Meduolis Recipe: Lithuanian Spiced Honey Cake
Copyright: Traditional Recipes

Meduolis Recipe: Lithuanian Spiced Honey Cake

Published: - Last updated:
Author: Piotr Półtorak
Jump to recipe

A spiced honey cake

Meduolis belongs to the Lithuanian tradition of honey baking. This version is a single cake made with honey, flour, eggs, butter and sour cream. It has no cream-filled layers. Honey contributes both sweetness and flavour; a darker honey gives a stronger taste, while a mild honey is also suitable.

A historical comparison

Wincenta Zawadzka included several honey-based pierniki in the 1913 Vilnius edition of Kucharka litewska. The recipe headed Pierniki, inaczej uses honey, wheat flour, eggs, cardamom and orange peel. The following recipe, Pierniki żytnie, wiejskie, uses rye flour and spices. These entries document related honey baking in the region. Neither is the butter-and-sour-cream cake below, and they do not establish the invention date of meduolis.

A modern recipe published by Beata Nicholson in 2009 also uses the name Meduolis for a spiced honey cake, with a different mixture of fats and flours. There is no single formula shared by every version.

Baking the cake

Cool the melted honey and butter before adding the eggs. The pan size and batter depth affect baking time, so check the centre rather than relying only on the clock.

Sources: Zawadzka, Kucharka litewska, 1913, digitised leaf 523, recipes 8-9; Beata Nicholson, Meduolis, 2009.

Expert tips:

Honey choice

Both light and dark genuine honey work. Bottle material and liquid consistency do not identify adulterated honey.

Flour measurement

Weigh the flour. The supplied cup measure has been converted approximately, not established by a baking test.

Storage:

Storage

Keep the cooled cake covered in a cool, dry place and eat within a few days. Discard if mould develops.

Freezing

Freeze wrapped slices for up to 2 months for best quality.

Recipe information:

timer

Preparation

20 minutes
access_time

Total

1 hour 10 minutes
soup_kitchen

Yield

8 servings
4 (1)
Allow screen to sleep

Ingredients

Substitutions for ingredients:

  • Dark honey - Use a milder honey; the flavour will change.
  • Sour cream - Plain thick yogurt is an adaptation and may change the crumb. Maple syrup does not preserve the honey character of meduolis.

Preparation

1. Prepare the oven and pan

Heat the oven to 180 C conventional. Grease and line a large loaf tin of about 2 litres. Leave at least one third of its depth empty for expansion; bake any excess batter separately.

2. Melt the butter and honey

Warm the butter and honey over low heat just until fluid, then cool until lukewarm.

3. Mix

Combine flour, baking soda and spices. In another bowl whisk eggs with sour cream. Stir in the cooled honey mixture, then fold into the dry ingredients just until combined.

4. Bake

Transfer to the prepared tin and begin checking after 45 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre has no wet batter; a deep loaf may need longer than 50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns early.

5. Cool

Let the cake stand briefly in the tin, then transfer to a rack. Allow it to cool before wrapping or slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Is this medutis?

This recipe is a single spiced honey cake, not a layered honey cake with cream filling.

Is the recipe copied from the 1913 book?

No. The old recipes provide historical context; this recipe retains the supplied modern butter-and-sour-cream formula.