Spartak Cake - A classic chocolate layered cake made with thin layers of moist, light cake, filled with a creamy, whipped sweetened cream cheese frosting. This delicate Chocolate Spartak Cake practically melts in your mouth!
The texture of this classic Ukrainian cake is soft and light, yet it's made with layers upon layers of cake and cream!
This is the kind of recipe that gets passed down through generations of families who serve Spartak cake every year around the holidays. Some might even put their own spin on the recipe.
This Spartan cake is easy to make from scratch using simple ingredients, but the layers of rich chocolate cake contrasted with the white cream cheese and whipped cream filling make it look elegant and intricate like you worked on it for hours!
You'll be happy to know that this cake is easier than it looks, is even better once it has a chance to sit, and is incredibly delicious!
Make this cake for your next holiday party, birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or 4th of July. Although, you don't need an excuse to make this chocolate cake recipe. I wouldn't even blame you if you made it just because you want a slice!
Ingredients in Spartan Cake
- Sugar: Used to sweeten the cake as the cacao we’re adding is unsweetened and would be bitter without it.
- Eggs: You’ll need 2 eggs. Since we’re using warm milk and room temperature butter, bring your eggs to room temperature as well. Having all the ingredients start the same will help with baking.
- Butter: Bring it out to room temperature about 30 minutes beforehand so it’s soft enough to cream.
- Warm milk: This is the liquid used to form the cake batter. Well, this batter is more like dough, but you get the idea!
- Baking soda and a splash of white vinegar: The baking soda reacts with the vinegar making the cake nice and airy. Although the cake layers are quite thin, the baking soda and vinegar help to make each layer light and fluffy. It also kills the taste of baking soda in this layered chocolate cake!
- Unsweetened cacao: Not to be confused with cocoa powder. Cacao is less processed than cocoa powder and doesn’t contain any sugar. You can use cocoa powder if you prefer or if that’s what you have on hand. They can be used interchangeably.
- Flour: As with any baking recipe, be sure to measure your flour correctly! If you have a kitchen scale, use it. If not, be sure to use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then scrape off the excess using the flat edge of a knife.
- For the cake frosting: Sweetened condensed milk, room temperature butter, and cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream.
Must try Recipes:
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Super Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
- Baked Chicken Pasta in Buttery White Sauce
- Oven Baked Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- The Best Creamy Chicken Pasta
How to Make Spartak Cake
Step 1: Add sugar and eggs to a bowl of a stand mixer or a mixing bowl. Use the whisk attachment or hand beaters to whisk the sugar and egg until combined. It will be creamy and the eggs will be lighter in color.
Step 2: Whisk in the butter and milk. In a separate dish whisk baking soda with a splash of vinegar. Follow this with the cacao and flour. Mix until everything is combined and looks like dough.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 4: While the oven is preheating to 400F, cut out parchment sheets into 9 rectangles. The sheets should be just larger than the circumference of a springform pan.
Step 5: Grab the bowl of dough from the fridge and divide it into 7-9 balls. Roll each one out using a rolling pin into a circle.
Step 6: Place the circle 9-inch springform pan onto the dough and use a butter knife to cut it out so the edges are neat. Do this with each dough ball.
Step 7: Place them on your prepared baking sheet (you’ll either need multiple sheets or bake them in batches) in a single layer and bake them for 2-5 minutes until they’re done. Allow them to cool.
Step 8: In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, whipped cream, condensed milk, and cream cheese. Whisk together until combined.
Step 10: Place a layer of cake down into the springform pan and spread a layer of the frosting overtop. Repeat the layers until no more cake circles remain and the top is finished with the last layer of whipped cream frosting.
I like to garnish and decorate with melted chocolate and almonds, but you can choose to decorate it how you like!
Love having my daughter next to me. She is making her little "Spartak" all by herself.
Tips for Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Bake the cake scraps along with the cake rounds just in case you want to use them for garnish.
- Top it with whatever you like. Chocolate shavings, melted chocolate, fresh berries, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, or crushed cake scraps!
- Store leftover Spartak cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can make it ahead by baking the layers the day before and frosting it the next day.
- Once assembled, this cake tastes even better once it has a chance to sit. Give it at least 2 hours but overnight is even better.
My daughter decorated her little "Spartak" with hazelnuts. I am so proud of her. Her Ukrainian Spartak Cake looks amazing for 3 year old. Don't you think?
More Cake Recipes
- Naked Carrot Cake
- Easy Honey Cake Recipe "Medovik"
- Easy Apple Cake Sharlotka
- Best Carrot Cake Recipe From Scratch
📖 Recipe
Cake Spartak Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake Dough
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 7 tablespoons milk warm
- 1 teaspoon baking soda mix with a little splash of white vinegar
- 4 ½ tablespoons cacao unsweetened
- 2 ½ cups flour
Cake Frosting
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 8 oz cool whip frozen or use ½ cup heavy whipping cream (whisked until stiff peak 2-3 minutes)
Instructions
How to make Chocolate Cake "Spartak"
- Using a mixer combine sugar with egg and whisk until combined.
- Whisk in the butter and milk. In a separate dish whisk baking soda with a splash of vinegar. After add cacao and flour. Beat until everything is combined. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for about 30 min - 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. I like to prepare my parchment paper sheets ahead, so cut parchment paper sheets into desired shape rectangles.
- Divide dough into 7-9 balls. Roll them out one at a time into a circle. Using a round subject cut a circle using butter knife.
- Now lets continue, place your rolled out dough in the oven and bake for 2-5 min or until they baked thru. When you are done baking all of the cake layers let them cook. After spread cake frosting over each layer.
How to make Cake Frosting:
- Combine butter, whipping cream, condensed milk, and cream cheese inside the mixing bowl.
- Wisk all of the ingredients until everything is combined. Spread each cake layer with cake frosting. Decorate with melted chocolate and hazelnuts.
Video
Notes
- Make sure butter and cream cheese are room temperature when making this cake or whipping up cake frosting.
- Store chocolate cake in airtight container, inside the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make this cake ahead by baking the cake layers one day ahead and frosting it later.
- After you assemble the cake with cake frosting and cake garnish, let the cake sit 2 hours - best overnight, before serving.
Nutrition
Do you like Ukranian Cakes?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Quote Of The Day
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. - Gal 5:22
This cake recipe was updated in December, 2023.
Debbie
Love the recipe! Iam European and I appreciate being able to make these desserts with step by step recipes as my mom never learned this one!
I did have one question. It says 7 tablespoons of warm milk, but in the direction it doesn’t say when you add that.
Munchkin Time
Thank you Debbie! Oh no I will update it right of way, you add milk with butter and baking soda mixed with a splash of vinegar. Happy Baking!
Rebecca W. Johnson
I would love to make this beautiful cake but have a few questions:
Is Kacao chocolate cocoa?
Is the condensed milk sweetened condensed milk?
How much vinegar do you mix with the soda?
Is the pack of cream cheese 4 or 8 oz?
The cake looks amazing. I am looking forward to making it.
Looking forward to your answers and thanks for the recipe.
Rebecca
Munchkin Time
Hi Rebecca!
You will love this cake recipe, here are the answers to your questions:
Yes, chocolate unsweetened cocoa, like Hershey brand.
Yes, it is a sweetened condensed milk.
Add just a splash about 1-2 teaspoons.
8oz. cream cheese pack.
Please let me know if you have any questions and if these answers helped you!
Best wishes,
Love
marina
Hello, what size springform pan you use with this cake?
Munchkin Time
I believe it was 9in spring form pan.
Lou Lou Girls
This looks absolutely amazing! Pinned and tweeted. You always bring the most amazing creations to our party. Thank you! I hope to see you again, this Monday at 7 pm. It wouldn't be a party without you! Lou Lou Girls
Jennie @ TheHousewifeModern
This looks amazing! And is much easier than I thought it would be. And it opens up a world of possibilities...pumpkin cake with cinnamon cream. Red velvet cake with white chocolate cream....You know, I think those are going to be appearing on my website soon...after I develop recipes for them. Let the inventing commence!
Jennie
p.s. Planning on going to check out your Pinterest page right now!
p.p.s. Found you via Lou Lou Girls “Fabulous Party.”
Munchkin Time
Thank you so much Jennie you are amazing!