Vegan Medovik- Layered Honey Cake

While we were eating our way through NYC last week, we stumbled upon a cozy little Russian restaurant called Russian Samovar. I ordered all my classic childhood favorites and to my delight everything was as authentic, nostalgic and delicious as I hoped it would be. For dessert I ordered my favorite Russian treat called Medovik or Layered Honey Cake. Sadly, my food allergy ailed husband could not try a single bite of it and had to listen to me oo and ah until it was devoured. So this Thanksgiving I decided to make an allergy friendly version of my favorite Medovik tailored to allergies to egg and dairy, which also makes it 100% vegan too! This layered cake is reminiscent of a crepe cake with its many ultra thin layers of crepe like slightly spongy cake. The pastry has a distinct honey flavor and the honey itself is what sweetens the cake. The sweetness from the honey is cut and balanced by the subtle tartness of the cream filling. it is a perfect cake for breakfast and paired with tea. I was thrilled with the result of my first attempt of this cake and i could barely tell the difference between the allergy friendly version from the traditional version. I added a few modifications to my second batch and the result was the allergy friendly Medovik of my dreams. Hope you enjoy this yummy Honey Cake recipe!

8 layer Medovik- Honey Cake recipe

*Dairy and Egg substitutes can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Mother's Market, or Amazon.*

Ingredients for the honey cake:

6 Follow your Heart vegan eggs
1.5 cup of raw smooth honey
4 cups of all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons of baking soda
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Ingredients for cream:

2 (8oz) package of regular Vanilla So delicious CocoWhip
1 cup of So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla coconut yogurt
1/4 cup *Caramelized* Nature's Charm sweetened condensed coconut milk

Ingredients for pastry softener:

1 can of coconut cream
3 tbsp spiced rum (I used The Kraken black spiced rum)
3 tbsp sweetened condensed coconut milk

Other Materials:

8 pieces of Parchment paper
2 baking sheets
pastry brush
12 " plate to use as stencil for cake layers

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Begin to caramelize the condensed milk (I did this step a day prior)

Remove label from unopened can of coconut condensed milk. Fill deep saucepan with water.
Ensure that can is covered completely with water at all times during cooking. Simmer for 3 hours without lid
Carefully remove the can and allow to cool before opening.

To make the cake

Step 1

Beat together vegan eggs (1 egg= 2 tbsp vegan egg mixed with 1/2 cup of ice cold water) and honey until light and frothy. (at least 2 minutes)

Step 2

Dissolve baking soda in vinegar first and then add this SLOWLY to egg mixture, along with the flour.

Beat together until all combined. Mixture will be a thick batter consistency.

Step 3

Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto parchment lined baking sheet and spread batter to reach as close to the edges of baking sheet as possible. The layers should be thin. Fill in any gaps of places where the batter is transparent against the parchment.

Set timer and bake for 7 minutes until layers are golden. Remove promptly from oven.

I recommend doing 2 layers at a time in the oven for a faster process.

Step 4

Repeat the process for all 8 layers. Allow to cool

Step 5

Keep the remaining bits of the honey cake and place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until crispy.

Step6

Place crispy pieces of honey cake into blender or food processor and pulse until ground. You will use this for the topping.

To make the pastry softener

Step 1:

Mix together coconut cream, caramelized condensed milk, and spiced rum and set aside.

To make the cream