Schmand Archives - Jenny is baking

Russian Honey Layer Cake – Medovik

Today I am introducing the cousing of the famous Russian Napoleon cake: Medovik. Just as Napoleon is a layer cake of twelve layers, so is Medovik. The main difference is the dough, Medovik does contain honey, but Napoleon does not. Just as there are several options for the filling for Napoleon, I opted for the traditional sour cream filling. This cake also as a crumb crust, which is leftover and baked dough that was processed into crumbs and then patted on the outside of the cake. Since you need to bake 12 layers of dough, this is a warning that this recipe requires time. I definitely believe it is worth all the effort. Usually I prefer fruity cakes with fresh fillings, however, once I tried Medovik, I secretly went for a second helping, it tastes amazing. Below you will see the recipe for a cake slightly smaller in diameter. I purposely went for a 18cm cake as it is rather filling and there is only the two of us. You can definitely cut into rather small pieces. Continue Reading…

22/08/2025

Vareniki with Tvorog or Cottage Cheese – Recipe from my Grandma

This is another nostalgic recipe for me: vareniki. Think dumplings filled with cottage cheese from the Ukraine. You may serve these as a savory main dish, but you may also serve them sweet, traditionally filled with sour cherries. I was used to a rather hybrid version, we would eat them with tvorog or cottage cheese and served it with a sour cream sauce we knew as “shmargus”. Since everything was seasoned with salt and pepper, you may think of this as a savory dish. But it is also possible to serve with sugar sprinkled on top and some additional sour cream. As you can see on the last picture, my grandma actually passed on a recipe. This comes as a huge surprise as she normally did not write down any recipes she would make regularly. She knew them off by heart and thus did not see the need to document. So I am beyond grateful that she took the time to write down ingredients and amounts. Mind you, no instructions other than a list of ingredients, but at least this is a starting point. Since it is only the two of us, I halved the recipe, I have learned the hard way that my grandma always wrote down large amounts to feed a crowd. But at least there is something documented.

12/04/2024

Simple Sour Cream Cookies for Easter

I promised I would introduce more cookie recipes during my second year of blogging. For that reason I decided to make some simple sour cream cookies for Easter. I actually got this recipe when I spent one year in Canada. It is a very old-fashioned recipe and not too sweet. These cookies are very soft, cute and pretty. Obviously you don’t have to make Easter bunnies and the like, I remember just using a glass in order to cut out the cookies in Canada.

26/03/2018