20th Century Cafe, in San Francisco, is fairly "famous", particularly among those who like desserts. So, obviously, it has been on my radar for years, but it wasn't until its closing was announced that I finally got to try it.
I can't actually tell you much about the cafe (and bakery), besides that it features mostly Russian items, and is very well known for one item: their signature honey cake. They are also known for being a "grand" cafe, serving dishes on lovely china at all times.
But I never visited myself to see the decor and take it all in. Instead, I was able to experience the signature item when one of my *amazing* co-workers brought me a slice, after I revealed that I'd never had it before.
I clearly missed out over the years.
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| Russian Honey Cake. |
I'd never had *any* honey cake before, although I know it is a Russian dessert, and I was familiar with the concept - layers of cake and honey cream. 20th Century Cafe's version features10 layers in total.
I took my first bite, a bit tentatively, as, well, I really had no idea if this would be for me or not. I like honey, but do often find honey based desserts to be "too much", just over the top sweet, or way too honey forward. The honey was certainly present, but it was just a very pleasant sweetness, it reminded me of caramel almost. It wasn't a cloying taste at all. The cream seemed to be where the honey was concentrated.
The cake layers were moist enough cake, and I loved how the layering meant that every bite had plenty of cream to go with the cake. More labor intensive for the baker, for sure, but, what a better way to construct a cake! Why limit the frosting to the top?
I found myself wishing I had fresh figs, or perhaps some berries, to serve alongside, but it was a pretty complete item, just on its own, and didn't really need embellishment.
I was so glad I got to try this, alas, it was my first, and last, time to do so.
***+.
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