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A heavenly fluffy and moist sponge cake with a delicate honey aroma meets a light and airy, tart caramel sour cream frosting and a fruity and crunchy filling of prunes and walnuts. The cake “Gerzoginya” tastes incredibly delicious and is so versatile. It is also quite easy to make. You can find a detailed recipe with the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions below.
An old forgotten recipe from the Soviet era
“Gerzoginya” is a homemade nut honey cake from the Soviet era, just like the Kutuzov cake. It has now almost been forgotten, similar to the cake “Yablonka”, the cake “Abrikotin”, and the cake “Slavutych”.
Back then, this cake was served at weddings, anniversaries, and other family celebrations. However, few people knew its actual name.
“Gerzoginya” translates from Russian as “duchess”. Why the cake was given this name is no longer known today.
With many different flavors
The cake “Gerzoginya” has a very versatile flavor, similar to the cake “Ekaterina” or the cake “Damskiy kapriz”. It combines different components that go together perfectly.
The cake bases are made of sponge cake with honey. They taste incredibly fluffy and moist at the same time. They also have a delicate aroma thanks to the honey.
The sour cream frosting with caramelized sweetened condensed milk is light and airy. It adds a tart caramel note.
The dried plum filling gives the cake a fruity flavor. Walnuts add a crunchy, nutty taste, similar to the Grand Napoleon cake.
Cake “Gerzoginya” with other fillings
Traditionally, the cake “Gerzoginya” is made with prunes and walnuts. However, you can also try the recipe with other dried fruits, such as the vegan coffee nut bundt cake recipe, and nuts.
Dried apricots, for example, are very well suited for this. For a nut-free version, simply omit the walnuts from the recipe.
This nut honey cake is
- moist,
- very fluffy,
- soft,
- creamy,
- nutty,
- fruity,
- sweet sour,
- caramel,
- incredibly delicious,
- aromatic,
- with honey sponge cake,
- with walnuts,
- with prunes,
- with caramel sour cream frosting,
- easy to make,
- ideal for fall days,
- also delicious all year round,
- an old Soviet classic, alongside the domino cakes, the peanut roll cake, and the Leningradsky pastry.
How to make cake “Gerzoginya”: tips and tricks
- Use aromatic, delicious, good-quality honey for the sponge cake.
- You can bake the sponge cake the day before, leave it to cool completely, and store it in an airtight container at room temperature overnight. It will be easier to cut the next day.
- You can also use sugar syrup instead of milk to soak the sponge cake.
- The ingredients for the frosting must be cold. This makes them easier to whip.
- If your prunes are too firm, soak them in hot water for about 15 minutes beforehand and then dry them thoroughly.
- You can also try this recipe with other dried fruits and nuts.
Did you make the cake “Gerzoginya” using this recipe? I look forward to seeing your results, your star rating, and your comments below on how it turned out and how it tasted.
Try these Soviet layer cake recipes too:
- Soviet shortcrust layer cake “For tea” – with nuts
- Absheron cake – the sweet hit of Soviet Azerbaijan
- Minsky cake – Soviet recipe with Italian meringue
Cake "Gerzoginya"
Equipment
- Ø 22 cm baking springform tin
Ingredients
for the dough
- 160 g flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 100 g sugar
- 1 pinch of ground vanilla bean
- 1 pinch of salt
- 80 g honey
- 40 ml vegetable oil
for soaking
- 100 ml milk
for the filling
- 100 g prunes
- 100 g walnut kernels roasted
for the frosting
- 530 g sour cream or crème fraîche cold
- 330 g caramelized sweetened condensed milk cold
- 1 pinch of ground vanilla bean
for decoration
- prunes
- walnut kernels roasted
Instructions
Preparation of the batter
- Line the base of the springform tin with baking paper.
- Mix flour with baking powder.
- Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt into an airy, thick, light mixture.
- Stir in honey carefully and briefly.
- Fold the flour mixture into the egg sugar mixture to create an airy sponge batter.
- Carefully stir vegetable oil into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin, smooth it out, bake the honey sponge cake in a preheated oven at 338 °F (170 °C) for approx. 40 minutes and leave to cool completely.
- Cut off the dome of the sponge cake and crumble it finely.
- Cut the sponge cake lengthwise into three cake bases of equal thickness and soak them with milk.
Preparation of the filling
- Cut prunes into small pieces and roughly chop roasted walnuts.
Preparation of the frosting
- Beat sour cream, caramelized sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until creamy.
Preparation of the cake
- Pour approx. 2 - 3 tbsp of frosting into a clean container, seal it and chill it for the time being. You will need the frosting later for the sides of the cake.
- Place a Ø 22 cm ring on a cake plate.
- Place the first cake base on the cake plate in the ring.
- Pour 1/3 of the frosting onto the cake base in the ring and smooth it out. Sprinkle approx. 1/2 of the prune pieces and 1/2 of the coarsely chopped walnuts on top of the frosting. Place the second cake base on top, spread 1/2 of the remaining frosting over it and sprinkle with the remaining prunes and walnuts. Place the third cake base on top and spread the last portion of frosting over it.
- Chill the cake for approx. 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the ring from the cake and spread the sides with the chilled frosting. Sprinkle the sides with the sponge crumbs.
- Decorate the cake "Gerzoginya" with prunes and roasted walnuts and serve.
Notes
- Use aromatic, delicious, good-quality honey for the sponge cake.
- You can bake the sponge cake the day before, leave it to cool completely, and store it in an airtight container at room temperature overnight. It will be easier to cut the next day.
- You can also use sugar syrup instead of milk to soak the sponge cake.
- The ingredients for the frosting must be cold. This makes them easier to whip.
- If your prunes are too firm, soak them in hot water for about 15 minutes beforehand and then dry them thoroughly.
- You can also try this recipe with other dried fruits and nuts.
- Take note of the detailed tips and tricks for making the cake "Gerzoginya" at the top of the article.
If you are using Pinterest, you can pin the following picture:
