Honey Cake + Hazelnut Cookie Dough ($8 each)!
Cafe dessert haul: Russian-style honey cake (Medovik) with golden crumb top, and dark chocolate hazelnut cookie dough cake. $8 each.
Cafe dessert run. Honey cake + hazelnut cookie dough, $8 each ($16 total). 😍😋👍🏼
What was on the plate (2 slabs):
- Honey cake (Russian Medovik / Медовик): rectangular slice with 8-10 thin caramelised honey-cake layers stacked with thin cream filling between them, the top covered with golden crumb dust (the classic Medovik finish)
- Hazelnut chocolate cookie dough cake: rectangular slice with dark chocolate ganache top, piped dark chocolate cream stars with whole roasted hazelnuts decorating each star, the chocolate-and-nut combination front and centre
- Both slabs on golden boards, the bakery presentation
Honey cake (Medovik / Медовик) is the Russian / Eastern European classic dessert:
- Honey-flavoured cake layers: 8-12 thin layers, baked individually
- Each layer made from honey, butter, eggs, flour, sugar, sometimes baking soda: the rise comes from the baking soda + honey reaction
- Caramelised slightly during baking: the deeper amber-brown colour from the honey
- Filled with sour cream + sugar between layers (the Russian original) OR cream cheese + whipped cream (the modern variations)
- Topped with crushed honey-cake crumb: leftover crumbs from baking, the rustic finish
- Resting time: usually 12-24 hours after assembly for the cream to soften the layers, the textural payoff
The Medovik origin story:
- 19th century Russian court: legend says created for Empress Elizabeth, who hated honey, but the chef tricked her by making it as a layered cake she didn’t recognise
- Became a Soviet-era standard: cheap ingredients, easy to make at home
- Now a global dessert classic: featured in Russian / Eastern European bakeries worldwide
The hazelnut chocolate cookie dough cake is the modern dessert reinterpretation:
- Cookie dough as a layer: edible cookie dough mixed into the cake structure
- Dark chocolate ganache top: thick, glossy, the framing
- Hazelnut decoration: roasted whole hazelnuts on top of piped chocolate cream
- The Nutella-inspired flavour combination: chocolate + hazelnut, the universal crowd-pleaser
Singapore cafe dessert tier landscape:
- Bakery slabs ($5-$10 per slice): Bake Cheese Tart, Cookie Pleasures, JW360, various indie cafes
- Patisserie slices ($8-$15 per slice): Tarte by Cheryl Koh, Janice Wong, Antoinette
- Cafe ranges ($6-$10 per slice): Plain Vanilla, Apiary, Cedele, Brotherbird
The honey cake at $8 in Singapore 2022 is the standard cafe dessert pricing. The Medovik format requires significant labour (each layer baked separately, plus resting time), which justifies the price point.
The cookie dough format in cafe desserts:
- Edible cookie dough movement started around 2017-2018 in the US
- Reached Singapore via cafes that adopted the trend for slices, scoops, and frozen formats
- Usually no raw egg (replaced with milk or pasteurised egg) for food safety
- Often paired with chocolate ganache or dark chocolate for the indulgent combination
At $16 for two cafe dessert slabs, this is mid-range Singapore cafe dessert spending. Below the $10-$15 luxury slices and above the $5-$6 budget slices.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😍😋👍🏼 Solid cafe dessert haul. The honey cake’s layered structure was the standout. Would re-buy.
