Honeycomb Cake Recipe – Babka Nyagre
This Honeycomb Cake is truly magical. It starts out with crepe-like pale batter that takes on a beautiful, deep amber color as it bakes. The taste, texture, and smell are all very unique and oh so delicious. Chewy, sponge-like, yet very light and fluffy, with honeycomb tunnels going from the bottom up, this Moldovian dessert is sure to surprise and impress.
Want to try more stunning desserts? You’ve got to try this dulce de leche cake, this chocolate honey cake, and this amazing Russian royal cake.
Authentic to Moldova and western Ukraine the honeycomb cake is called many things. Babka Nyagre, Baba, Chocolate Baba are just a few names known to me.
Western Ukraine bordering with Moldova means that the culture, language, and cuisine have traveled back and forth between the two countries.
In Ukraine, this honeycomb cake recipe is known as Moldovian Babka, or Nylon Babka referencing the texture of this honeycomb cake.
What does Honeycomb Coffee Cake taste like?
The taste of the honeycomb coffee cake is somewhat difficult to describe. It’s light and spongy but in a chewy kind of way. It has weight when you pick it up, but light at the same time. It has wet kind of texture like a baked custard would, but with beautiful air tunnels that travel from the bottom up.
My theory is that this is the Moldovian interpretation of the Italian caneles, as the ingredients and texture have lots of similarities, sans the crispy outside crust which caneles are known for. But, that’s just my guess.
This honeycomb coffee cake doesn’t require any special molds like the caneles. Also, it is not as sweet. Even though it has a considerable amount of sugar, the end result is not very sweet. In fact, some serve it with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk to add a touch of extra sweetness.
Key Characteristics of Honeycomb Coffee Cake
While quick to throw together and with no special ingredients, this cake can be extremely temperamental. If you want to know just how temperamental, think of macarons.
Here’s how to know that the Honeycomb cake came out right. It will have –
- Deep amber color
- Chewy, elastic, yet springy and light texture
- Tall tunnels of the honeycomb cake that go from the bottom up. The further up the cake the tunnels are formed, the better.
Tips for Success with the Honeycomb Coffee Cake:
- Prevent clumps: Add the liquid into the dry ingredients gradually, this will keep the batter smooth and clump-free.
- Use a heavy-bottomed baking dish: it is best to bake the honeycomb coffee cake in a thick-walled baking form. A cast-iron will work best, but a glass baking dish will work as well.
- Grease the baking form: you want to be able to remove the baked Babka Nyagre from the oven. Make sure to either butter and flour/bread crumb the pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Do not remove from the oven prematurely: the initial blast of hot temperature is what creates the honeycomb tunnels that are signature to this beautiful honeycomb coffee cake. Next, the low-temperature bake time allows the sugars and milk in the batter to gain the signature deep amber color and flavor without burning it. Removing it from the oven early can leave the babka light-colored and make it dense since the structure hasn’t stabilized yet.
- Cool slowly: allowing to cool in the oven after baking will further help set the honeycomb babka, preventing the trapped air bubbles from collapsing.
How to make the Moldovian Babka Nyagre
Find the full, detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
- Mix the dry ingredients.
- Add oil and thoroughly mix once again.
- Add milk gradually, mixing until smooth after each addition.
- Separately whip eggs for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Fold the whipped eggs into the mixture carefully.
- Pour the Babka Nyagre batter into a parchment-lined and greased cast iron pot, filling it no higher than 3/4 full. Cover with a lid, or foil.
- Bake at 350F for 1.5 hours, then another 1.5 hours at 200F, or bake for 1.5 hours at 350F, then turn the oven and allow to cool overnight without opening the lid or oven.
- Leave to cool inside the pot, without lifting the lid for about 1 hour for best results. Then, open the lid, run a thin knife around the edges of the pot and invert the Babka Nyagre onto a wire rack to cool.
- Cut into slices, or cubes and serve.
Try More Cake Recipes:
Moldovian Honeycomb Cake Babka
Chewy, sponge-like, yet very light and fluffy, with honeycomb tunnels going from the bottom up, this Moldovian dessert is sure to surprise and impress.
Ingredients
Honeycomb Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking soda
- 1 cup neutral oil (such as light olive oil)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tbsp vodka (rum or brandy will work as well); (omit if not using alcohol)
- 10 large eggs
Instructions
How to make the Honeycomb Cake
-
Combine dry with oil: In a large mixing bowl mix 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp baking soda and 1 cups oil with a mixer until the mixture is well mixed and the flour's coated with oil, about 1-2 minutes.
-
Add the wet: Now add the 1 cup of buttermilk and 2 ¼ cups milk gradually, whisking after each addition to prevent the batter from forming clumps. Lastly, whisk in the 2 tbsp of vodka. If you added the liquids too fast and the batter looks clumpy, you can pass it through a sieve to remove the clumps.
-
Whip eggs: In a bowl whip together 10 eggs until light and foamy, about 5 minutes. Then add the whipped eggs to the rest of the batter, mixing it in thoroughly.
Butter the inside of one 8 or 10-inch round (8 qt cast iron pot)cast iron dutch oven or any heavy-bottomed pot**, then dust it with breadcrumbs; or line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the sides with non-stick spray.
How to bake Honeycomb Babka Cake
-
Bake: Pour the batter into an 8 qt cast iron pot,* cover with lid or foil and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. If at any point it smells burnt, turn the oven down about 25 degrees, but do not open the oven or the lid of the pot (this is very important).
After 1.5 hours, lower the temp to 200F° and bake for another 1 hour 30 minutes. Leave in the oven to cool for several hours if possible, if not, remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temp
Recipe Notes
* * It is best to use heavy bottomed, or thick-walled baking container, so a dutch oven works the best. But, you can also use a glass baking dish (just cover it tightly with foil) or even double up disposable foil tins for better insulations.
Thank you for following me on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest!
Hashtag your photos #LetTheBakingBeginBlog so I can see your creations and for a chance to be featured!
Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Marina, I follow exactly the recipe and it turned out perfect. I left it overnight in the oven and it tasted amazing. I am making the second time today since it was so delicious Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
I have a question – reading that a Dutch oven would work, but also stating that it needs “a blast of heat” to create the tunnels… how does that work when it takes so long for cast iron Dutch oven (le Cruset) to heat?
I’d love to make this, but some guidance would be appreciated. Should I put the Dutch oven in to preheat?
Thanks!
Hi Julie,
just follow the recipe as written. May be it was poorly worded, but it just means that the high initial temperature (even if it takes awhile to reach it) is what creates the tunnels.
I’ve done this recipe on numerous occasions and have impressed the guests!! It’s a keeper recipe if you want an easy dessert but wanna try something new. We like to eat it with uncooked sweetened condensed milk poured over, Yumm!!!!
This is such a good recipe. I have made it several times already and it always came out perfect. My kids love it!
I’ve made this dessert using your recipe multiple times and it turned out perfect every time!
The biggest cast iron pot I have is 6.75 quarts. Could I halve the recipe and use that pot? Would the baking time change if so?
You can use this pot with no problem. The one I have doesn’t get filled up all the way, so the 6.75 is fine. Whatever the amount of batter you see poured from the beginning is the amount of cake you’ll get in the end. It only rises slightly.
I tried this recipe yesterday using a heavy Dutch oven. 350F for 1.5 Hrs followed by 200F for 1.5 Hrs finished with 1.5 Hrs in the oven to cool. I neither got the caramel color inside nor any of the honeycomb structure. The cake looked like a oily custard with very little flavor. Not sure where I did go wrong…
Hello, I just made the honeycomb cake, but I made it gluten free. It did not have holes or tunnels. It turned out soft and spongy with a great flavor.
Thank you for this recipe!
Hello! Just made this recipe this evening. Going to leave it to cool overnight. I’m wondering if you tip the cake out of the pot to serve it, or do you recommend cutting slices into the pot and removing it piece by piece? So excited to see what it looks like in the morning! Thanks!
Hi Maria,
Yes, we tip it out of the pot, then slice and serve it on a serving dish. Hope it all came out well!
Hello! i just made this today. Im not sure what to expect because when i went into the kitchen, it smelled eggy. and usually when your baked good smells eggy it means that its not a success. is it suppose to smell eggy when its done?
It should not smell eggy at all. Did you forget to put the sugar? I don’t think I know what could’ve gone wrong as I haven’t had that happen in all of my trials 🙁 sorry about that.
Marina, how to make babka niagre in instant pot? Have you test it. I would like to see this recipe for instant pot.
Believe it or not, I actually tried it several times. Unfortunately, it would not come out with the right holes/tunnels when I did it, or it would give me a burn notice and stop the cooking process. I think there needs to be a certain brand of the instant pot to be able to bake in it.
Just finished Babka, instead of heavy cream (did not have it) I used sour cream (smetana) lol lol! Made Babka first time, came good! Had to cover with a condensed milk. My son said tasted good. So time consuming! Too bad instant pot won’t work.
Do I need to refrigerate this dessert?! I can’t wait to try it.
Not if you eat it within a day. Otherwise refrigerate until ready to eat and keep it tightly covered.
Hi Marina , Thanks a lot for recipe , I was born in Moldova , so I remember my grandmother was making baba nyagre for holidays .I definitely will make this recipe for my family.
Super excited to make this! My mom used to make this years ago and I’ve never seen this recipe anywhere. I love it with condensed milk.
I hope you love it Inna! Tag me when you make it, would love to see yours!
Hey Marina! Thanks for the post, I really want to try making it.
Quick question. My relative’s mom made something similar to this and she said when done, they put condensed milk on top to make it a bit sweeter. When I asked her for the recipe, she said they dont have one but add things here and there with no exact measurements or list of ingredients.
If I can remember correctly, she referred to it as “начинка”. Is this by any chance same recipe? She also baked it in a heavy bottom pan.
I want to try it so bad!!! When she let me taste it, it was bomb!
Hi Lena,
Depending on where you’re from, Nachinka can be the same thing as what this recipe is. In our Western region of Ukraine they called this Babka Nyagre, Nachinka as well.
For others, Nachinka meant something you stuff the turkey with.
How many days can this Dessert stay in room temperature or be refrigerated?
Hi Vera,
It spoils at room temp pretty fast, but refrigerated it could probably stay there for up to 4 days. Just make sure to keep it covered, so it does not dry out.