Spartak Cake is a delicious layered chocolate and honey cake that is rich and creamy with just a hint of crunch from the walnut tucked between the cream-filled layers.
If you like traditional Russian desserts, make sure to check out my homemade Kiev Cake as well. It is another delicious dessert that features Eastern European flavors.
Homemade Spartak Cake with Chocolate and Honey
This chocolate honey layer cake has been a family favorite for many years. Spartak cake is a traditional Russian dessert that takes time to create but is worth every rich sweetened bite.
We especially love to bake it during the holidays. It’s made of 8 thin chocolatey layers and stacked between a sweetened condensed milk cream and finely chopped walnuts. It’s a delightful dessert worth the time and effort. The moment you take your first bite you’ll know exactly why.
Ingredients for Spartak Cake
Eggs
Sugar
Milk
Honey
Butter
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Baking Soda
Flour
Walnuts
Sour Cream
Sweetened Condensed Milk
How to Make a Spartak Cake
Before you begin, print the recipe out (below) and read over it to familiarize yourself with the steps as this is a longer dessert to make. You will begin the process with a traditional method of making a creamy filling by beating butter with sweetened condensed milk and other ingredients as directed. 
To prepare the cake layers, you will begin with beating down sugar and eggs before adding in other ingredients. Follow the directions carefully for melting the chocolate chips and combining with other ingredients. Once the dough is formed, you will divide it into 8 equal pieces. Each of these pieces will be rolled out, traced using a 9-inch cake pan, and cut to create a layer before baking.
How to Assemble the Spartak Cake
Once you have baked the cake layers and allowed them to cool properly, you will begin building your layers. Begin with a piece of the cake layer, then spread the cream filling and chopped walnuts over the layer. Continue this process as directed in the printable recipe until you have all layers in place. Your final step will be to use leftover cake crumbs to coat the outside of the cake and to sprinkle chopped walnut on top of the cake prior to serving.
Note: This cake is best served the next day. After assembling, keep the cake at room temperature for at least 3 hours, then refrigerate.
More Cake Recipes
Along with this delicious recipe for layered chocolate and honey cake, you will love some of our other linked cake ideas below.
- Russian Royal Cake
- Drunken Chocolate Cherry Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry Filling
- Homemade Strawberry Bundt Cake Recipe
- Russian Royal Cake
Full Recipe Instructions
Spartak Cake Chocolate Honey Layered Dessert
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake layers
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the filling
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, begin making the cream by beating 1 cup softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then add the sweetened condensed milk and mix to combine.
- Add the sour cream and blend just to incorporate. Don't over mix.
- Begin making the cake by beating sugar and eggs in a large bowl using a whisk.
- Add the milk, honey, butter, and chocolate chips into the bowl.
- Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) and stir with a whisk until the butter and chocolate melt. Then add the baking soda. Stir for an additional 8 minutes.
- Divide the flour in half. Add the first half and stir to incorporate. Then add the second half and stir until it is well incorporated.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work into the dough with your hands. Form it into a log.
- Divide the log into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece out into a very thin circle (about 10 inches in diameter). Place a 9 inch baking pan over the dough and trace around the pan with a knife cutting through the dough.
- Place the rolled dough circle onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and generously poke the dough with a fork. Place the leftover dough scraps onto the baking sheet as well. You will need these for later.
- Bake the cake layers/scraps in batches at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
- Once the cake layers have cooled, pulse the baked scraps in a food processor until they become fine crumbs.
- Begin assembling your cake by spreading an even layer of the filling onto the first cake layer. Then sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts on top.
- Before adding the next cake layer, lightly spread a little filling on the bottom of the cake layer so there will be filling on the top and bottom of each layer. This will help the nuts stick to each layer better.
- Repeat this step until the 8th layer. From then, frost the outside of the cake with the remaining filling. Then coat the sides and top of the cake with the finely pulsed cake crumb
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on December 20, 2017, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
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Valerie says
can I make the layers the day before and fill the following day? thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Valerie 🙂 Yes, you can absolutely do that! I hope you love this cake 🙂
Marina says
This is my kids’ favorite cake and I have been baking it for years. I have always used a family recipe but one day decided to try yours and have stuck with it ever since. Sometimes I try recipes by other bloggers (just last night, in fact) but their recipes don’t compare to yours: I have been disappointed with the results every time. Using real chocolate and adding honey just makes all the difference to me, therefore I am through with “exploring” and will stay loyal to this recipe from now on – it truly is the best.
I have found that five minutes of baking (vs 10) is enough for me and I have another filling that I use instead, so I cannot comment on that.
Thank you for sharing your family favorites with us, Dina! They are quickly becoming ours as well:)
simplyhomecooked says
Wow Marina, that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a wonderful recipe review. Yout truly made my day!! 🙂
Zhanna says
When you make the filling are you supposed to keep it in the refrigerator until use? I didn’t and it was really runny by the time I baked all the layers and was ready to assemble it. I hope it will still be good. It’s currently sitting at room temperature for 3 hours as you instructed. But all the filling us running out off all sides 😭.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Zhanna, Sometimes I refrigerate the filling if I make it the day before. And it does helps stiffen it up. But generally, the cream should be slightly runny so that it soaks into the cake layers well. I have noticed that the brand of sour cream could really change the consistency of the filling. How did you mix the sour cream? I recommend just lightly folding the sour cream into the filling to avoid overmixing. I hope that helps. Let me know how the cake tastes 🙂
Diadiana says
Pure PERFECTION! My 3 year old daughter requested a black and white cake for her Birthday and I decided to make this cake and let me tell you, it was the best decision made!!! All of us could not stop raving about this cake… soo soo delicious. I made once Spartak cake from another blog and it was not even near as perfect!!! I wanted a taller cake so made 13 layers of this delight. Seriously, if someone wants to impress a loved one(esp a chocolate lover), do not even second guess yourself… Make this cake! Worth the time. Thanks a ton for the step by step instructions and photos.
simplyhomecooked says
Diana, thank you so much for taking the time to write such kind words. I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake recipe! 🙂
Natasha says
Where do you purchase the white chocolate to decorate the cake?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Natasha, I purchased the white chocolate curls from a local store called harbor greens. Here is a link where you can get them from amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HHY21IU/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1517077460&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=white+chocolate+curls+for+cake+decorating