations

• Weight of bowl + dough = 1529 g
• Forgot to subtract mass of bowl: 1529/8 = 191 g → first portion about 180 g

Corrected equation:

• 1529 g - 629 g = 901 g
• 901 g / 8 = 112 g

Thus each subsequent portion was 112 g + 10 g due to leftover dough.
Ultimately, I managed 7 layers instead of 8 due to an erroneous first calculation.

The dough should have yielded: 8 rounds, 112 g each;
Instead, I obtained: 7 rounds, 1x 180g, 6x 120g

​iii) Rolling and Shaping

Once the cookie is rolled out, it cannot be transferred from another sheet. Thus, one must roll out the cookie on the sheet intended for baking. Silicon is ideal as it prevents slippage, though I did not possess enough silicon mats for 6-7 cookies.
Note that baking on silicon mats caused air bubbles to form underneath, while parchment ensured a comparatively level underside.
350 F for 5-7 mins is the correct bake time. There is leniency with an oven with fluctuating oven temp, though do not let the cookies bake for any longer than 2 mins more. I began to rotate the trays between the middle and lower rack in the end to speed up the process: 5 mins, swap, then 2-3 mins until the tops were golden brown.

Admittedly, it was a tricky to balance baking of multiple thin layers within 5-7 mins of each other with just 2 sheet trays, 2 silpats (+ 2 off-brand silicon mats), and very limited counter space.

iv) Cutting

Contrary to SK's directions, I did not cut the dough in advance of baking, as I hadn't decided upon the size of the cake at the time. In addition, I wasn't sure if I could roll out all dough portions to be of equal diameter. Should one round be 9 in, another 8 in, and another 6 in, I'd have trouble during assembly.

Consequently, my sole option was to cut the rounds afterwards, once they had cooled completely. This resulted in major strain on the wrist and elbow - not to mention the knife being used. Fortunately, the shapes could easily be sanded for smooth edges of desired.

Note
When cutting, I made sure to make several incisions at various points along the circumference before loosening the shape, as any accidental tugs could cause the cookie to crack at its thinnest section.

B) Filling

Instead of using SK's watery mess of a filling, I took to just 290 g of sour cream (whatever had remained from making potato salad) that was expiring in the next 5 days. It also seemed appropriate to improve structure and mouthfeel with stabilized whipped cream.

​Ingredients

• 290 g sour cream
• 252 g heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract *homemade - 868
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste *not traditional by any means
• 111 g (23 + 88) granulated sugar
• 76 g sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp gelatin dissolved in water, cooled to room temp

​Directions:

1. Using a hand mixer, whip heavy cream until foamy. Add in 1/3 of the sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste and continue beating to soft peaks.
2. Add in remaining 2/3 of the sugar and sweetened condensed milk and beat to stiff peaks. Do not overmix.
3. Fold in sour cream, followed by gelatin mixture.
4. Set aside until ready to use. Alternatively, cover tightly with cling film and store in fridge until ready to assemble.

C) Assembly

SK notes the importance of allowing the cookie layers to soften with time, harmonizing flavours within the cake. Given my preference for a comparatively stable filling, I decided to brush each layer with milk to maintain plushness and prevent separation. Simple syrup would not be used given that both the cookies and filling already contained solid and liquid sweeteners.
This approach was akin to assembling Tiramisu, but with large rounds of homemade graham cracker cookies swapped for airy, meringue-based ladyfingers.

150 ml of 2% milk would be poured into a pitcher, though about 100 ml would be used for 7 layers of 6 in rounds.

​i) Ring Mould

In fear of losing structure, I opted to use a 6 in ring mould to shape the cake. The cookie layers were not as malleable as sponge, thus required careful layering in fear of cracking the brittle edges. I had opted to chill the stack until the evening hours.

Five and a half hours later, the mould would be removed and the remaining filling loosened to frost the sides.

​In hindsight, it would have been ideal to form the cake using a ring mold, then loosen the mold slightly to pour in remaining cream filling. Of course, this would require a greater amount of cream than used in my iteration. The mould would only be removed after chilling to cover the surface with crumbs; allowing the cream to solidify would prevent the base layer from smearing while coating.

The cake would then be chilled until next day, for at least 10 hours.

D) Conclusions

​Medovik was essentially a 24-hour project, and indeed the "labour of love" that many creators had illustrated. The cake was truly breathtaking with its multitude of layers and alluring aroma of honey. In spite of its appearance, the slice wasn't dense at all! It embodied was a unique airiness and, before long, the last forkful would vanish. Tang was hardly distinguishable in the filling, though this could be alluded to my generally scanty proportion of sour cream.

​My Russian Honey Cake was a success - a delicious achievement for the books, albeit not traditional with 7 layers instead of 8. Nevertheless, I can't confirm that subsequent trails will unfold due to the staggering amount of steps, equipment, and dishes involved. Layered sponge cakes are also the personal preference to North American icebox cakes.

I'd be compelled to craft a smaller quantity of the cookies again in a heartbeat, since it wasn't much more difficult than making dalgona, and didn't require use of a candy thermometer to achieve the right texture. These cookies will not keep long though, for honey keeps them moist and soft, thus susceptible to mould formation.

It is worth noting that the consumption experience would evolve with time:

• 10-16 h after assembly, the cake was light, airy and only moderately sweet
• At the 24 h mark, the cake begins to exude moisture, resulting in a denser crumb
• At the 48 h mark, the cake will be evidently sweeter, with the flavour of honey becoming more prominent and the layers denser and more saturated than the previous day due to the presence of honey

For any fervent bakers wishing to tackle this cake, I extend the following notes and recommendations:
​

• Allow adequate time and space for construction. At the bare minimum, one will require the stovetop, countertop, oven, and space for cooling racks.
• Specialized equipment and tools aren't mandatory, but will undoubtedly assuage the otherwise arduous process.
• A stand mixer assists tremendously with dough formation, reserving upper body strength for assembly
• Silpats/silicon mats facilitate rolling of dough, and transition easily between countertop and oven. While they may incite air bubbles on the underside, this is hardly noticeable in the final product
• A food processor blitzes cookies into crumbs in seconds, eliminating the need for a Ziploc, mallet, and unseemly banging 
• A scraper assists with division of dough in addition to smoothing the edges of the cake. That said, it is not pivotal to achieve seamless surfaces on the cake, for the frosting purely acts as adhesive for the crumb topping
• A turntable enables one to easily coat the sides of the cake
• Acetate strips can be fitted underneath the cake before coating with cookie crumbs for a cleaner presentation. Mind you - the crumbs will be messy no matter what precautions are taken.

​Having delved into the world of baking for some time, Medovik was the perfect project to assess one's culinary repertoire. From tempering eggs to forming dough, from rolling cookies to assembling uniform layers, and finally decorating the lofty specimen, the Russian Honey Cake certainly put my skills to the test. It was a challenge I readily accepted and conquered. And, in the end, a marvelous making has materialized from my extensive efforts.