Easy & Delicious Spartak Cake Recipe: A Classic Ukrainian Chocolate Layer Cake

Prepare to fall in love with Spartak Cake, a beloved chocolate layer cake that holds a special place in the hearts of many throughout the former Soviet Union and especially in Ukraine. This exquisite dessert is a true masterpiece, renowned for its delicate thin layers of rich chocolate sponge, generously filled with a luscious, creamy frosting, and crowned with a gleaming, decadent chocolate ganache. While traditional recipes can often be a labor of love, this particular Spartak cake recipe is a game-changer. We’ve perfected a method that significantly cuts down on preparation time, making it incredibly approachable for home bakers. If you’re searching for the perfect show-stopping chocolate cake for upcoming holidays, family gatherings, or simply a delightful treat, look no further. This recipe promises an unforgettable taste experience with surprising ease, ensuring every slice is pure bliss.

This magnificent 8-layer chocolate cake recipe truly stands out! If your palate delights in the rich and comforting flavors of Eastern European desserts, then you absolutely must add Spartak Cake to your baking repertoire. Its impressive height and stunning layers make it a centerpiece dessert. And while you’re at it, be sure to try our equally popular 8-layer honey cake, Medovik, another classic that shares a similar impressive structure and delightful taste profile with its honey-infused layers. Both offer a nostalgic journey into traditional baking.

What is Spartak Cake? A Dive into this Ukrainian Chocolate Layer Delight

It’s quite surprising that English-language resources, like Wikipedia, offer limited historical information on Spartak Cake, especially considering its immense popularity across Russia and Ukraine. This humble yet grand dessert is a cornerstone of celebratory tables and everyday delights in these regions, often served at birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday feasts. The name “Spartak” itself conjures images of strength and resilience, though its direct link to the cake’s origin remains a delicious mystery, lost to the annals of culinary history.

Layer cakes, in particular, hold a cherished status in Ukrainian culinary culture, standing proudly alongside other all-time favorites such as the elegant Napoleon Cake, with its flaky pastry and custard, and the ever-popular Medovik Honey Cake, known for its distinct honey-caramelized layers. Spartak, however, distinguishes itself with its deep chocolate profile. Each of these cakes, including Spartak, showcases a unique blend of textures and flavors that captivate anyone who tries them.

Spartak is more than just a cake; it’s a culinary tradition. It is widely recognized and adored for its distinctive tall appearance, created by numerous thin, dark chocolate layers. What truly defines Spartak chocolate cake is the exquisite combination of its components:

• Soft Chocolate Sponge Layers: These are the heart of the cake, offering a rich, moist, and tender texture that gently melts in your mouth. Unlike some other layer cakes that require layers to be crisp and then softened by cream, our Spartak layers are soft from the start.
• Condensed Milk Cream Frosting: This luscious filling is typically made with sweetened condensed milk, which provides a creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy counterpoint to the chocolate. Often, mascarpone cheese is added, lending an extra layer of richness and a delicate tang that elevates the entire cake. When combined with whipped cream, it becomes an airy yet satisfying embrace for each chocolate layer.
• Glossy Chocolate Ganache Topping: The final touch is a smooth, shiny chocolate ganache that drapes beautifully over the entire cake. This not only adds an extra punch of intense chocolate flavor but also gives the cake a sophisticated, professional finish that’s sure to impress.

The delicate balance of sweetness, the rich cocoa notes, and the contrasting textures of the soft cake and smooth cream make Spartak an irresistible treat, perfect for any occasion and a truly iconic Ukrainian dessert.

Why This Easy Chocolate Spartak Cake Recipe is a Game-Changer for Home Bakers

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t always the biggest fan of Spartak Cake. Its reputation for being a notoriously challenging and time-consuming dessert often deterred me. Traditional Spartak recipes, much like their Medovik counterparts, typically involve a lengthy and somewhat tedious process. Bakers often resort to a double boiler to prepare the dough for these incredibly thin, almost wafer-like layers, which then rely heavily on the cream to soften them over an extended period. This method, while yielding delicious results, can feel daunting for even experienced bakers, often requiring special equipment and a significant time commitment for the layers to fully develop their desired texture.

However, this particular version of Spartak Cake completely revolutionized my perspective and became an instant favorite! This recipe simplifies the entire process dramatically, making it accessible and enjoyable without sacrificing any of the authentic flavor or luxurious texture. The key innovation lies in how the cake layers are made. Instead of striving for crisp, wafer-thin layers that need to absorb moisture over hours, this recipe creates soft, pliable sponge cake layers from the very beginning. These layers are designed to be melt-in-your-mouth tender immediately after baking, and they only improve as they meld with the luscious frosting.

Forget the complexities of a double boiler or the painstaking efforts of rolling out delicate, sticky dough. This dough behaves much like playdough – it’s incredibly flexible, forgiving, and a joy to work with! You can easily roll it out, trim it, and even pinch off pieces to reshape without any fuss. The most remarkable aspect is how quickly the entire preparation comes together. Unlike traditional recipes that demand hours of patient work and an overnight chill, this Ukrainian Spartak cake can be baked and frosted all on the same day, often within just a couple of hours! This speed makes it ideal for busy schedules or last-minute celebrations.

The resulting flavors are absolutely spot on, delivering a rich chocolate experience without being overly sweet – a common complaint with many desserts. The balance of cocoa, honey, and the creamy filling is perfectly harmonious. Another fantastic benefit is its make-ahead potential. This cake actually improves with time as the flavors deepen and the layers become even more moist, making it an ideal candidate for preparing in advance for special occasions, holidays, or just to enjoy throughout the week. It can happily reside in your fridge for days, continually developing its delightful character.

I am genuinely thrilled to share this incredible Spartak recipe with you! A massive thank you goes out to Olya, the culinary mastermind who generously shared this simplified yet supremely delicious recipe with our family. She skillfully combined the very best of her Spartak knowledge, with the specific goal of creating a version that could be largely prepped within an hour. This dedication to efficiency and flavor has made this Ukrainian Spartak cake incredibly approachable for everyone, from novice bakers to seasoned pros. The unparalleled taste of this version consistently surpasses any other Spartak I’ve ever tried or purchased. It’s a true testament to her expertise!

Most importantly, even my husband, who isn’t typically a big cake enthusiast, absolutely adores this dessert. He has a very select list of cakes he enjoys, and this Spartak cake proudly sits at the top. Its delightful combination of soft chocolate layers and creamy frosting is a hit with everyone, even the children can’t get enough of it. Prepare to be amazed by this chocolate honey cake (though it has minimal honey, its essence is there!) that brings joy to every palate. This truly is the best Spartak cake recipe you will ever try!

Key Ingredients for Your Perfect Chocolate Spartak Cake

Crafting the perfect Spartak Cake relies on a harmonious blend of simple yet essential ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving the characteristic flavor and texture of this beloved Ukrainian dessert. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need to create this layered masterpiece:

• For the Cake Layers: These form the foundation of our multi-layered marvel.
  • Milk & Butter: The combination of milk and melted butter ensures that our chocolate sponge layers are incredibly tender and moist, contributing to their melt-in-your-mouth texture.
  • Honey: While not a prominent flavor in this chocolate version, honey adds a subtle depth and a unique pliability to the dough, making the layers soft and easy to work with without the need for a traditional double boiler method.
  • Cocoa Powder: Essential for that deep, inviting chocolate flavor and rich dark color. Using a high-quality, unsweetened cocoa powder will make a noticeable difference in the intensity and complexity of the final taste.
  • Sugar & Eggs: The granulated sugar provides sweetness and helps to tenderize the cake, while the eggs add structure and richness. The eggs are vigorously beaten with sugar first, forming a light, pale, and aerated mixture that contributes significantly to the cake’s tender crumb and airy texture.
  • Baking Soda (quenched in vinegar): This powerful leavening agent creates the necessary lift and soft texture in each thin cake layer. The vinegar activates the baking soda, ensuring a light and airy result that isn’t overly dense.
  • All-Purpose Flour: The primary structural component, giving the cake its body. The exact amount can vary slightly based on humidity and flour type, so it’s crucial to observe the dough’s consistency – it should be soft and manageable, like playdough.
• For the Luscious Cream Frosting: This rich and creamy filling is what truly brings the Spartak Cake together, softening the layers and infusing them with flavor.
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk: This ingredient is a cornerstone of many Eastern European dessert creams, providing intense sweetness, a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture, and a distinctive flavor.
  • Mascarpone Cheese: Adds a delightful tang and luxurious richness to the frosting, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the condensed milk and contributing to a stable, thick, and utterly decadent cream.
  • Cool Whip & Heavy Whipping Cream: These are whipped together to create a light, airy, and voluminous frosting. The combination ensures a stable yet delicate cream that can hold its shape while remaining wonderfully smooth and spreadable.
• For the Glossy Chocolate Ganache: The elegant crowning glory of the Spartak Cake, providing a final layer of intense chocolate flavor and a stunning visual appeal.
  • Chocolate: The star of the ganache! Dark chocolate is typically preferred for its deep, rich flavor that complements the cake layers without being excessively sweet. We recommend using two 3.5 oz dark chocolate bars for a superior ganache.
  • Unsalted Butter: Adds a beautiful sheen and extra richness to the ganache, making it smooth, glossy, and easily pourable over the chilled cake.
  • Heavy Cream: Essential for achieving the desired consistency, transforming the melted chocolate and butter into a luxurious, smooth topping that drapes beautifully and sets perfectly.

Step-by-Step Guide: How To Master Your Easy Spartak Cake

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how wonderfully easy and enjoyable it is to work with this Spartak cake dough! Its consistency is akin to a soft, pliable playdough – incredibly flexible and simple to manage. This makes rolling out the thin layers a breeze, and if you need to adjust a piece to achieve a perfectly round 10-inch circle, it’s forgiving enough to pinch off and reshape. The true beauty of this recipe lies in its speed; you can astonishingly bake and frost this entire cake within just two hours, making it perfect even for impromptu celebrations!

To streamline the baking process, I recommend having four sheets of parchment paper ready to go. This allows you to roll out subsequent layers while one bakes, creating a continuous flow and saving valuable time. For precise, uniformly sized circles, I use the bottom of my 10-inch springform pan as a guide for cutting. Here’s how to bring this stunning cake to life:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare four sheets of parchment paper; set them aside for later use. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Pour the melted butter into the cold milk. Stir in the honey until well combined and set the mixture aside to cool slightly to lukewarm.
2. In a separate medium bowl, vigorously whisk the granulated sugar and eggs together for several minutes until the mixture becomes light and slightly pale, and aerated. This step is crucial for incorporating air and creating a tender cake.
3. Gradually stir the cooled milk and honey mixture into the egg and sugar mixture until fully combined. Next, whisk in the baking soda (quenched in 1 tablespoon of vinegar) and then add the cocoa powder. Whisk thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined and the batter is smooth and uniform in color.
4. Gradually mix in 4 cups and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour using your hands until a soft, pliable dough forms. Avoid adding too much flour, as this can lead to dry cake layers. The dough should be soft but not overly sticky. Reserve any remaining flour for dusting your work surface when rolling out the dough. Wearing kitchen gloves can make this step less sticky and more manageable!
5. Once your dough is ready, divide it into eight equally sized pieces. Gently roll each piece into a smooth ball. This ensures consistent layer thickness and baking time for all layers.
6. Take one dough ball and place it onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll it out evenly and thinly into a large 10-inch circle. To achieve a perfectly round shape, place a 10-inch plate or the bottom of a springform pan over the rolled dough and use a knife or pastry wheel to carefully trim off any excess pieces. Set these trimmings aside; they will be incorporated into subsequent dough balls.
7. Before baking, using a fork, generously prick the entire top surface of the rolled-out dough. This crucial step helps to release steam during baking, ensuring that the cake layers bake evenly and prevents them from puffing up excessively in certain areas, resulting in beautifully flat, uniform layers.
8. Bake each cake layer on its parchment paper for exactly 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch them closely, as these thin layers bake very quickly. Once baked, carefully invert each cake layer onto a cooling rack. The parchment paper should peel off easily from the warm cake. Allow the layers to cool completely before attempting to frost them. Reuse the same parchment sheets for the remaining cake layers to minimize waste.
9. TO MAKE CREAM: While the cake layers cool, prepare the luscious cream frosting. In a large bowl, beat the sweetened condensed milk and mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer until the mixture is light, creamy, and well combined. Gently fold in the Cool Whip until well incorporated. In a separate, chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream with clean beaters until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped heavy cream into the condensed milk and mascarpone mixture until fully incorporated, creating a light, airy, and luscious frosting. Generously frost each cooled cake layer, stacking them evenly to form your magnificent cake.
10. Once assembled, chill the entire cake in the refrigerator until it is thoroughly cold (at least 1-2 hours or 30 minutes in the freezer). This step is essential for the ganache to set properly and adhere beautifully to the cake. Finally, prepare the chocolate ganache. Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the broken-up chocolate bar pieces and continue to stir until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream until the ganache is glossy and has reached your desired pourable consistency. Let the ganache cool slightly to a lukewarm temperature (it should be pourable but not hot) before gently pouring it evenly over the top of your chilled cake. Allow the ganache to set before slicing and serving for a truly impressive finish.

Storing Your Delicious Spartak Cake for Maximum Enjoyment

One of the many wonderful qualities of Spartak cake is how forgiving and adaptable it is when it comes to storage, making it an excellent choice for planning ahead for events or simply enjoying over several days. If you prefer to tackle your baking in stages, you can easily bake all the cake layers in advance. Once fully cooled, simply wrap them individually or in stacks with plastic wrap, ensuring they are airtight, and store them. These unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 3 months, or kept refrigerated for 4-5 days, ready for when you’re prepared to assemble your masterpiece. This flexibility is a huge time-saver!

Personally, I often find it easiest and most rewarding to bake and frost the entire Chocolate Spartak cake in one go, as this recipe is so quick. After assembly, I wrap the finished cake tightly with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight cake carrier and keep it chilled in the fridge until it’s time to serve. The assembled and frosted cake keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for 4-6 days when covered properly. It’s also remarkably freezer-friendly; you can store an assembled cake for up to 4 months. To freeze, wrap the cake securely in plastic wrap, then in foil, and place it in a freezer-safe container.

For the absolute best and super-soft layers that truly melt in your mouth, always keep your Spartak cake refrigerated to maintain the integrity of the cream and ganache. However, for optimal flavor and texture, I highly recommend bringing it to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the cream to soften slightly and the chocolate notes to fully develop, enhancing the overall deliciousness of this Ukrainian delight with every single bite.

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Spartak Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 slices

Spartak cake is a chocolate layer cake popular in the former Soviet Union. It’s still a highly-rated Ukrainian dessert made with thin layers of sponge cake, a luscious cream filling, and glossy chocolate ganache. This is the best Spartak cake recipe for its halved preparation time and makes the perfect chocolate cake for the upcoming holidays!

Equipment

• 1 10-inch plate or bottom of springform pan (to cut out circles for layers)
• 4 sheets of parchment paper (reuse for the other layers)
• 1 cookie sheet

Ingredients

Cake Layers:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 120 grams butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp Baking soda (quenched in 1 Tbsp of vinegar)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream Frosting:

• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 8 oz Cool Whip
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Ganache:

• 7 oz chocolate (I used two 3.5 oz dark chocolate bars)
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Directions:

• 

  Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare four sheets of parchment paper; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then pour it into the cold milk. Stir in the honey until well combined and set the mixture aside to cool slightly to lukewarm.
• 

  In a separate medium bowl, vigorously whisk the granulated sugar and eggs together for several minutes until the mixture becomes light and slightly pale, and aerated. This step is crucial for incorporating air and creating a tender cake.
• 

  Gradually stir the cooled milk and honey mixture into the egg and sugar mixture until fully combined. Next, whisk in the baking soda (quenched in 1 tablespoon of vinegar) and then add the cocoa powder. Whisk thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined and the batter is smooth and uniform in color.
• 

  Gradually mix in 4 cups and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour using your hands until a soft, pliable dough forms. Avoid adding too much flour, as this can lead to dry cake layers. The dough should be soft but not overly sticky. Reserve any remaining flour for dusting your work surface when rolling out the dough. Wearing kitchen gloves can make this step less sticky and more manageable!
• 

  Once your dough is ready, divide it into eight equally sized pieces. Gently roll each piece into a smooth ball. This careful division ensures consistent layer thickness and baking time for all layers.
• 

  Place one dough ball onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll it out evenly and thinly into a large 10-inch circle. To achieve a perfectly round shape, place a 10-inch plate or the bottom of a springform pan over the rolled dough and use a knife or pastry wheel to carefully trim off any excess pieces. Set these trimmings aside; they will be incorporated into subsequent dough balls, ensuring no waste.
• 

  Using a fork, generously prick the entire top surface of the rolled-out dough. This helps to release steam during baking, ensuring that the cake layers bake evenly and remain flat, which is essential for a beautiful multi-layered cake.
• 

  Bake each cake layer on its parchment paper for exactly 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch them closely, as these thin layers bake very quickly. Once baked, carefully invert each cake layer onto a cooling rack. The parchment paper should peel off easily from the warm cake. Re-use the same parchment sheets for the remaining cake layers until all are baked. Ensure all layers cool completely before proceeding to the frosting stage.
• 

  TO MAKE CREAM: In a large bowl, beat the sweetened condensed milk and mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer until the mixture is light, creamy, and well combined. Gently fold in the Cool Whip until well incorporated. In a separate, chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream with clean beaters until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped heavy cream into the condensed milk and mascarpone mixture until fully incorporated, creating a light, airy, and luscious frosting. Generously frost each cooled cake layer, stacking them evenly to form your magnificent cake.
• 

  GANACHE TOPPING: In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Add the broken-up chocolate bar pieces and continue to stir until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream until the ganache is glossy and has reached your desired pourable consistency. Allow the ganache to cool slightly to a lukewarm temperature (it should be pourable but not hot) before gently pouring it evenly over the top of your chilled, assembled cake. Let it set before slicing and serving for a beautiful finish.

Notes

• I like to chill the cake after frosting so the chocolate ganache sticks better and sets cleanly. You can freeze the cake for 30 minutes for a quick chill or refrigerate it for 1-2 hours.
• Do not add too much flour when making the cake batter; this is a common mistake. Excess flour will result in cake layers that are dense and dry, more akin to cookies rather than soft sponge. If the dough seems overly sticky, let it rest for about 10 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate, then try working with it again. Kitchen gloves are a great aid for handling this dough!
• Pricking the cake layer all over the top before baking is essential. This helps the cake layers bake more evenly by allowing steam to escape, preventing certain areas from puffing up excessively and ensuring a consistently flat surface.
• I like to slightly cool my baked cake layers on the parchment paper for a few minutes before attempting to invert them onto a cooling rack. This helps them firm up just enough to prevent breaking or tearing.
• If you prefer your ganache to be more runny for a thinner drip or coat, simply add an additional 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the mixture until you achieve your desired flow. You can also spread the ganache around the sides with a cake spatula for a fully chocolate-covered exterior, creating an even more indulgent look.

Nutrition per serving

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 621kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 10gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 261mgPotassium: 298mgFiber: 3gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 1091IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 162mgIron: 3mg