Romanian Honey Cake Recipes

ROMANIAN APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Cut the apples into 1 inch wedges. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until blended. Mix in the baking soda, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in the flour, just until incorporated. Fold in the apples and walnuts.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly. May be served warm or at room temperature.

TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN HONEY CAKE - RECIPE

Steps:

• Beat eggs and sugar until thick.
• Add vegetable oil, honey, and sour cream.
• Beat well.
• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.
• Gradually mix it into the liquids.
• Add vanilla, and mix well.
• Grease and flour two loaf pans, or a 9 x 13 sheet cake pan (I use the sheet cake pan).
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Pour batter into the pans. Sprinkle nuts over top (optional).
• Bake on the middle oven rack for 40-50 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, and cool in pans for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans onto wire rack, and cool completely.
• Cut to serving pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar, or If you decide to make it into a torte, this is the time to cut it into layers, and spread you favorite filling.
• Wrap the torte in foil, or saran wrap, and keep it refrigerated, until ready to serve.
• Honey cakes also freeze very well, but you need to wrap it in paper towel, then foil, then freezer plastic bag. Thaw in the fridge a day before serving, all wrapped, to preserve moisture.

MUCENICI- A TRADITIONAL ROMANIAN HONEY AND WALNUTS PASTRY

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in half of the amount of milk we need for the recipe. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the mixture. The milk has to be lukewarm, not hot.
• Set aside and let it rise for 15 minutes.
• In a KitchenAid mixer bowl, place the sifted flour.
• Start mixing the flour at low speed, using a spiral dough hook attachment. One by one, add the yeast mixture, eggs, melted butter, the rest of sugar, lemon and orange zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
• Slowly add the lukewarm milk and keep kneading until you form a dough.
• Let the machine knead the dough for about 7 to 10 minutes until you obtain a smooth, elastic dough that doesn't stick to the bowl or your hands.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise for an hour or until it doubles in volume.
• Make the filling:
• While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a medium bowl, place the ground walnuts and powder sugar. Stir to combine.
• Add the milk slowly to form a thick mixture.
• When the dough has risen, place it on a working table and flatten it slightly.
• Cut the dough into 15-20 equal pieces. You can cut it into 8-10 pieces for bigger size pastries.
• Shape every piece into a ball and, if necessary, weigh them to make sure they are the same size.
• Place them on the table and cover them with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
• Take one ball, shape it into a roll, flatten it with your hands and stretch it with a roller pin. It should be about 10 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.
• Add the walnut paste at the edge of the dough on an even layer, and roll it gently to form a roll.
• Bring the ends of the roll together and form a ring. Twist the ring in the middle to create an eight (8).
• Place the pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
• Continue to shape the rest of the dough. Let the pastries rise again on the tray for about 20-30 minutes.
• After the dough has risen, brush them with the beaten egg.
• Bake them 20 minutes at 350F.
• Remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack.
• Prepare the syrup:
• Meanwhile, prepare the syrup by placing the water in a saucepan with the sugar, orange, lemon zest, and vanilla pod. Bring to a boil and simmer the syrup for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the syrup from the stove, strain it and place it into a clean bowl.
• Soak each pastry in the hot syrup for 10 seconds on each side, remove and place them back on the cooling rack.
• Glazing the pastry:
• Place the honey in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it more fluid.
• Brush each pastry on the surface with honey and dip them in the ground walnuts.
• Serve.

UKRAINIAN HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F, and butter and flour a 7" cake pan.
• Beat honey until frothy. Add eggs, flour and baking powder.
• Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes and check the cake. When done, it will shrink slightly from the pan. Continue baking for 5 minutes if it isn't ready yet. (continue if it needs more time).
• Turn it out of the pan while still hot, and let cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container for a day before serving.

COUSIN JENNY'S HUNGARIAN HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• 1. To make the torte, put the butter, sugar, milk, and honey in a small pan. Warm it over a low heat, beating well, and then let cool.
• 2. Sift the flour and the baking soda onto a board. Make a well and break the egg into it. Mix thoroughly with your hands, then add the contents of the small pan. Make a dough, kneading a few minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide into 4 balls. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
• 3. Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball and roll out into a 10- by 15-inch rectangle. Place on 4 greased cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until the surface is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. (Watch carefully: The dough burns quickly.) Remove the sheets from the oven and let stand overnight at room temperature. If you do not have 4 cookie sheets, use 2 and then repeat.
• 4. Before going to bed, prepare the filling. Place the cream of wheat and the milk in a small pan, stirring constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract.
• 5. Let cool slightly. Add the butter, sugar, and egg. Beat with a mixer. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• 6. The next day, place half of the filling on the first pre-baked sheet of dough. Put the second sheet of dough on top of the first and spread on the apricot or sour cherry preserves. Then put the third sheet on top, spread the remaining filling on it, and finally top with the last sheet. Let stand for at least 6 hours. Cut with a sharp knife into small squares, which is what Mr. Fenyvesi's mother likes, or into diamonds, which is what Jenny preferred.

NO-BAKE HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Heat 1/3 cup cream until almost boiling (in the microwave or on the stovetop). Add 1/3 cup chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Using a spoon, stir until smooth.
• Whip 4 oz butter until fluffy, add 1 packet cream cheese 1 tablespoon at a time until no chunks of cream cheese are visible. While still whipping, pour 14 oz condensed milk, until fully incorporated. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In the now empty bowl of the mixer, whip 2 cups heavy cream until stiff peaks.
• Add heavy cream into the condensed milk cream in 3 additions and carefully fold it in.
• Put a dab of frosting across the serving plate. Put the first row of 4 crackers. Press to secure them to the plate.
• Put about 1 cups frosting on top of the crackers and spread out evenly. Keep alternating layers until all frosting and crackers are used up.
• Cover the cake in remaining frosting.
• Crush up about 4 crackers into crumbs. Take a palm full of crumbs, then cupping your hand press against the side of the cake.
• Pour ganache on top of the cake and spread out, being careful not to allow for dripping over the sides.
• Decorate the top edges of the cake with cut up Peanut Butter Cups, if desired
• Allow the cake to sit in the fridge for 24 hours before eating.
• Let come to room temperature before serving