I love this cake. It's a honey cake, but I can't call it that because there's already a traditional Russian honey cake that is amazing and I will make it one beautiful day.  But this day I made Tort Kytyzov for my son's birthday and it was delicious.  Traditionally this cake has a layer of prunes that had been soaked in a brandy or rum.  I remember my siblings not loving the prunes so I am using dry cherries instead. 

ingredients :

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 eggs
• 2.5 - 3 cups flour

Cream

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 small container of cool whip
• 1 can cooked condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup dried cherries or prunes soaked in 2 Tbs of Brandy, Rum or I use a orange liquor that is amazing in desserts. 
• 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

I start with preheating the oven and soaking the cherries in the liquor, chopping the walnuts and setting that aside. Sift flour - or have one of the kids do it, they love it. 

On a double boiler or two pots like I use, melt the butter with sugar and honey. You don't want that direct heat with this recipe, so double boiler it. Stir frequently to insure that the sugar is melting, about 5 min.

Take the baking soda in a small container and hold it over the butter/ sugar mixture, pour the apple cider vinegar over the baking soda, allowing the chemical reaction to happen.  it will fizz right into the mixture.  The batter will get lighter and fluffier.  allow the mixture to remain on the heat for another 2 min, stir frequently. 

in a separate mixing bowl or mixer, lightly beat the eggs.  As the eggs are beating on medium speed, add a ladleful of the butter/ honey mixture to the egg to temper it.  then add the remainder of the butter/honey mixture to the egg mixture.  Turn the mixer speed to stir and add in the flour.  Don't over do the dough. as soon as the flour incorporates into the mixture, fold it out on parchment paper and refrigerate for 20 min. Divide in 10 equal pieces. 

This dough is hard to roll out because it needs to be super thin once rolled out into a circle, I use a plate or the bottom of my spring pan as a guide .  I like that best so I can use that pan later to put the cake together.  (I'll have pictures) I used to roll it between two parchment papers, but was able to roll it out just fine this time.  If your doing GF version then you can just spoon the batter out into circles on parchment paper and bake. 

Try not to add more flour because you don't want the cake dense.

take a fork and score each layer before baking so air bubbles don't form. 

For the cream or icing:

I always start with whipping the heaving whipping cream.  You really don't want to over whip the heavy whipping cream because you will make butter (it's yummy, I've don't it and used it on my toast with jam).  As soon as you see peeks, add sour cream, condensed milk and lower the speed of the mixer, and add the cool whip. As soon as the cool whip is incorporated turn the mixer off and your ready to assemble the cake.

(my cake only had nine layers because when I wasn't looking they ate a layer, dipped it in the cream and all) sigh

Make sure the cake layers are completely cooled. If not, the cream will run out. 

In a food processor, roughly chop the cherries with the liquor and juices they released, set aside.  

To assemble the cake, I put the layers back into the spring pan and begin layering.   On the fourth layer before adding the cream , make a layer of the cherry mixture.  On the sixth layer, after adding the cream, make a layer of walnuts. leave about a half a cup of cream to cover the sides the next day.

I cover the cake with plastic wrap and put a large plate on top and refrigerate over night.

In the morning, take the cake out, pop the spring pan open, place the cake on a cake stand and fix the sides with the left over cream. 

I love this cake with the chocolate on top.  The cherries, walnuts and chocolate are scrumptious together. yum.

I just get a Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate bar in the baking section in most grocery stores. Melt it on a double boiler with a Tbs of milk. I use almond milk and it works just fine. As soon as it melts I pour it over the cake.  I keep the cake in the fridge until it's ready to be served.  

There is a lot of cream for this cake, but so worth it. I was missing a layer that the boys ate, so I had some extra, I just smothered the sides with it.  Jasper is super into dinosaurs these days, I had to put them on his cake and he was super excited. 

I will have to make this cake again to get a nicer picture of the way it looks when it's cut.  I will post one here, but it's an old one.  In the cake pictured below, I used a raspberry preserve that I made.  It's not the same with a jam or a preserve.  For sure use dried cherries or prunes.

Guys, this cake is super good GF as well.  You can substitute the same amount of GF flour for the regular flour.  I made my own mix and could not roll it out. Had to spoon it out.  I used Buckwheat, rice flour mixture. Then I made it with just a premix from a natural grocer (pictured above) and it was great. Not as tall though.

Happy baking everyone.

Indulge once in a while :) make Russian dessert!