One Bite Was All I Needed to Understand Why Reddit Has Been Buzzing About Perok Cake for the Past 6 Years
My curiosity was piqued when I heard rumblings of something called “perok cake” going viral on Reddit. Originally shared 6 years ago by Ninette, aka “flyGERTIfly” on Reddit, the thread about this sweet treat is still raking in rave reviews to this day. Home bakers who followed the Ninette’s family heirloom recipe say, “half of it disappeared between the oven and the table,” and declare it “the best cake I’ve ever had!”
Ninette explains that this Armenian dessert is courtesy of her maternal grandma. The Armenian recipe has roots in Iran, she confirms. In a reminder of how small and connected the world truly is, fellow Redditors chimed in to say that perok cake reminds them of a similar Greek cake as well as Argentinian “pasta frola.” Featuring classic baking staples plus your favorite flavor of jam (Ninette recommends apricot), Ninette’s picture of her perok cake reminds me of a supersized Linzer cookie, which got me even more jazzed to try it.
How to Make Reddit’s Favorite Perok Cake
To make this popular perok cake:
Mix the batter. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together softened butter and sugar. Mix in an egg, a couple egg yolks, pure vanilla extract, and sour cream. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Transfer three-quarters of the batter to a greased 9-inch square baking dish. (It should be thick at this point.)
Make the lattice top. To the remaining batter, add more flour until it becomes firm enough to shape into a dough. On a flour-dusted surface, roll this out like a pie crust, then use a knife to slice it into strips for the lattice topping.
Assemble and bake. Top the cake batter with 1 cup of apricot jam, then lay the strips on top, criss-crossing layers, to form a lattice. If you’d like a shiny top, brush the dough strips with the leftover egg whites. Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes, or until the top of the dough is golden and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Tips for Making Perok Cake
If that simple walk-through has you as inspired as the countless home bakers who tried Ninette’s recipe in their own kitchens (a statistic that I’m proud to be part of now!), here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
Swap out the sour cream. Ninette gives us full permission to use plain yogurt or Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Many commenters chimed in to confirm that this works beautifully, so feel free to use 1 cup of any of the above in the cake batter.
Play around with the consistency of the lattice. Speaking of that batter, the only tricky part of this cake is tinkering with the remaining portion to get it to the correct consistency to roll out into the topping. I found that a little more than ⅓ cup did the trick, but this will vary based on the size of your eggs and the conditions in your kitchen. Add a little more or less as needed to get the dough stiff enough to roll out with a rolling pin. For additional insurance that it won’t stick, you may want to roll this out between sheets of parchment paper.
Remember it should be thick. As for the cake batter itself, you might think you added too much flour too soon when you see how thick it comes out. You’re right on track if it is similar to the texture of cornbread batter. Thick is good, Ninette verifies.
Go nuts. If you’d like some crunch, consider folding in a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake batter.
Don’t feel like apricot is your only option. Apricot is traditional, however, any fruit butter, jam, or preserves flavor will shine atop perok cake. I look forward to trying cherry, fig, blueberry, peach, and strawberry in the future.
Savor a slice at any temp. When asked the ideal temperature to dive in, Ninette says, “enjoy it still hot from the oven, straight out of the fridge, and everything in between. It's allllll good.” Now is a good time to mention that any leftovers should be covered and refrigerated for up to 7 days.
The Verdict on Perok Cake
Asking for just 8 ingredients and about 20 minutes of hands-on time, I was surprised and delighted by the results when I grabbed a fork and dove in for my initial taste test. The crumb was tight, making it easy to slice—but also making me wonder if this perok cake would fall flat and be too dense. But it was deceptively fluffy, pleasantly buttery, and extra rich thanks to the sour cream.
I adored the way the fruit jam lightened and brightened things up. The lattice topping, a savvy way to “upcycle” the bonus batter, made this showy enough for holidays, special potlucks, or bake sales. I can see and taste why one Redditor says, “this will be a staple in our home now.” It's made all the sweeter by the fact that Ninette generously shared her family's treasured recipe—and it has, and continues to, spark new traditions in many more homes.
Next up, I’ll be trying this with the homemade Apple-Pear Butter I whipped up last week. Who knows, maybe I’ll make it again for my next birthday as well. But only if I can have a small slice of Mom's carrot cake on the side to carry forward that tradition, too—and because in my world, there's rarely such a thing as "too much cake."
