Smetannik (Russian Cake with Sour Cream Frosting)

Ingredients

Ingredients for the pastry:

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  • 2 extra large eggs room temperature
  
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  • ½ cup honey
  
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  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  
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  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
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  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  
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  • ½ cup butter (1 stick room temperature)
  
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  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  
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  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
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  • zest of 1 large lemon
  

For the frosting:

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  • ½ cup butter (1 stick room temperature)
  
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  • 4 cups sour cream (drained over night in a strainer lined with Cheese cloth)
  
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  • 1 cup superfine sugar
  
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  • 1 ½ cups finely grinned toasted walnuts
  
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  • 2 tablespoons of good dark rum or (even better) 1½ teaspoons pure rum extract.
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   In a mixing bowl combine honey, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and baking soda.
   Put the bowl over a double boiler and gently stir until every thing is completely melted and slightly foamy. Take the bowl of and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes, than mix in vanilla, lemon zest and flour 1 cup at the time. When the dough is ready, roll it with your hands to a log, and divide to 9 equal portions.
   Wrap each portion in plastic, and put into refrigerator for ½ an hour.
2. With a rolling pin rollout each portion to a circle about 9 or 10 inches.
   Bake on buttered parchment paper in a tart pan with a removable bottom, or turn a cake pan upside down and bake on the top. Check on the crusts, do not let them get to dark, they bake very fast. (6 to 8 minutes)
3. Frosting:
   In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add slowly sour cream while continuing beating. When it forms medium picks, fold in the walnuts and rum.
   Cover 8 layers and the sides of the cake with the frosting. Crash the 9th with a rolling pin and sprinkle the crumbs over the top, or use all 9 layers and finish the cake with a beautiful decoration of chocolate glaze. (Ganache)
   This cake is best to enjoy the next day after it was prepared.
   Then keep refrigerated.