This Chocolate Spartak Cake is soft and moist with layers of thin chocolate cake sandwiched between a buttery, sour cream filling. With chopped walnuts, this sweet treat is full of decadent flavors.
If you love Russian desserts, then you should try this Russian Poppy Seed Honey Cake and this Russian Pryaniki with Mint Glaze.

Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love serving this Chocolate Spartak Cake because it’s such a sweet and delicious treat with its tangy filling and moist layers of cake. Not only does it taste amazing, but it looks gorgeous, too.
- TASTE: With chocolate cake, tangy sour cream filling, and chopped walnuts, this dessert has great flavor. It’s nutty, chocolatey, and wonderfully sweet.
- TEXTURE: Velvety soft and moist, this Chocolate Spartak Cake is delicious. The slight crunch of the nuts is a yummy counter to the smooth filling.
- TIME: This takes just 50 minutes.
- EASE: This cake looks complicated, but it’s not that hard to pull off. Follow this recipe to make this elegant dessert perfectly.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Honey- Used to sweeten this cake, this ingredient is where Honey Cake gets its name.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips- This chocolate is not as sweet as milk chocolate and provides a nice counterpoint with a little bitterness.
- Sour cream- This adds tangy flavor to the filling and lots of moisture.
- Condensed milk- This syrupy thick and sweet liquid gives this filling rich flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add mousse on top- For an extra decadent finish, top the cake with some chocolate mousse.
- Substitute the filling- Use another type of icing, cream cheese filling, or Chocolate Ganache between layers of this cake.
- Add fruit- Thinly sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries can be placed between layers and on top of this Chocolate Spartak Cake.
- Substitute different nuts- Substitute pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, or cashews for the walnuts.
How to Make Chocolate Spartak Cake
- Make the frosting. In a bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Then add the sweetened condensed milk and mix to combine.
- Add the sour cream. Add the sour cream and blend just to incorporate. Don’t over-mix. Now cover the frosting and place it in the fridge for later.
- Beat the sugar and eggs. Begin beating sugar and eggs in a large bowl using a whisk.
- Add the wet ingredients and chocolate. Add the milk, honey, butter, and chocolate chips to the bowl.
Pro Tip: Do not add too much water to the double boiler. You do NOT want the simmering water to touch the bottom of the bowl or it might scorch the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate. Place the bowl over a pot of shallow simmering water (double boiler) and stir with a whisk until the butter and chocolate melt. Then add the baking soda to the batter. Stir for 8 more mins.
- Add the flour in parts. Divide the flour in half. Add the first half to the mixture and stir to incorporate. Then add the second half and stir until it is well incorporated.
- Divide the dough. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it into a log with your hands. Divide it into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll and cut the layers. Roll each piece out into a very thin circle (about 10 inches in diameter) with a rolling pin. Place a 9-inch baking pan over the dough and cut around the pan with a knife.
- Poke holes into the circles. 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.
- Bake. Bake the cake layers/scraps in batches in a 350-degree-Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.
- Layer the cake with filling and nuts. Once the cakes have cooled, 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.
- Add the second layer. Before adding the next cake layer, lightly spread a little filling on the bottom of the cake layer.
- Assemble the rest of the cake. Repeat this step until the 8th layer. From then, frost the outside of the cake with the remaining filling.
- Top the cake with cake crumbs. Pulse the baked scraps in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. Then coat the sides and top of the cake with the finely pulsed cake crumbs.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the filling- Make sure you only mix just to incorporate the sour cream because otherwise you will lose the airiness in the filling.
- Poke the dough with a fork- This is important to allow steam to escape to keep the layers thin and flat.
- Spread the filling on the bottom of the cake layers- This helps the layers stick together and the walnuts stay in place.
- Serve it the next day- This cake is best served the next day. After assembling, keep the cake in room temperature for at least 3 hours, then refrigerate.
FAQs
Spartak cake is a dessert made with multiple thin layers of cake separated by filling to make it moist and soft. It’s also known as honey cake because honey is often used to sweeten it.
This Chocolate Spartak Cake can last for about 5 days in the refrigerator. Because of the sour cream filling, it should not be stored at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
This Chocolate Spartak Cake recipe is moist and chocolatey, with a nutty, tangy filling. It tastes delicious served with other cakes, cookies, chocolate treats, and coffee.
- Cakes: Serve this cakes alongside others, like this Honey Raspberry Cake, Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO), Nutella Cake, or New York Style Cheesecake.
- Cookies: Enjoy this cake with some Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies (VIDEO), Easy Cream Cheese Cookies, or Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
- Chocolate treats: Pair this Chocolate Spartak Cake with Chocolate Covered Dates, Chocolate Bark, Chocolate Creme Brulee, or Coffee Chocolate Mousse.
- Beverages: Enjoy this cake with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Hot Chocolate, Brown Sugar Boba, or Iced Caramel Macchiato.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Go ahead and make this cake a day ahead of time. It tastes best after sitting for a little while. Store it in the fridge. You can also store the cake layers, wrapped in plastic wrap, until you’re ready to assemble.
Storing: Store this Chocolate Spartak Cake in an airtight container or covered by plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a ziplock bag, but the filling should not be frozen as it won’t thaw well.
More Tasty Chocolate Cakes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Chocolate Spartak Cake
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
- 15 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, begin making the cake frosting by beating 1 cup of softened butter with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Then add the sweetened condensed milk and mix to combine.
- Add the sour cream and blend just to incorporate. Don't over-mix. Now cover the frosting and place it in the fridge for later.
- 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 shallow 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. Tip: do not add too much water to the double boiler. You do NOT want the simmering water to touch the bottom of the bowl or it might scorch the chocolate.
- 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 cakes have cooled, 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.
- Pulse the baked scraps in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. 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