This honey cake is so soft and fantastic. The honey baked into the cake layers pairs perfectly with the simple sour cream frosting.
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For my own safety, I’ve been delivering quarters of this goodness to various family members and I’ve received rave reviews across the board. It stays amazing in the fridge for a several days (the longest we’ve tested was 4 days), so this is also a great make-ahead cake. Woot!
It’s definitely a special occasion cake and will WOW your crowd, but it’s easier to make than typical Russian honey cakes that require a double boiler. This one’s not that sensitive, making it more attainable for everyone. Woot! Woot!
Honey Cake Layers Ingredients:
4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) honey
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 large eggs, room temperature, beaten with a fork
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached, organic) *measured correctly
Sour Cream Frosting Ingredients:
32 oz sour cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
For the topping:
1/2 lb Fresh Berries, optional
How to Make a Honey Cake:
1. Add 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup honey and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter to a medium sauce pan and melt them together over medium/low heat, whisking occasionally until sugar is melted (5-7 mins). Don’t put them over high heat or they may scorch to the bottom.
2. As soon as the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and while it’s still hot, add in your beaten eggs in a slow steady stream while whisking vigorously until all of your eggs are incorporated (whisk constantly so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs).
3. Whisk in the baking soda until no lumps remain, then fold in your 3 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time with a spatula until the dough reaches a clay consistency and doesn’t stick to your hands. Mine took exactly 3 cups flour (measured precisely, scraping off the top of the cup). Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly!
4. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and move on to the next step right away (these roll out best when the dough is still warm)
5. On a well-floured surface, roll each piece out into a thin 9″ circle (about 1/8″ thick). You can sprinkle the top with a little flour too to keep dough from sticking to your rolling pin.
Place a 9″ plate or base from a springform mold over your rolled dough and trace around it with a pizza cutter to get a perfect circle. Keep the scraps for later.
Transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment paper and bake 2 at a time at 350˚F for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before stacking. Repeat with remaining layers
6. Finally bake the scraps separated evenly on a re-used sheet of parchment.Once the scraps are baked, cooled and firm, you can crush them with a rolling pin or pulse them in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
Tips for Success:
Roll out the next layers while the first ones are in the oven and total combined baking time shouldn’t take more than 25-ish minutes. Some of mine bubbled up a little on top which is fine since after it’s frosted, it won’t make a difference. I deflated any real whopping bubbles after they came out of the oven. Oh and I re-used my parchment paper (because I’m frugal that way).
If you don’t have a baking sheet large enough to place the parchment paper on, just bake directly on the rack (that’s what I did!)
How to make the frosting:
1. Beat 1 cup heavy cream until fluffy and stiff peaks form (1-2 min on high speed).
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 32 oz sour cream with 2 cups powdered sugar. Fold the whipped cream into the sour cream and you have your frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembling your Cake:
1. Spread about 1/3 cup frosting on each cake layer (the frosting will be loose, but don’t skimp on it since the cake needs to absorb some of the cream to become ultra soft. Press the cake layers down gently as you go to keep the layers from having air gaps. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting
2. Dust the top and sides with your breadcrumbs, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This cake needs time to absorb some of the cream and soften, so be patient. It’s worth the wait!
Here’s the Print-friendly for your recipe books:
8-Layer Honey Cake Recipe (Medovik)
Ingredients
Cake Layers Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp honey, (1/4 cup)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs, room temperature, beaten with a fork
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, I used unbleached, organic
Sour Cream Frosting Ingredients:
- 32 oz sour cream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
For the topping:
- 1/2 lb strawberries, optional
Instructions
How to Make The Cake Layers:
- Add 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup honey and 2 Tbsp unsalted butter to a medium sauce pan and melt them together over medium/low heat, whisking occasionally until sugar is melted (5-7 mins). Don't put them over high heat or they may scorch to the bottom.
- As soon as the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and while it's still hot, add in your beaten eggs in a slow steady stream while whisking vigorously until all of your eggs are incorporated (whisk constantly so you don't end up with scrambled eggs).
- Whisk in the baking soda until no lumps remain, then fold in your 3 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time with a spatula until the dough reaches a clay consistency and doesn't stick to your hands. Mine took exactly 3 cups flour (measured precisely, scraping off the top of the cup).
- Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and move on to the next step right away (these roll out best when the dough is still warm)
- On a well-floured surface, roll each piece out into a thin 9" circle (about 1/8" thick). You can sprinkle the top with a little flour too to keep dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Place a 9" plate or base from a springform mold over your rolled dough and trace around it with a pizza cutter to get a perfect circle. Keep the scraps for later. Transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment paper and bake 2 at a time at 350˚F for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before stacking. Repeat with remaining layers.
- Finally bake the scraps separated evenly on a re-used sheet of parchment. Once the scraps are baked, cooled and firm, you can crush them with a rolling pin or pulse them in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
How to make the frosting:
- Beat 1 cup heavy cream until fluffy and stiff peaks form (1-2 min on high speed).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 32 oz sour cream with 2 cups powdered sugar. Fold the whipped cream into the sour cream and you have your frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembling your Cake:
- Spread about 1/3 cup frosting on each cake layer (the frosting will be loose, but don't skimp on it since the cake needs to absorb some of the cream to become ultra soft. Press the cake layers down gently as you go to keep the layers from having air gaps. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
- Dust the top and sides with your breadcrumbs, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This cake needs time to absorb some of the cream and soften, so be patient. It's worth the wait!
Notes
If you don't have a baking sheet large enough to place the parchment paper on, just bake directly on the rack (that's what I did!)
Nutrition Per Serving
(And the Pinterest friendly). Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with your friends and family. Good things are meant to be shared 😉
Amazing recipe!! Different from any other cake-making method I’ve ever tried and well worth the effort. Velvety, moist, not too sweet, and definitely gets oooos and ahhhh when you cut it. Worth mentioning – don’t try to frost it in a warm kitchen, the frosting loses structure and doesn’t hold up on the sides. Definitely keep the cake chilled until serving time. Question – Has anyone tried making it with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to make it healthier?
Hi Lina! One of my viewers reported using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and couldn’t tell a difference. Let us know what you think if you try it.
Made this cake for my bookclub as it was mentioned in The Briar Club. I have to say the dough was very sticky and had to add easily another 3/4 cup of flour to make in more manageable. I have made other wafer thin layers like this but they were flavored with frangelico or almond or vanilla. This seems like it will be very bland. The filling/icing also seems very sweet and fat heavy but not flavorful . Hope my club likes it. Adding glazed berries to the top to hopefully give it some flavor
Hi Patricia, what type of flour did you use? also, make sure to let the cake soften before eating it. It will make a huge difference!
I already love the smell of it without even cutting into it! And tge frosting is great! I used honey instead of powdered sugar fir it and it gives it more floral flavor!
However im just a bit confused. Maybe my measuring was off, bit when I go to retrieve the layers from the pan, once cooled, they’re more like tortillas and floppy. Any reason why that may happen?
Hi Michael, I would definitly recommend double checking the measuring. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup. I also this How to Measure Ingredients guide to be sure it was done right. I wish I could be more helpful from afar.
I’ve made this cake twice now, and even though I’m not the best at baking, it turns out absolutely amazing—10 out of 10 every time! It’s the most impressive thing I’ve ever baked, and my husband loves it. It’s officially his favorite.
I made it for Father’s Day tomorrow and added a few personal touches to the recipe:
For the frosting:
Substituted one container of sour cream with one container of mascarpone. I love using the 500ml 18% sour cream that they sell at Costco.
Added an extra cup of whipped cream.
Squeezed in half a lemon for some fresh juice and added a teaspoon of vanilla.
All in all, it was a 500ml sour cream, a 500ml mascarpone, and 2 cups of whipped cream. I found this gave enough frosting for a nice thick layer throughout. *I might try it with 2 sour creams instead of the extra whipped cream next time.
For the cake mix, I included a teaspoon of garam masala (from the brand A Spice Affair) and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and I used salted butter.
These tweaks were just enough to add a little extra flavor while keeping everything perfectly balanced, It’s my favorite cake I’ve ever made, and my husband’s now!
Highly recommend giving it a try! 😊
I left the sides open to reveal the eight layers. Cake was delicious. I am already planning next occasions to make it. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Lenka! I’m so glad you loved it.
Unfortunately it did not work out for me, did the frosting as described, cake layers were cooled fully, but the frosting was so runny that all layers well apart and I have a huge mess everywhere :/
HI Aisha, the frosting will be loose when you spread it on and it will thicken as the layers absorb it overnight. I hope you followed the instructions through to the next day to let the cake set properly – I think you’d love the result!
I’ve just got done baking the cake layers, although, not a full 8 pieces. There was definitely not enough dough, even when I rolled each piece into even less than 1/8 inches. I just made them 7.5 inches thick, and only had 7 pieces. They smell and look amazing. But that was a bit disappointing. I’m taking this to an event tomorrow evening, in about 24 hours. Should I frost now or wait till just before. I’ll be at work, so I won’t have time to do it early in the morning.
Hi Mathilde, you definitely should frost ahead of time since the cake needs to rest after frosting for the layers to soften.
Hello Natasha. I made this cake and it turned out amazing. However, I’d like it to be less sweet. Will it still work if I use only 1 cup of powdered sugar in the frosting? Or, will the consistency be altered and frosting won’t be as spreadable or affect the outcome in some other way? I prefer not to change the amount of sugar in the cake layers. Thank you very much!
Hi Eli! You can try to reduce the sugar but it helps with stability so you may end up with a thinner, runnier cream.
made this a dozen times and it’s always perfect! Love this recipe
I make this cake 2 x a year for birthdays. Every time is different. This year I sifted the flour first and dough was too sticky. I never have enough crumbs left, so I crush honey graham crackers in the blender. It is always delicious! I just wish it made a little more dough. Any suggestions?? I also wish there were instructions for individual little cakes.
Hi Linda, are you possibly using larger circles of dough? If you wanted to increase the recipe, you can click on the servings in the recipe card and increase or decrease it and it will adjust the ingredient list. I hope that helps!
I just made it. It is hard for me to eyeball the 8 sections to make them the same size even when I’m trying to cut the dough uniformly. So I used a scale and calculated about 94 g per layer. Then I tried to roll it evenly. By the time I had it large enough for a 9” circle, there was a good extra half inch of dough in places for me to cut off to make my circle the right size.
This 8-layer honey cake is absolutely amazing! The layers are incredibly soft, and the honey flavor really stands out. Paired with the simple sour cream frosting, it’s the perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. A friend gave us this cake for my sister’s birthday, and everyone was blown away by how delicious it was! We were all so impressed, we asked for the recipe, and she told us it was from Natasha’s Kitchen. Now, we make this cake for every birthday and special occasion. Thank you so much, Natasha, for sharing such an incredible recipe!
That’s so great to hear. We love this cake too so it makes me very happy to hear it’s being shared and enjoyed.
This cake is the best! I’ve made it several times for Ukrainian Christmas. Once I used a different recipe and it wasn’t half as good as this one. I also made a huckleberry sauce to serve over this cake. It took it to the next level and it was beautiful.
Hi Patty! That sounds delicious!
Omg this was amazing! I made this cake for my bookclub after we read the Briar Club book and it was a huge hit! I have never made a homemade cake, so I nervous, but this cake is so easy to make and it turned out perfectly. Once sliced the layers looked so beautiful and everyone was so impressed. I am excited to try some of your other recipes now.
Hi Nikki! I’m so happy you loved it. I hope you find many more to enjoy here.
First time making this cake and my family and friends loved it! Just a quick question. How long can the baked layers stand before creaming the cake? And what’s the best way to store baked layers? Thanks!
Hi Lilia! I’m so glad it was a hit. The cake layers can be kept at room temperature for a few days, refrigerated, or frozen for longer storage. Be sure to let them cool completely and separate them with parchment or wax paper before wrapping them in plastic wrap. You can keep them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag.
I made this cake for my book club when we were discussing The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. Food is a significant part of the story and this recipe for Medovik cake is written in the book with credit to Natasha’s Kitchen! It was fun to make, looks really impressive, and was delicious with raspberries. I would say the fruit is not optional, it brought the cake from nice to incredible.
How far ahead of time can this be made without getting too soggy? Could I bake the layers several days ahead and assemble the day before eating? Thank you!
The longest that we’ve tested making this ahead was 4 days.
This tastes like a graham cracker cake. It’s good, but it is time consuming. If I make it again, I would put more than 1/3 cup of filling between the layers. I did use sweetened condensed milk in the frosting to sweeten it a bit more. As some have saying these comments, use full fat sour cream or your frosting will be runny.
Everything went great until I made the frosting and frosted the cakes with too runny frosting. The frosting just ran out of the layers. It’s in the fridge now and I’m hoping after chilling overnight I’ll be able to salvage it somehow. The ‘full fat’ sour cream tip you gave caught my eye.
I found this recipe on Pinterest after reading The Briar Club and was surprised to find it’s exactly as it’s read in the book. I’m looking forward to trying this out. What a nice surprise.
Let us know how it turns out for you!
WOW! I made this for an event at work that involved a dessert competition. I thought I ruined it because the frosting was very runny. It turns out that I inadvertently picked up something labeled WHIPPING CREAM (alternative) that was non-dairy. I also used gluten-free flour. Still, I won! Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear it still worked out! Congratulations on winning, Bill! That’s so great!
Natasha, just baked this cake and it’s absolutely delicious! What I love is that it’s soft but not to the point when it’s falling apart. Not too sweet, flavourful, really easy to make and scrumptious! Your recipes are truly amazing!
Thank you for your kind words and great feedback. It means a lot to me!
You have much better hands than I do. It still turned out pretty good though. Flavor is great but mine looks derpy.