This is another old recipe from my mum. She makes Medové rezy for Christmas, Easter and whenever she wants to please my family, especially my two daughters. They love these mellow honey dough slices filled with buttercream and covered in chocolate icing. I made them on a couple of occasions when Mum couldn’t visit, as was the case for quite a while now that COVID-19 is keeping us apart.

The recipe for Honey Dough Slices may also please a Canadian lady who has recently asked about a cake her Slovak mum used to make for festive days, and which sounded similar to our Medové rezy.

The honey dough sheets need to rest overnight before applying the buttercream filling, and they have to stand for a few hours afterwards to absorb the moisture and all the flavours. To bake honey dough sheets, you will need at least two baking sheets of the same size. Mine are 38x28cm≅15x11in, but you can use smaller ones and your cake will be higher. You bake the honey dough sheets on the back of the baking sheets, as it is easier to slide them off after baking.

Honey Dough Slices

For the dough:

• 150 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 50 g butter
• 450 g fine flour (2¾ – 3 cups)
• margarine or lard for greasing baking sheets

For the filling:

• 300 ml milk (1¼ cup)
• 3 tablespoons fine flour
• 200 g butter
• 150 g powdered sugar (¾ cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 50 g margarine or shortening
• 100 g cooking chocolate

Method:

1. Grease the back of the baking sheets. Sift the flour onto a rolling board and make a well in the middle. Put all the other ingredients for the dough in a deep bowl and place it over a cooking pot with simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does NOT touch the water. Mix until all the ingredients combine into a smooth and fluffy mixture.
   

   
2. Little by little, pour the warm mixture into the flour. As it soaks in, use your fingers or a knife to combine the mixture with the flour, then knead together to make a thick dough. You may need to add 1 – 2 more tablespoons of milk if the dough is too crumbly. Not all flours are the same and nor is honey, so be patient and play around a little.
   

   
3. Shape the dough into a log and divide into three equal parts. Take one part and roll it out into a rectangle the size of your baking sheet. It’s a good idea to keep the other two dough pieces warm, so put them back in the bowl and cover. They will be easier to work with later. Transfer the rolled out dough onto the back of the baking sheet and patch up any torn pieces together with your fingers.
   

   

   

   
4. Bake in the oven preheated to 180°C for 5 minutes or until the dough turns golden brown. Let cool down a for a couple of minutes, then run a knife under the baked dough and gently slide it off onto a wooden board. Roll out and bake the other two dough pieces in the same manner. Stack all three dough layers on top of each other, cover with a dishcloth and let rest overnight.
   

   
5. Take the butter out of the fridge, cut into pieces, place in a mixing bowl and let soften. Pour the milk in a saucepan and add the flour. Place over medium-low heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time and letting the mixture thicken into a sauce-like consistency. Put aside, stir in the vanilla extract and let cool down, stirring from time to time to prevent skin forming on the surface.
6. Add the powdered sugar to the butter and cream together until smooth. Spoon by spoon, add the milky sauce, slowly folding it in. Spread half of the buttercream on the first honey dough, smooth with a knife and cover with the second dough sheet. Spread the other half of the buttercream over top and cover with the third dough. Apply the strawberry jam on top.
7. To make the chocolate icing, put the chocolate and the margarine/butter in a small pot that fits over another pot with simmering water. Let both ingredients melt, then stir until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
   

   
8. Put aside for a couple of minutes, then pour the chocolate over the top of the layered cake. Smooth with a palette knife or a large spoon. Let the icing cool and set at room temperature, then put in a cold place to rest for a couple of hours.
9. Cut into rectangles before serving. To achieve a clean cut, use a serrated knife dipped in hot water.