Chocolate Honey Cake (Spartak Cake)

Name: Chocolate Honey Cake - Spartak Recipe
Prep time: 140 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 cup cocoa powder; ⅔ cup sugar, granulated; ¼ cup honey; 4 oz unasalted butter; 2 eggs; 1 tsp baking soda; 2 cups sour cream (full fat); ¾ cups sugar, granulated; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 2 large eggs; 2 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla paste ); 10 oz unsalted butter (room temperature (1 stick butter = 4 oz))

July 12, 2019

5 from 20 votes
47 comments
- #Cake
- #Dessert

Chocolate Honey Cake combines the richness of chocolate in thin, but soft and airy, honey-filled cake layers sandwiched with a fluffy sour cream filling. It’s velvety soft, moist and delicious. This Spartak cake is one of the most popular Russian cakes and it’s the best chocolate cake ever!

Want to try some other chocolate recipes? You’ve got to try this chocolate cherry pavlova, this no-bake chocolate banana custard cake, and this flourless black chocolate forest cake.

Chocolate Honey Cake (Spartak Cake)

Honey cake has always been a favorite recipe of ours and I am happy to finally be sharing this honey cake recipe on the blog.

Lately, the honey cake has soared in popularity. This is due in part thanks to a lovely article about the Russian honey cake from the New York Times. Just as mentioned in that article, this chocolate version of the honey cake too has simple ingredients that you most likely have in your fridge or pantry already.

I love recipes that can create masterpieces out of pantry and fridge staples.

What is Spartak Cake?

The honey cake has been well-known as being one of the most jaw-dropping desserts (all those layers…mmm…mm), but in my humble opinion, the Spartak cake is even better. Because, chocolate, of course. The chocolate version of the honey cake takes things a step further by adding rich cocoa flavor to the classic honey cake, and what doesn’t taste better with chocolate?

The Spartak cake is a traditional Russian dessert. It is inexpensive but does take some time to put together. And Like all good things in life, this Spartak cake is worth the time and effort.

The Best Chocolate Cake

In short, this dessert is my idea of the best chocolate cake. It has all the crucial elements any great cake should have—moist, fluffy, melt in your mouth creamy. Just, in place of 2 or 3 standard layers, this one’s got eight (or more!) layers. Which means there’s no way to get a bite that doesn’t have both the cake and the filling. Which is my idea of perfection!

Chocolate Ganache

As if all of that wasn’t enough, this cake definitely wins the award for the best chocolate cake thanks to a rich, decadent ganache that is poured over the entire dessert.

If you haven’t made it before, ganache is quite simple to make and has only two ingredients: chocolate and heavy cream. When the two are heated and mixed together, then poured on top of the dessert, you have the best chocolate cake ever. Every single bite is laced with cocoa, ganache, and creamy filling—a true symphony of the palate.

Sour Cream Custard Filling

Curious to know what the creamy layer in between all the chocolate is? The filling is made with rich sour cream custard that balances the layers of the chocolate cake perfectly. It helps to moisten the cookie-like cake layers into a velvety smooth bite of heaven in every spoonful.

How to Make Spartak Cake

There are three main components to this Spartak Cake recipe—

Chocolate cake layers
Sour Cream Custard
Ganache Topping

How to Make the Chocolate Cake Layers

Sift together the dry ingredients—flour, cocoa, and baking powder, then set aside.

Cook the honey, butter (you can use melted butter to speed up the process), and sugar over a water bath until the sugar is dissolved (~5-7 minutes), then whisk in the eggs and baking soda. Cook until the baking soda foams up and doubles the amount of the mixture in the bowl, then take off the heat.
Add this mixture into the sifted dry ingredients, then mix together with a sturdy wooden spoon.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough between parchment, poke with a fork, and bake (~5 min). Place an 8-inch round template around the cake and trim the sides as soon as it’s out of the oven. Keep the scraps.

Crush the scraps into crumbs, then set aside. The easiest way to do this is to use a blender or a food processor and give it a few pulses, or place in a ziplock and whack it with a rolling pin until you have crumbs.

How to Make the Spartak Sour Cream Custard

The sour cream custard is the glue that holds together all those beautiful Spartak cake layers. Here’s how to make it.

Whip room temperature butter (~5 min), set aside.

Then measure the rest of the ingredients to make make the sour cream custard.

Whisk eggs, sugar, and cornstarch together, then add the sour cream and vanilla.
Cook the mixture over a water bath until thickened (~25-30 min or until 160F). Then cool to room temp.
Add the sour cream custard into the previously whipped butter in 3 additions, whipping after each.

How to Assemble the Spartak Cake Together

Sandwich the cookie-like cake layers with equal amounts of sour cream frosting, leaving about 2/3 cups for covering the outside.
Cover the outside with the cream, then use the crushed crumbs to press them against the sides of the cake.
Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and spread into even layer.

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Make sure to try these other Russian desserts:

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Chocolate Honey Cake - Spartak Recipe

Chocolate layer cake with sour cream frosting on a plate surrounded by cake slices

5 from 20 votes

Chocolate honey cake - has thin chocolate cake layers sandwiched with creamy sour cream filling. This Russian Spartak cake is our favorite chocolate cake!

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Russian

Keyword: chocolate honey cake, spartak cake

Calories: 594 kcal

Prep Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Servings: 12 (One 8-inch round cake)

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Layer Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients (Sift together, set aside)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients to cook over water bath

⅔ cup sugar, granulated
¼ cup honey
4 oz unasalted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda

Chocolate Honey Cake Cream

Sour Cream Custard

2 cups sour cream (full fat)
¾ cups sugar, granulated
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste

Whip then combine with the cream

10 oz unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick butter = 4 oz)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

How to Make the Chocolate Honey Cake layers

Sift the dry: In a large bowl sift together 2.5 cups, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cups cocoa powder. Set aside.
Cook the wet: Set a saucepan with 1-2 inches of water over high heat. Meanwhile in a heatproof bowl combine 4 oz butter (use melted butter to speed up the process if you wish), 1/4 cup honey, and 2/3 cup sugar.
When the water in the saucepan starts to simmer, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and set the bowl with the wet ingredients over it ensuring that the water doesn't touch the bowl.
Cook stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved (~5-10 min). Now add 2 eggs and continue to whisk constantly until well mixed in. Next, add the 1 tsp of baking soda and cook for about 1-2 minutes whisking constantly.
Combine the dry & the wet: Pour the wet (hot) ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a sturdy wooden spoon until a dough forms. (Do not discard the saucepot with water, we'll use the water bath later in the recipe).
The dough will be very sticky, but will become not sticky as it cools. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and keep covered as you're working with them one at a time.

Roll and bake the chocolate honey cake layers

Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees as you roll the cake layers.
Roll each chocolate dough piece between two layers of parchment paper to a slightly larger than an 8 inch circle. Poke with a fork about every 1 inch and bake for about 5-7 minutes. Do not let the edges burn or brown. Remove from the oven and place an 8-inch round template (salad plate or an 8-inch round baking pan) and cut around it, removing the scraps to a bowl.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Crush the crumbs: Once all the scraps are cool, crumble them into fine crumbs by pulsing in a blender, crushing them with your fingers, or by adding into a ziplock bag and rolling with a rolling pin.

How to make the Honey Cake Cream

Whip Butter: In a separate bowl whip room temperature butter for about 5-7 minutes or until it is pale in color and fluffy, stopping several times to scrape down the sides and bottom. Set aside.
Cook Sour Cream Custard: In a heatproof bowl combine 3/4 cups sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, and 2 eggs, then add 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cups sour cream, set over the saucepot with simmering water and stir until smooth. Cook, constantly stirring with a whisk until the cream is thickened or until it's about 160F°, about 25 minutes. The cream will start out thick, then thin down as it heats and thicken back up again when the cornstarch and the eggs thicken it again.

Allow to cool completely (to room temperature, not colder). You can place the bowl into some iced water to quicken the process.
Combine: Add the cooled sour cream custard into the whipped butter in thirds or fourths, whipping well after each addition until you have fluffy and beautiful sour cream custard. Set aside.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

Combine 2 tbsp boiling hot heavy cream with 2 tbsp dark chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth.

Assemble the Chocolate Honey Cake

Add a dab of cream to the middle of the serving platter or a cake board. Top with the chocolate cake layer and press to adhere. Now layer the cake with 2 scoops of cream between each layer, covering the outside with cream as well.

Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and even it out over the top with an offset spatula.

Press the crushed cake crumbs against the sides of the cake, going slightly over the edge of the top creating a border with crumbs.

Cover the cake and leave at room temp for about 5-6 hours, then refrigerate overnight before serving. The cake is best when it's served at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

To see other tools I use in the kitchen, click HERE (amazon affiliate).

How to make this cake into a rectangle

Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll the layers to the size of your rectangle jelly roll pan (12"x18") between two layers of parchment and bake for 5 minutes each. Then, divide each baked layer into 4 rectangles, by cutting in the middle lengthwise and widthwise.
The instructions for assembling are the same as for the round version.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Honey Cake - Spartak Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 594 Calories from Fat 342

% Daily Value*

Fat 38g58%

Saturated Fat 23g144%

Cholesterol 149mg50%

Sodium 410mg18%

Potassium 202mg6%

Carbohydrates 61g20%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 35g39%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 1185IU24%

Vitamin C 0.4mg0%

Calcium 90mg9%

Iron 2.1mg12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Welcome to Let the Baking Begin! I'm Marina and my love and passion for eating only the most delicious foods drive me to share that love here on Let the Baking Begin (since 2009). With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen, you know the recipes are tested and retested until perfect. I'm so happy to have you here. Enjoy! Read more...

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Chocolate Honey Cake (Spartak Cake)