Sour cream honey cake (Сметанник) from Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore (page 260) by Darra Goldstein

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • tippi_dkityu on April 03, 2026

    Loved it BUT you definitely need to wait 24 to 50 hours to get the best taste. Does get better and better with time. I did not have high fat sour cream (used regular Daisy), so I ended up adding a tablespoon or so of instant vanilla pudding to get the stiff peaks. There was no vanilla taste and it was fantastic. My Russian friend said she strains the sour cream overnight in the fridge. I might try this next time. Big hit. Complex and just right amount of sweet. I was surprised that you could actually get a big hit of honey despite how small amount was used. Agree with the other opinion that it’s a small cake. However, you don’t want a huge slice because it’s rich.

  • tges on January 08, 2021

    Makes a nice but more on the simple side, smetannik cake, but on the very small side. You would need to slice very small slices to yield the eight servings - unless I'm just a glutton. For reference, the best medovik cakes I have ever made was using Simon Bajada's "Baltic" recipe and Olia Hercules' from "Mamushka" - sure, these are honey cakes - not a sour cream cake but if you're after that sort of thing, spring for the above recommendations. As a sour cream cake, this recipe came together beautifully and was happily welcomed as a quicker to put together and cook, honey cake. There is enough honey in the smetannik tort to satisfy a honey cake craving and will be warmly received by sour cream lovers.If you wait the prescribed four hours or so, allowing for the cream to soften the biscuits - you will still have some crunch but for me, I really love the transformation to almost a tiramisu if you wait a minimum of four days in the fridge.

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