michelle polzine's honey cake
This cake is exhilarating; it’s like nothing I’ve ever eaten before. It comes from Michelle Polzine of 20th Century Cafe in San Francisco, where the celebrated cake is practically synonymous with the cafe. The cake is Michelle’s interpretation of the central European medovik torte, a honey cake of thin cookie layers alternating with sour cream frosting. In her version, Michelle adds more butter to the batter to make thin, spongy layers. She uses burnt honey which adds a caramelized depth and a welcome hint of bitterness to the floral sweetness. The glorious frosting, a glossy whipped cream, is laced with more burnt honey and dulce de leche. The honey and milk sugars magically keep the frosting stable and shiny without butter.
This cake, also, is a labor of love. Although its two components are not, in themselves, too difficult to make, the entire process takes time, even for experienced bakers. Be prepared to spend an entire afternoon making this cake and even then not being able to eat it. (Once assembled, it requires an overnight chill.) But then. Be prepared to eat a cake that seems to defy the very laws of cake.
Michelle Polzine’s Honey Cake
Adapted from the forthcoming Baking at the 20th Century Cafe by Michelle Polzine (and in combination with an earlier version from The New York Times Cooking by Samin Nosrat).
Makes one very tall 9 1/2-inch cake (serves 16-20).
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BURNT HONEY
3/4 plus 2 tablespoons (200 milliliters) wildflower (or other mild) honey
2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
FOR THE CAKE
2/3 cup (150 milliliters) wildflower (or other mild) honey
1/4 cup burnt honey (from above)
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (165 grams) sugar
11 1/2 tablespoons (168 grams) cold unsalted, cubed
5 large eggs
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold water
3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
FOR THE FROSTING
One 14-ounce (396 grams) can dulce de leche*
1/2 cup (118 milliliters) burnt honey (from above)
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups heavy cream, divided
METHOD
Preheat oven to 375°F. Use a dark marker to trace eleven 9-inch circles onto baking-sheet-size sheets of parchment paper.
MAKE THE BURNT HONEY: Bring the honey to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. After a few minutes, it will begin to foam intensely. Stir it occasionally with a wooden spoon and pay close attention: as soon it starts to smoke, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and swirl the honey for a minute to release some heat, then set the pan down and add the water (be careful; it will steam and sizzle!). Once it stops bubbling, give it a stir and pour it into a heatproof measuring cup. Stir in enough hot water to make 3/4 cups 2 tablespoons (200 milliliters) burnt honey. (The burnt honey can be made ahead; stored at room temperature, it will keep indefinitely.)
MAKE THE CAKE: In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the honey, 1/4 cup burnt honey, sugar, and butter, and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Whisk the honey mixture. When the butter has melted and the mixture is hot to the touch (but not so hot it will burn you), add the eggs all at once while whisking. Whisk until the mixture becomes hot again, then whisk in the baking soda mixture. The batter will begin to foam and smell a little weird; that’s normal. Remove from the heat, whisk in the cold water, and let cool until warm but not hot. Then, sift in the flour and whisk until completely smooth.
Place a piece of parchment paper tracing-side-down on a baking sheet. Use an ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to spoon about 1/3 cup (90 grams) of the batter onto the circle, and use an offset spatula to evenly spread it to the circle’s edges. It will seem like just barely enough batter. If you have another baking sheet, prepare a second layer. Bake both layers, two at a time, rotating the pans halfway through, until they turn a deep caramel color and spring back at the touch, 6 to 7 minutes. Do not overbake! Repeat with remaining layers, reducing the bake time by a minute or two if reusing hot baking sheets. When each layer is done, slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet. Peel the cake layers off the parchment paper when they are still warm, but do not stack them until they’re completely cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F and allow the cake layers to cool for thirty minutes. Choose your least favorite layer and return it to the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until it turns a deep reddish-brown and becomes very dry, about 15 minutes. Allow it to cool before transferring it a food processor and grinding it to fine crumbs. Set aside.
MAKE THE FROSTING: In a medium bowl, whisk 1/2 cup burned honey, dulce de leche, and salt. Slowly pour in 3/4 cup (178 milliliters) heavy cream, and whisk until smooth. Place in the refrigerator until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 5 1/4 cups heavy cream to soft peaks, about six minutes at medium speed. Add honey mixture and whip until medium stiff peaks. If your mixer holds less than 5 quarts, make frosting in two batches and combine in a large bowl. Refrigerate the frosting while you prepare to assemble the cake.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Place your first layer on a 10-inch cardboard circle or a flat serving plate. Spoon 1 heaping cup ( 150 to 160 grams) of frosting on top and use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly to the edges. Top with the second cake layer and repeat the frosting and stacking process with all ten layers. Don’t be afraid to manhandle the cake to align the cake layers as you continue stacking. (If you have a bench scraper and cake turntable, hold the scraper at a right angle from the cake and turn the cake to smooth and straighten it as you go.) After your tenth layer, spread another cup of frosting on the top and use any leftover frosting to smooth out the side of the cake. Gently press the reserved cake crumbs on the sides of the cakes until completely coated. Scatter some more crumbs on top, as you wish.
Refrigerate the cake overnight and serve chilled. The cake can be made up to 2 days in advance; refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
*To make dulce de leche, place an unopened 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk in a DEEP pot and cover with at least six inches of water. Bring to a boil and keep at a rolling boil for about 4 hours, replenishing the water frequently to keep the water level constant. Remove the can and cool completely before opening, about 2 hours.