Chocolate Spartak Cake – Simply Home Cooked

By Editor On Feb 22, 2024

Published: Feb 21, 2024 by Dina

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.

Slice of Chocolate Spartak Cake on a blue plate.

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

Ingredients for Chocolate Spartak Cake: semisweet chocolate chips, butter, eggs, honey, sugar, baking soda, milk, and flour.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake filling: sour cream, butter, and sweetened condensed milk.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: cream the butter and condensed milk, then add the sour cream.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: beat the eggs and sugar and then add the milk, honey, and chocolate chips.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: melt the chocolate over a double boiler and then add the flour in parts.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: roll the dough into a log and divide into 8 balls, then roll them out and cut a pie pan shape from each.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: place the dough on a baking sheet and poke them with a fork, then bake.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: layer the cake with cake then filling, then walnuts, then some filling on the bottom of the next layer of cake.

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.

Steps to make Chocolate Spartak Cake: assemble the cake into layers, then put the scraps of cake in a food processor and pulse until they're crumbs, which are pressed to the sides and top of the cake.

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

What is Spartak cake?

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.

How many days can a chocolate cake last?

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.

Slice of Chocolate Spartak Cake with a bite missing.

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!

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Full Recipe Instructions

Chocolate Spartak Cake

Spartak Cake is a delicious layered chocolate and honey cake that is a rich and creamy with just a hint of crunch from the walnuts tucked between the cream-filled layers.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Russian

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 740kcal

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake layers

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

This cake is best served the next day. After assembling, keep the cake in room temperature for at least 3 hours, then refrigerate.

Nutrition

This recipe was originally posted on December 20, 2017, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!

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