Honey cake for New Year
Description
The recipe won’t take long. A honey cake with soft, tender layers and custard cream is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. You can even get the kids involved in making it—they love playing with dough, rolling out the layers, and spreading them with custard cream. Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the specified ingredients.
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Step 2
In a deep container with a non-stick bottom—a kazan or pot—add floral honey, butter, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt. Place the container on the stove and set it to medium heat.
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Step 3
As soon as the mixture starts to bubble, reduce the heat to minimum and simmer until the caramel takes on a honey hue. But be careful—under the light foam the colour of the mixture itself will be much darker. Watch that it doesn’t burn! Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.
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Step 4
In a separate bowl, beat two chicken eggs until foamy.
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Step 5
Pour the egg mixture into slightly cooled caramel, or the eggs may curdle! Mix thoroughly, then add wheat flour and baking powder.
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Step 6
Knead a firm honey dough and chill it for 20–30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap. Many recipes say to leave the dough slightly loose so it can rest. Don’t do that—you won’t be able to roll it out afterwards. Add flour and knead a proper firm dough!
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Step 7
While the dough cools, make the pastry cream. Pour granulated sugar into a cauldron or a saucepan with a non-stick bottom, add lemon juice—it will balance the sweetness of the cream.
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Step 8
Pour in milk or cream with a fat content no higher than 30% and add the chicken egg yolk. Beat the mixture thoroughly.
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Step 9
Sprinkle the flour into cold milk and whisk again. Add flour only to cold liquid, otherwise lumps will form.
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Step 10
Place the container on the stove over medium heat. Cook the cream until thickened for about 10–12 minutes, stirring constantly so that no lumps form in it. Then turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Cover the dessert with plastic wrap flush against the surface and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
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Step 11
During this time the dough will cool. Divide it into portions. Roll out each portion on parchment paper without greasing it. I find it convenient to bake the layers on A4 sheets, cutting circles out of the dough right away using a plate.
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Step 12
Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake one or two layers at a time for about 5–10 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn. The diameter of the layers in the photo is 18 cm.
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Step 13
Bake all the layers this way. I don’t bake the trimmings from the layers separately; I roll them out into a full layer. Set aside the two least attractive layers for coating the cake—they will be ground into crumbs anyway.
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Step 14
Assemble the cake by spreading a portion of custard cream on each layer and smoothing it out. It is best to use a generous amount of cream so the cake stays moist. Optionally, you may first brush the layers with sweet syrup or honey water, then add the cream. Cover the top and sides of the dessert with cream.
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Step 15
Break the two reserved cake layers into pieces and tip them into the food processor bowl. Process into crumbs for about 3–5 minutes.
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Step 16
Carefully sprinkle crumbs over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate overnight to let it soak.
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Step 17
When serving, decorate the honey cake with physalis berries, pomegranate, mandarins, etc.
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Step 18
Cut it into portion-sized pieces, and don’t forget tea or coffee.