This honey cake is so soft and fantastic. The honey baked into the cake layers pairs perfectly with the simple sour cream frosting. 

This honey cake is so soft and fantastic. The honey baked into the cake layers pairs perfectly with the simple sour cream frosting. It will WOW your crowd!

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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

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_

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

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_-3

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!

Honey Cake

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)

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen3

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

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_-2

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.

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen1

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_-4

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.

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen2

Assembling your Cake:

1. Spread about 1/3 cup frosting on each cake layer (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

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_-5

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_-7

Honey Cake Recipe @NatashasKitchen_-6

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!

Master this amazingly soft Honey Cake with simple frosting (step-by-step photo tutorial!) @NatashasKitchen

Master this amazingly soft Honey Cake with simple frosting (step-by-step photo tutorial!) @NatashasKitchen

Here’s the Print-friendly for your recipe books:

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

8-Layer Honey Cake Recipe (Medovik)

4.90 from 275 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 slices

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:

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 (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

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!)

Nutrition Per Serving

514kcal Calories66g Carbs6g Protein25g Fat14g Saturated Fat112mg Cholesterol190mg Sodium202mg Potassium1g Fiber41g Sugar880IU Vitamin A11.9mg Vitamin C110mg Calcium1.9mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
8-Layer Honey Cake Recipe (Medovik)
Amount per Serving
Calories
514
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
25
g
38
%
Saturated Fat
 
14
g
88
%
Cholesterol
 
112
mg
37
%
Sodium
 
190
mg
8
%
Potassium
 
202
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
 
66
g
22
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
41
g
46
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
 
880
IU
18
%
Vitamin C
 
11.9
mg
14
%
Calcium
 
110
mg
11
%
Iron
 
1.9
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: 8-Layer Honey Cake, Medovik
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 514

 

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(And the Pinterest friendly). Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with your friends and family. Good things are meant to be shared 😉

Master this amazingly soft Honey Cake with simple frosting (step-by-step photo tutorial!) @NatashasKitchen

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Comments

  • SophieR
    August 17, 2014

    Bolshoe spasibo/Thank you for the great recipes! I am not an experienced baker but with your directions I actually made a pretty decent Medovik!
    A couple of things that were not very clear to me: how crispy should the layers be? Soft a little or hard like a cookie? My dough got too tough to stir, but still sticky, so I had to use my hands to finish it. Great tip to check if it sticks to your hands and too avoid cooking your eggs 🙂
    And, finally, how do you dust the sides with the crumbs? Any tricks?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 18, 2014

      The layers should be slightly soft when they first come out of the oven and then they turn more cookie-like as they cool. They soften after it’s assembled with the cream. For the bread crumbs, I used that little brush in the picture to flick the bread crumbs over the sides. You can also use the parchment paper underneat to flick the crumbs upwards. That’s probably the toughest part of the whole cake is the crumbs, but thankfully they don’t have to look perfect.

      Reply

  • Sasha
    August 8, 2014

    Hi Natasha, I made this cake before and it was amazing. Now someone ordered it and asked to make it not too sweet, do you think it’s okey to half the powdered sugar in the cream but add more honey to the dough?
    I would really appreciate your advise!
    BTW I LOVE your recipes!!! Thank you!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 9, 2014

      I’d leave the cake layers as is and just cut the sugar from the cream. It will still taste fine just less sweet.

      Reply

  • D
    August 3, 2014

    I just made this cake, and can’t wait to try it tomorrow! I’ve always loved this cake, but was too intimidated to make it myself. At first I wasn’t too sure about the whipping cream, but once I saw how luxurious it made the cream I was hooked! Will definitely use this recipe again!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 3, 2014

      Thanks D 🙂 I hope it becomes a new favorite for you! I’m so glad you braved it; it’s a very yummy cake 🙂

      Reply

  • julia
    July 24, 2014

    Natasha, it looks so delish, I have to try this cake soon!!
    One quick question, is the cake soft? Or is it sort of like “cookie-like”?
    btw I am making your blueberry cheesecake recipe right now, and omg I am so sad I sill have to wait another 3 hours before I can try it!!!!
    I gonna try like every recipe on your website! Everything looks sooooo good…it’s gonna take awhile…lol
    Keep up the good work Natasha!!!:)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 24, 2014

      Thank you Julia 🙂 The cheesecake is worth the wait! That’s why I always make it in the evening so I can just keep it in the fridge overnight and not tease myself :). The honey cake layers are cookie-like when they are baked but after you let the cake sit for awhile with the frosting, it becomes soft and just perfect 😉

      Reply

  • Serena S.
    July 14, 2014

    Hi Natasha,

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I use parchment paper for everything so tracing circles on pieces of paper, rolling the dough, and baking directly on the paper worked beautifully.

    We grew up calling this cake Mikada and while my Baba hadn’t made it for at least 20 years before she passed away this spring, my Aunt Zoya made it all the time and finally shared her recipe. Yours was absolutely better (and so much easier to make than the “5 or 6 cups of this plus a few handfuls of that” method that the women in my family favour. Our cakes were always filled with a cooked custard or super-thick whipped cream, but I find that my favourite is a thick vanilla pastry cream folded with whipped cream before shmearing the layers.

    Your site reminds me of my Baba and the things we grew up eating (with a few tweaks- our family moved from Russia to China and then lived there for a while before migrating to Australia and then Canada so the dishes all picked up some influences along the way). Anyways, thank you so much again. 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 15, 2014

      The frosting you are describing sounds absolutely amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake :). It sure sounds like you’ve been all over the world; WOW!! Are you fluent in all of the languages from where you’ve lived? Or were they short stops in China and Australia?

      Reply

      • Serena S.
        July 15, 2014

        Hi Natasha! I speak Russian and have traveled to Eastern Europe, but I’m first generation Canadian.

        My Baba was born and lived in Russia and then moved with her family to China before getting married and having my uncle and dad. She lived there in a mixed Chinese/Russian/Turkish community until her husband passed in an accident and then moved to Australia where my dad grew up. They made their way to Canada after that. We have a random family history (my mom was born in Paraguay), but I grew up mostly around my dad’s side of the family and going to a Slavic Christian church.

        Other than baking, I’m not typically a recipe kind of gal, but I really love your site and seeing how other families prepare versions of the food I grew up with. Also, your pelmeni dough is fantastic to work with! use seasoned beef fillings or beef and shredded pumpkin fillings, but it’s lovely ad soft and I’m so glad I came across it. Your site brings a smile to my face 🙂

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          July 15, 2014

          I’m so happy that my blog brings you joy 🙂 It’s so neat to learn about my readers backgrounds. Thank you so much for sharing! We go to a Slavic Christian church as well. So awesome to meet you here!

          Reply

  • Sofia
    July 12, 2014

    Thanks for this recipe, Natasha!
    I made the cake today and while it didn’t quite turn out like yours, I hope it’ll be good once we try it tomorrow. I wasn’t able to make 8 9″ layers, but I switched to making 6″ layers and halved the icing and it seemed to have worked out.
    I used 14% Organic Meadows sour cream (Canada)…while the icing turned out a little runnier than yours, the cake is holding together. Just thought I’d add that since a few others were having trouble finding the right sour cream.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 12, 2014

      I know Canadian sour cream tends to be more liquidy than U.S. sour cream, but I’m glad it still worked out 🙂 I hope you love it! Do let me know what you thought of the cake. 🙂

      Reply

  • Les
    July 12, 2014

    I made a gluten free version of this and it came out fine but I had to add a tsp baking powder and a little more flour than your recipe. The first time I made it I used my own delicious ganche / buttercream frosting and all was wonderful. Second time I made the sour cream version as per your website and I wont show you what happened… It wasnt pretty. The whole thing slid apart. It was certainly amusing if nothing else! UK sour cream doesnt appear to work quite the same as yours methinks..?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 12, 2014

      You must have a looser sour cream; probably like the one in Canada. Tell me more about your ganache buttercream frosting. It sounds amazing!! It’s great to know this cake works as a gluten free cake. Thank you so much for sharing that.

      Reply

  • Katia bakanov
    June 27, 2014

    Question: if covered in fondant, would it work? Like so many people, I love this cake, would like to make it for a bridal shower but have never worked with fondant. Any suggestions? Thanks

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 28, 2014

      I’ve never tried it with fondant so I’m not the best person to advise you about it. I actually have never worked with fondant at all. Sorry I’m. It very helpful.

      Reply

  • Olga
    June 19, 2014

    Natasha, hello. Thank you so much for this cake. I am looking for this recipe many years, but all were not exactly I want. Your cake is perfect. One question. What fat % is your sour cream? 30% is OK? May I use less? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 19, 2014

      Mine says 18% saturated fat. I haven’t tried any low fat versions.

      Reply

  • Tania
    June 13, 2014

    Natasha, delicious cake! Amazing!
    However, I want to perfect the look of the cake. In other words, the frosting is not as stiff as it looks on your picture (followed exactly your instructions). When I apply the frosting on the sides of the cake, it slides off and doesn’t look as thick as yours. As a result, the cake looks uneven and bumpy. Also, how do you apply crumbs to the sides of the cake to look so perfect?
    Any suggestions? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 13, 2014

      Are you using a full fat sour cream? Some sour creams are thinner than others. The original Daisy brand sour cream is my favorite (it also has 2 ingredients in the list; milk & cream, which I love because most other sour creams have 15 ingredients), also was your cream, HEAVY whipping cream? The higher fat content of heavy whipping cream will give you a stiffer frosting. Also, was your whipped cream stiff enough before adding the rest of your frosting ingredients? I hope that helps. It’s not a very thick frosting, but it definitely should not run off the cake. I’m so glad you liked the taste of the cake. For the crumbs, I use a piece of parchment paper and will flick the crumbs onto the cake with the parchment paper or tilt the cake and then put them on with my hand as close to the cake as I can get it without touching it. This is the most annoying part of this cake, lol. I hope that helps 😉

      Reply

  • Dina
    June 11, 2014

    Hi Natasha!
    I just made this cake.. and I am not sure why you roll it out while it’s still warm.. it’s just so sticky and hard to work with. I chilled the dough in the fridge (after I made pre-measured balls) and then it was soooooooo much easier to work with!!! I used to see my mom doing this when I was a kid. .. and I would sneak in the fridge and eat the batter 😛 I think the honey in this cake is what makes this possible (as opposed to spartak which would just become a hard rock lol). Just a suggestion!

    Thanks for all your recipes.. love your site!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      June 11, 2014

      That is a good suggestion, thank you, although I didn’t have any trouble rolling out the dough. I wonder if it’s because you might have used a different flour? Thanks for the sweet compliment. I’m so happy you are enjoying the site 🙂

      Reply

  • Lyuda
    May 8, 2014

    Sorry for all the questions! Can I make the layers tonight and then frost them say on Saturday? I’m working 3 12 hour night shifts in a row and making several other recipes to bring in on the 3rd night so I’m trying to find a way to split up the work but have everything still taste great.
    Thanks! & Thank you so much for your super fast responses!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 8, 2014

      Yes, you can make the layers tonight and frost them Saturday. I know exactly what 3 twelve hr shifts are like! Let them get to room temp; they should dry out and be like cookies. Then put them in a grocery bag or large ziploc bag and let them sit at room temp until you’re ready to frost them. Don’t cover them up while they are warm; you don’t want moisture in the bag. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Irene
    April 18, 2014

    Hi Natasha, could you just bake the layers on the round bottoms of the springform pan? (like the spartak cake?)

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 18, 2014

      Yes you totally can! My mom makes her cakes that way. She has three bottoms and does three at a time.

      Reply

      • Irene
        April 18, 2014

        Thanks, making it for Easter 🙂

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          April 18, 2014

          Happy Easter! Enjoy!

          Reply

  • Ole a
    April 2, 2014

    Natasha I will try adding some milk to the dough.

    Reply

  • Ole a
    March 30, 2014

    Hello, I followed the instructions and there is no way you can make 8 layers.
    Barely 4 and small in size. Same thing had happened with Spartan cake I made in the past.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 30, 2014

      Could you be using a different kind of flour? Different flours require different amounts in a recipe and if you add too much, it may be hard to roll out the dough. The layers should be really pretty thin when you roll them out.

      Reply

  • Patrick
    March 29, 2014

    Made this just after noon, would it be too soon to try a piece tonight, around 9 or 10?

    Also, how did you get your crumbs on the side? I tried bouncing them off a spoon while sprinkling them, but it doesn’t look quite as nice as the photos.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 29, 2014

      Cake should be good to eat tonight, but the longer it sits, the softer it will be :). I held the cake under angle and sprinkled crumbs that way, while rotating cake to cover all sides. Don’t tilt it too much though.

      Reply

      • Patrick
        March 29, 2014

        If the cake gets better than it already is, I’ll be impressed. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          March 29, 2014

          Than you Patrick! 🙂

          Reply

  • Galina
    March 26, 2014

    I always had problems with this cake, but with your recipe it turn out so easy and so delicious. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 26, 2014

      That’s awesome!! I’m so glad you’re having great success with this recipe 🙂

      Reply

  • Ms. Savchuk
    March 14, 2014

    For the frosting I beat sour cream and cream cheese with sugar. Best combo for honey cake. I should give this a try.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 14, 2014

      I love that combo! 🙂

      Reply

  • Elizabeth S.
    March 14, 2014

    Just wondering, what’s the texture like? The layers look like they bake up kind of crunchy, and then soften as the cream gets absorbed? Russian cakes are still a mystery to me, I’m used to the typical American layer cake. 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 14, 2014

      Yes, they harden as they cool and they end up like a cookie. After the cake is assembled and they’ve been in the fridge overnight, the layers are soft and moist. It’s delicious! 🙂

      Reply

  • Inna
    March 14, 2014

    Just finished with the layers. Can’t wait to frost and eat this cake. I have to admit, that from all honey cakes I made before, this one is the easiest. Hope it tastes the best. I loved how easy it was to roll.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 14, 2014

      That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the great review. I can’t wait to hear how you liked it!! 🙂

      Reply

      • Inna
        March 19, 2014

        Natasha we loved the cake! I will be making it soon again for another family get together. Your recipes are always the best!

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          March 19, 2014

          Inna, thank you so much. That is music to my ears, well I guess it’s to my eyeballs since I’m reading it. Anyway, you get the point. lol. Thanks so much for an awesome review! 🙂

          Reply

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