This Polish honey cake alternates layers of honey cake with layers of a delicious semolina buttercream. A symphony of flavours and textures that finds its roots in ancient Polish and Jewish baking. In my family we call it grysikowiec and my grandma has always baked it with thick layers. Here is her recipe, from me to you.
In Poland you may encounter this Polish honey cake under two different names: grysikowiec or miodownik. Originating from a Jewish recipe, this cake actually has a third name, too - chonek łejkech. While the third one is the Polish-Jewish name, outside of the Jewish community this cake goes mostly by one of the two Polish names.
Why two names? It's a matter of perspective, as one of the names focuses on the honey and the other focuses on the semolina. Grysikowiec comes from grysik, the Polish word for semolina, thus means "semolina cake". Miodownik, on the other hand, comes from the Polish word for honey, miód, and so would mean "honey cake".
Useful tips for Polish honey cake
This honey cake requires a few separate moments, that you may want to spread out over 2 days. Don't let this fact dissuade you from making it, as it's really delicious and worth the effort. After all, there are many delicious recipes that take some work, like making your own pasta from scratch or macarons!
You can also just make everything throughout one day, you just need to budget in some cooling time in between. In order to optimize your time, I recommend to follow recipe directions in this order:
- Make the semolina first, as it needs to be completely cooled to be used in the buttercream (this could be done on day 1).
- Make the honey pastry, which requires some bake time and some cooling time as well (especially if you bake one layer at a time for lack of oven trays or convection oven. Also on day 1).
- Make the semolina buttercream when the semolina has cooled (a good option for day 2, so you also allow the butter time come to room temperature).
- Assemble the cake when the honey cake layers have cooled (final step on day 2).
Read on for the recipe and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients and equipment
- Flour
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Honey
- Sour cream
- Baking soda
- Milk
- Semolina
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
For detailed quantities, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
I make my honey cake layers in the food processor, thin them with a rolling pin. You need a 24-cm baking pan (9 inches) for reference. Oven trays lined with baking paper. A cooling rack. To make the semolina buttercream you will need a pot (preferably with a thick bottom), a hand whisk and a spatula. An electric mixer. To assemble the cake you will need a cake collar (or baking paper).
How to make Polish honey cake with Semolina Cream
1. The Semolina Buttercream
1. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a pot and bring to a boil, then slowly add the semolina stirring continuously. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Lower the heat if you feel that it sticks to the bottom of the pan.
Let it cool completely, to room temperature.
2. Add the egg yolks and sugar to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the room temperature butter, little by little, always mixing at medium speed. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time to ensure everything gets mixed homogeneously.
3. When the butter has been incorporated, add the cooled semolina little by little, again scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Stop the mixer as soon as all the semolina has been added.
Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a round attachment (or just a round hole, really).
2. The Honey Cake Layers
1. Mix flour, eggs, baking soda, cold butter, honey, sugar and sour cream in a food processor and blitz until combined. Stop the blades from time to time and scrape the sides of the bowl.
2. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out each portion on a floured surface and cut out according to desired size (use a baking ring or cutter of the same size as reference).
3. Bake each layer individually at 200°C (390°F) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to cooling rack. The pastry will slightly harden as it cools.
3. How to Assemble the Cake
1. Line the inside sides of a baking tin with a cake collar or with strips of baking paper. Place one disc at the bottom of the form. Pipe enough cream to cover the whole disc all the way to the outer edges, going in a spiral.
2. Place next pastry disc and gently press it to distribute the cream under it. Pipe the next layer of cream. Proceed this way until you have used all 4 discs. I had divided my cream between 2 pastry bags and used half for each layer.
3. Flatten the cream on the top layer, if you prefer a smoother finish.
Place the cake in the fridge to cool and set for a minimum of 4 hours. For best results, leave it overnight, so the pastry discs have enough time to moisten and soften.
Polish honey cake variations
Variations of this cake recipe exist, you can also find it with plum jam spread in between the layers or with a chocolate topping. It is generally acknowledged that if it has the plum jam, the cake will mostly go by the name grysikowiec. If the cake has the chocolate layer on top, it's most likely to be called miodownik. Miodownik usually also has more but thinner layers of both cake and filling.
The Polish honey cake I'm featuring here has neither the jam, nor the chocolate on top. And it has fewer but thicker layers. I follow my Polish grandma's recipe, and how she used to make it. She used to call it grysikowiec, which is the name I'm most familiar with. Also, she used to bake it in a square pan, but I like to make it round, just to give it my own twist.
Store it refrigerated in an airtight container, and your cake will last for up to 5 days - and on the 5th day it will taste better than on the 1st! That is because the extra time has allowed the flavours to blend and the texture to set. The reason behind this feature is because the honey cake layers are basically more of a shortcrust pastry than a sponge cake layer. A soft sponge cake gets soggy after staying in contact with the filling for a few days. This honey shortcrust will instead soften - which is even better!
More from my grandma's cookbook
If you loved this Polish honey cake recipe, let me share with you some other favourites from my Polish babcia's kitchen. All these recipes have deep meaning to me, just like the one in this post. Whether you are just curious about polish cuisine or nostalgic for your Polish roots, you are welcome here. Let me feed you, just like my grandma would want me to do.
If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you're planning to try it another time, pin this recipe to Pinterest. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram and on Pinterest.
Polish Honey Cake with Semolina Buttercream
Equipment
- 24-cm (9-in) baking tin
- Food processor
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Pot
- Spatula and spoons
- Cooling rack
- Hand whisk
- Cake collar
Ingredients
For the honey cake layers
- 500 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 100 g honey
- 50 g butter cold
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g sour cream
For the semolina buttercream
- 1 l milk
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 140 g semolina
- 350 g butter room temperature
- 400 g sugar
- 4 egg yolks
Instructions
1. Semolina Buttecream
- Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a pot and bring to a boil, then slowly add the semolina stirring continuously. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Lower the heat if you feel that it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Let it cool completely, to room temperature.
- Add the egg yolks and sugar to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the room temperature butter, little by little, always mixing at medium speed. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time to ensure everything gets mixed homogeneously.
- When the butter has been incorporated, add the cooled semolina little by little, again scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Stop the mixer as soon as all the semolina has been added. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a round attachment (or just a round hole, really).
2. Honey Pastry
- Combine flour, eggs, baking soda, cold butter, honey, sugar and sour cream in a food processor and blitz until combined. Stop the blades from time to time and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out each portion on a floured surface and cut out according to desired size (use a baking ring or cutter of the same size as reference).
- Bake each layer individually at 200°C (390°F) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to cooling rack. The pastry will slightly harden as it cools.
3. Assembling the Cake
- Line the inside sides of a baking tin with a cake collar or with strips of baking paper. Place one disc at the bottom of the form. Pipe enough cream to cover the whole disc all the way to the outer edges, going in a spiral.
- Place next pastry disc and gently press it to distribute the cream under it. Pipe the next layer of cream. Proceed this way until you have used all 4 discs. I had divided my cream between 2 pastry bags and used half for each layer.
- Flatten the cream on the top layer, if you prefer a smoother finish. Place the cake in the fridge to cool and set for a minimum of 4 hours. For best results, leave it overnight, so the pastry discs have enough time to moisten and soften.
I love the ratio of cake to cream on this cake - and wow - this is my first time hearing about semolina cream. Such a gorgeous tea time treat!
Hi Shashi! I have found this cake with thinner layers of both cream and cake, but this is how my grandma used to make it and I love it with this ratio! Thank you for your comment.
This is such a gorgeous cake. The layers turn out better than any cake I've made before.
This is great to hear, Laura! Glad it did not disappoint.
First of all, I didn't know you can make cake frosting with semolina! This idea is creative - just wow! The cake looks delicious; though I rarely make cakes, I will love to try this!
Hi Kechi! Indeed you can, and the result is surprisingly delicious. I hope you get a chance to give this semolina cream cake a try.
I ate so much of this when I was in Gdansk. I will definitely be making it myself.
Hi Dannii! How wonderful you got to taste the real thing in Poland!
This looks wonderful. I am from Hungary and this looks similar to the Hungarian Honey Cream Slices or Mezes Kremes / Mezes Zserbo in Hungarian. I love it. Such a small world.
Hi Emese! How interesting to hear! These cakes must be related from the times of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
What size is the baking pan?
Hi Monika! Mine's 26*20 cm, it was from the Drommar series from Ikea. Anything around that size should work!
Eva,
Could you tell me why you say this is a Jewish Polish cake? I am a cookbook author and I believe it is but the recipe seems to be everywhere. Would it be possible to talk with you? Are you on What's App?
Hi Joan, This cake also goes by the name chonek łejkech which is Jewish-Polish.
RAW egg yolk in buttercream!???
Yep, just like in traditional tiramisù. If you are concerned about salmonella, you can use pasteurized, they're becoming more and more popular and are available in bottles at the supermarket.