Within the last few months of exploring the Lithuanian cuisine, there have been quite a few dishes that were either embedded in my home culture or have always kind of always “been there”, though none come as close to being a true memory of growing up than today’s cake.
The cake in question is the “honey cake” otherwise called the “retired one” (just for the record I want to say that I have absolutely no idea why would someone call a cake as lovely as this retired…, but life ain’t always fair and we actually call this cake as “retired one” far more often than as “honey cake”.)
My grandmother used to and still makes this cake for every occasion, meaning that I don’t have a memory of any Christmas, Easter or birthday passing without it. Probably if this cake would not be present at any of the above occasions back home, it wouldn’t even feel as festive as having it: a centerpiece of thin honey flavored layers, filled with luscious sweet and sour cream. The layers that are quite dry to start with, absorb the cream, which not only moistens the layers but also elevates the flavor, resulting in a rich but still surprisingly fresh cake.
The best part here is that the longer this cake sits in a cool place, the better the flavor will be. Allow at least overnight for the cream to moisten the layers, but I like it best after a few days, as it is that’s when it is at its absolute best.
As lovely as this cake sounds, I do have to note that same as with Napoleon, this is not a one-hour project. It will take some time, but it will certainly be worth it. After all, not every single cake or dessert can and should be whipped in a matter of minutes. Some need time. Time to make them special, exceptional and fit for occasions.
Though this may not be the best cake I’ve ever tasted, but it has something more than taste. Just thinking about the cake, I see my grandmother baking the layers, my mom tasting the cream to perfection, and myself prepping the crumbs for decoration. Baking it was something that has always required team work in some capacity. I guess this is not just the cake that reminds me of growing up. The taste, the smell of it reminds me of home.
5.0 from 5 reviews Honey cake Prep time 2 hours Cook time 1 hour 20 mins Total time 3 hours 20 mins Author: Gourmantine Serves: 10-12 Ingredients CAKE LAYERS 60 grams butter 30 grams sugar 6 tablespoons honey 4 eggs, lightly beaten 3 teaspoons baking soda 400-480 grams wheat flour CREAM 1200 ml crème fraiche 5-7 tablespoons confectioners sugar 3-6 tablepoons fresh lemon juice 2 lemons, zest CANDIED ORANGE PEEL 2 oranges 2 cups sugar 4 cups water Instructions Heat the oven to 200C To make the layers, place a heatproof bowl over simmering water and melt butter, honey and sugar together. Stir in the eggs to an even batter. Mix the baking soda with flour (essential step, don’t skip it) and start adding to the batter (add the extra flour if needed) till you have dough that does not stick to your hands. Choose a place or a large chef’s ring you’ll be using as a stencil, to measure out the layers. Divide the dough into 12-16 parts (depending on the size of your stencils) On a flouredsurface roll out each layer to 2-3 mm thick and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, until golden brown (see photo). Once baked and still warm, using the stencil cut out a circle, reserve the outer cuts for the decoration of the cake. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cool the layers completely before adding the cream. You can prepare the layers a few days in advance before assembling the cake. To make the candied orange peel, peel the orange, then gently cut all the pith out leaving only the “orange” part. Boil a few cups of water and cook the orange peel for few minutes. Drain then bring two cups of water and 2 cups of sugar to boil, add the orange peel and simmer till it becomes translucent (about 30 minutes). Drain, dust with sugar if you’d like and leave on a rack to dry for a 3-4 hours. Then chop finely. To make the cream, using an electric whisk mix the crème fraiche with grated lemon zest, confectioners sugar and lemon juice. This cream is rather subjective so start with lesssugar and lemon juice and adjust along the way to your taste. It should have a light sweet-sour note. The stir in the chopped candied peel. To assemble the cake, layer each with cream (don’t be modest), don’t press the layers directly, let them soak up the cream, as the layers themselves are quite dry. Then cover the sides and the top of the cake with cream and finish with crumbled leftover pieces. Let the cake rest at least a couple of hours before indulging in, though 1-2 days in the fridge give the best results. Enjoy! 3.2.2124
So, what is your brightest food memory?
