Best 5 Russian Coffee Cake Recipes

RUSSIAN HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Trace circles around a 9-inch pie or cake pan onto 12 baking-sheet-size pieces of parchment paper. Set aside.
• Make a water bath: Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water, and set over medium heat.
• Place 3/4 cup of honey in a 2-quart saucepan, and set over high heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium. After about 3 minutes, the honey will begin to foam intensely. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, keep a close eye on the honey. Cook until it begins to smoke, then turn off the heat and carefully add water. Allow the honey to sputter until it stops bubbling. Whisk to combine, and pour into a heatproof measuring cup with a spout, then place in prepared water bath to keep honey liquid.
• Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a simmer. Combine 1/4 cup burned honey, 3/4 cup honey, sugar and butter in a large metal mixing bowl, and place over the pot of water.
• Crack eggs into a small bowl, and set aside. Stir together baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon sea salt and cinnamon in a separate small bowl.
• When the butter has melted, whisk the honey mixture to combine. Use your finger to test the temperature of the mixture. When it's warm, add the eggs while whisking. When the mixture returns to the same temperature, add the cinnamon mixture, and continue whisking for another 30 seconds. The batter will begin to foam and emit a curious odor. Remove the bowl from the heat, and allow it to cool until it's warm.
• Place the flour in a fine-mesh sieve, and sift over the batter in three batches, whisking to incorporate the flour completely with each addition. The batter should be completely smooth. The batter will spread more easily when it's warm, so pour half into a small bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot, such as atop the preheating oven.
• Place a piece of parchment tracing-side-down on a baking sheet, and spoon in a heaping 1/3 cup of batter. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the batter to the edges. It will seem like just barely enough batter; do your best to get the layer even and perfectly circular. Repeat with remaining layers until you're out of pans, and then continue with remaining batter and parchment sheets, laying batter circles out on a flat surface. You'll end up with 11 or 12.
• Bake as many layers at a time as possible, for 6 to 7 minutes, until the cake turns a deep caramel color and springs back at the touch. For the first round, set the timer for 4 minutes to rotate pans if needed to ensure even cooking. Check the cakes again at 6 minutes. Do not overbake!
• When each layer is done, slide the parchment off the pan to prevent overbaking. If reusing baking sheets while they are still hot, reduce cooking time to 5 to 6 minutes.
• When the cake layers are cool enough to handle, examine them. If any spread outside the traced circles as they baked, use a sharp knife or pair of scissors to trim them. Before the cakes cool entirely, pull each one carefully from the parchment, then place back on the parchment on a flat surface, and allow to cool completely.
• When all the layers are baked, reduce the oven temperature to 250, and allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes. Return the least attractive layer (or 2, if you got 12) to a baking sheet, and place in the oven to toast until deep reddish brown and dry, about 15 minutes. Allow it to cool, then use a food processor to grind into fine crumbs. Cover and set aside.
• Place 1/2 cup burned honey, dulce de leche and 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt into a medium bowl. Whisk by hand until combined, then slowly pour in 3/4 cup cream and mix until homogeneous. Chill until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.
• Pour 4 cups heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer, and affix whisk attachment. Whip at medium speed to soft peaks, about 6 minutes, then add honey mixture and whip frosting to medium stiff peaks. If your mixer holds less than 5 quarts, make frosting in 2 batches and then combine in a large bowl, or use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
• Assemble the cake on a 10-inch cardboard circle or flat serving plate. Place a cake layer in the center of the cardboard, then spoon a heaping cup of frosting onto the center. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly, leaving a 1/4-inch ring unfrosted around the edge. Place the next layer atop the frosting, center it and continue as above. Don't be afraid to manhandle the cake to align the layers as you continue stacking. If necessary, make up for any doming in the center by spreading more frosting to the outer half of each layer than the inner half. After you place the 10th layer, spread another scant cup of frosting over the top. Use any leftover frosting to smooth out the sides of the cake, but don't fret if the edges of some cake layers poke through the frosting. Sprinkle the top and sides with cake crumbs.
• Chill overnight. Serve chilled. Cake can be made up to two days in advance. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

RUSSIAN HONEY COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together--except for chopped nuts. Beat well.
• 2. Pour into a greased loaf pan which has been lined with wax paper on the bottom. Sprinkle top with chopped nuts.
• 3. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until toothpick comes out clean. If top browns too fast, cover with foil last 15 minutes.
• 4. Cool completely and remove from pan. Wrap and let sit overnight before slicing. Note: this coffee cake freezes well.

RUSSIAN COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and flour 9x13 pan.
• Mix oil, eggs, 1C sugar, baking powder, salt and flour until well mixed.
• Pour 1/2 of the batter in the pan (it will seem like there is not enough).
• Add the pie filling to the pan, spreading it out over the batter.
• Pour the remaining batter in the pan.
• Mix the 1/2 C sugar and the cinnamon together, spread over the batter.
• With the back of a large spoon, rub the sugar mixture to the batter gently,.
• Bake 1 Hour in a 325 degree oven.
• Cool before serving.

RUSSIAN CAKE "MURAVEINIK" (ANTHILL CAKE)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine together 3 cups of sifted flour with 1 stick of butter until combined and crumbly. Add pinch of salt.
• Beat 1 egg and 1 cup sugar in a small bowl with a whisk until pale yellow and well combined. Add to the flour mixture and stir with paddle attachment or spatula until well combined. Mixture should still be crumbly.
• Pour vinegar over baking soda in a small dish and give it a quick stir. Immediately mix with sour cream and let it sit for 2-5 minutes. Pour sour cream mix into the flour mixture. Add more flour if needed to make sure that dough is not runny. It should be the consistency of cookie dough.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 1 hour to harden.
• After 1 hour, break the dough into smaller pieces and feed it through the meat grinder using the large hole meat grinder attachment. Put dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Try to separate the strings of dough on the baking sheet.
• Place prepared dough in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 min at 350° F.
• Remove from the oven, and let the cookies cool, then break them into small pieces. Place broken cookies in large mixing bowl and toss in chopped hazelnuts.
• To make the cream, use an electric hand or stand mixer to beat softened butter until fluffy, then beat in condensed milk until smooth. Pour cream over the cookie mixture. Mix everything together well.
• Divide the dough in half. Form each mound by firmly patting down the cake as you mold it. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, cover with plastic wrap and place the cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.

RUSSIAN COFFEE CAN CAKE (KULICH)

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in the water.
• Stir in the next four ingredients, 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the almonds, raisins and vanilla.
• Beat until smooth then add in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
• Turn dough onto a floured board or counter and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a greased bowl, turn to coat.
• Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Punch down dough and let rse again until almost doubled, about 40 minutes.
• Divide dough in half and roll each half into a well rounded bun shape.
• Place each bun in a well greased 1 lb coffee can.
• Cover and let rise until the dough starts to puff up over the top of the cans, about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375 degrees on a low rack in the center of the oven for 45 minutes or until brown.
• Let cool slightly then remove from cans.
• Mix together all of the icing ingredients and pour over the cakes letting some run down the sides.