This Russian honey cake recipe, aka medovik, is a gravity-defying layered cake with notes of honey & dulce de leche. It is decadent, beautiful & absolutely delicious.
Honey cake is made up of crispy and thin cake layers that are separated by a thick cream cheese and dulce de leche frosting. The end result is an eye-catching dessert that is sure to impress. Whip it up for your next get-together and watch your guests’ eyes widen as you slice in!
Are you obsessed with honey cake? Try your hand at making another Momsdish favorite – Jam Layered Honey Cake.
What is Russian Honey Cake (Medovik)?
Medovik hails straight from Russia and translates directly into “honey”. It is a popular dessert throughout all Slavic countries and it’s reserved for special occasions. Here you’ll find an overview of the flavor, texture, and time it takes to whip up our version.
- Flavor: The flavor of this cake is sweet overload! It doesn’t hold back at all and features strong notes of honey and dulce de leche.
- Texture: The crispy, thin cake layers are soaked in the cake cream overnight, making each slice ridiculously moist.
- Time: Reserve a little patience for this cake, as it takes about 3 hours to make. Trust us, it’s well worth the wait!
Making Honey Cake Recipe from Scratch
The most tedious part about making medovik is baking each individual layer separately. After that, all you need to do is some simple assembly!
Make the Cake Layers
- Create a Steam Bath: First, bring a pot of water to boil and place a heat-safe bowl on top.
- Make the Cake Batter: Next, pour the butter, honey and sugar inside the bowl over the steam bath and allow them to melt. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and baking soda until smooth. Slowly add in the egg mixture, stirring until well-combined.
- Cook the Batter: Allow the batter to cook for around 30 minutes over the steam bath. Remove it from heat and add in the teaspoon vanilla extract and all-purpose flour.
- Shape the Cake Layers: Next, preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured work surface, divide the dough into 12-14 even pieces and roll out one of them into a thin, flat disc.
- Bake & Trim the Cake Layers: Bake a single cake layer for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a plate, cut out a perfect circle from the cake layer. Repeat the process until all you layers are baked, trimmed, and cooled to room temperature (note: save the cake trimmings for decorating!).
Make the Cake Cream & Assemble the Cake
- Make the Cake Cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and dulce de leche together. Add in the heavy whipping cream and whip until you get stiff peaks.
- Assemble the Cake: Next, frost a cake layer with the cake cream and stack a layer on top. Repeat until the cake is fully assembled. Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining cake cream.
- Decorate the Cake: Blend the leftover cake pieces and use the crumbs to decorate the sides of the cake:
- Refrigerate the Cake: Allow the cake to set in the fridge overnight to develop its flavors. Before serving, let it sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. Bon appetit!
Hot Tip: This honey cake calls for dulce de leche. If you’re feeling up to it, make our Instant Pot dulce de leche.
5 Tips for Making the Best Honey Cake
A couple of handy tips will help you make the best honey cake recipe possible.
- Make the layers in advance. This cake is awesome because you can make the layers up to a week in advance. Just make sure to cover them tightly with plastic wrap and store them in a plastic bag until you are ready to assemble.
- Use room temperature butter and cream cheese and extra cold heavy whipping cream. Bring your butter and cream cheese to room temperature and keep your heavy cream very cold. This makes the whipping process much easier, while also creating an awesome texture.
- Don’t over mix the cake cream. Once you add the heavy cream to your cream cheese and butter, pay extra mind to not over mix your frosting. Over mixing the heavy cream can cause it to curdle and turn into butter. Once you see stiff peaks begin to form, immediately stop mixing the frosting.
- Give the cake time to set. After you assemble your cake, allow it to set it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This will not only help with the cake’s overall stability, but it will also make it much more moist and flavorful.
- Tailor the cake cream to your taste buds. If you want to skip out on the cream cheese or butter, feel free. If you remove the butter, compensate by adding more cream cheese and vice versa.
Storing & Freezing this Honey Cake Recipe
Whether you’re prepping your cake ahead of time or need to store some leftover slices, find all you need to know here.
- Refrigerate: Keep your cake in a sealed cake container for up to a week. This cake tends to absorb the smells of the fridge, so you want to make sure it’s stored airtight!
- Freezing: You can make this cake in advance and freeze it for up to a month. Fresh cake is always supreme, but this definitely is a viable option. Pull out the cake from the freezer and allow it to thaw overnight.
FAQ
Can you make honey cake with just sugar?
It’s best to use honey for traditional honey cake instead of just pure sugar. The deep, earthy honey flavor is the signature ingredients for the cake and really make it what it is.
Is cooked condensed milk the same thing as dulce de leche?
Yes, cooked sweetened condense milk is the same exact thing as dulce de leche. You can easily make it yourself or just buy a premade can of dulce de leche.
What kind of flour should you use to make honey cake?
Regular, old-fashioned all-purpose flour is all you need to make a traditional medovik cake. You want to stay away from cake flours, as they are much too fine to yield the crispy cake layers.
How far in advance can you prepare the cake layers for honey cake?
You can prepare the cake layers for medovik cake up to 5 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator. If you want them to last even longer, freeze them for up to a month.
A Few More Russian Cakes to Try
- Dulce De Leche Cake (Golden Key Cake) – Luscious caramel cake
- 5 Ingredient “Sharlotka” Apple Cake – Rustic apple cake
- Chocolate Layer Cake (Spartak Cake) – Thin, chocolate cake layers separated by a thick cream
- Chocolate-Honey Layer Cake Recipe – Irish creme liqueur chocolate honey cake
Share Some Love ❤️
Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 70 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
Cake Cream
- 200 g Unsalted Butter
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 16 oz heavy whipping cream
- 12 oz dulce de leche
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Bring a pot of water to boil and place a heat-safe bowl on top (this is called a "steam bath"). Place the butter, honey, and sugar inside the bowl and allow the mixture to melt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with baking soda until smooth in consistency. Slowly, add the egg mixture into the honey mixture in the steam bath, continuing to stir as you combine.
- Cook the batter for about 30-40 minutes until the color deepens. Take the batter off the steam bath and add in the vanilla extract. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. Add in the flour (the batter will be sticky and that's OK). Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Flour a work surface generously to help you work with the sticky dough. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal-sized pieces (you can use a scale to make this super exact). Roll out each dough piece into a large round circle (you'll want it big enough so you can shape it into a perfect circle later). Roll the circle back onto the rolling pin and unroll it onto the lined baking sheet.
- Bake each cake layer for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown. While one cake is baking, roll out another layer to speed up the process. Once the cake layer comes out of the oven, use a plate as a stencil to cut out a perfect circle. Repeat the process until all your cake layers are baked and cut out with a stencil. Save the cake trimmings for decorating.
- Allow all the cake layers to cool at room temperature in a single layer – do not stack them while they're hot!
Making the Cake Cream & Assembling the Cake
- Whip the butter with the cream cheese and dulce de leche until smooth in consistency. Add in the heavy whipping cream and whip until you get stiff peaks (note: don't over mix, or the heavy whipping cream will turn into butter).
- Frost a cake layer and stack another on top. Repeat the process until all the layers are stacked. Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining cake cream.
- Shred the leftover cake pieces in a blender and use it to decorate the sides of the cake. Allow the cake to set in the fridge overnight. Before serving, allow the cake to sit at room temperature to develop the moisture. Slice and enjoy!
hi there, hope you are doing good, I am doing a research on desserts especially Russian honey cakes, therefore, I am kindly requesting from you guys to provide your answers,
A general answers of my below questions?
1.why it is called honey cakes?
2.why desserts is important, in general? Especially honey cakes?
3.How does people feel when they eat honey cake?
4.who eats honey cakes?
5.when do people eat honey cakes?
6. In your opinion, where does honey cakes usually served ?
This will help me a lot to complete my assignment.
Thanks
Hi Badria- thank you for reaching out. You will find many of these answers in the text above. This cake is eaten on special occasions or just because, just like any other cake 🙂
Thank yo s much, got it.
Hi
Thank you
Thank you, too. Appreciate the support for my recipes and hope you are enjoying this honey cake, friend.
Hi Natasha. I’m wanting to make this recipe but I’m very pressed for time due to errands etc.
Is it possible to make the layers in steps.
Meaning can I make the dough as instructed on the stove- and then leave it to rest for a few hours (covered in cling film)
And then roll and bake the layers a few hours later?
Is this advisable?
Hi Naadhira - Thanks for the question. This should be totally fine. Just make sure it's resting at room temperature and not over any source of heat. Let me know how it turns out!
I tried this cake on my son's birthday. And it is the best cake I could ever make. I loved the flavours of caramel, dulce leche , honey. Super yummy fragrance. Super yummy taste.
I baked my layers for 5 mins that I observed is too much then decreased to 4 mins and some were baked for 3 mins. Next time I will bake all layers for 3-4 mins.
Only thing is that bothered me is that it's very sweet as mentioned in the post. Though I decreased amount of sugar and filling. And it took me quite a long long time(I am home cook and did 16 layers). But it was all worth it. Thank you so much for great recipe. I will definitely make it again
Amazing! I'm so happy that you loved the turn out. It can be a long process, but it's so worth it - especially for an occassion as special as your son's birthday! I hope he loved it too and that you guys have a great weekend.
Hello, I just made it for Easter and it’s delicious. I’m from Europe so I’m familiar with this cake and it’s always been my favorite one. Turned out exactly how it should taste. I just didn’t use 3 cups of flour but only 2 and a little bit. The dough started to get too hard. But it was easy to work with it. It wasn’t sticky. Otherwise I followed the steps.
Hi Jana - So happy to hear that this cake was part of your holiday celebration! This is super helpful feedback. The kind of flour you use can make a big difference. Thanks so much for the kind words.
Hi! I’ve tried to make this cake twice but every time I roll out the dough it sticks to everything and it dries out and cracks and I can’t use the dough 🙁 I’ve followed the recipe exact, what am I doing wrong?
Hey Emma- are you flouring your work surface and rolling pin enough before rolling out the dough? Don't be afraid to use a bit more flour when rolling it out if it seems too sticky! I hope this helps. I'm sorry it keeps cracking, I know how frustrating that can be when you are following all the steps.
Hi there!
Is cooked condensed milk pretty much dulce de leche ?
Hi Mirza- correct! I have a recipe on how to make it at home if you'd like: https://momsdish.com/easy-ins…
Hi you do not mention what the oven temperature should be to bake the honey cake layers.
Hi there- the cake layers should be baked at 350°, it's mentioned in step 3. Enjoy!
Hi Natalya! Do you have a picture of what it should look like when it’s done cooking?
Hi Natasha - You can find pictures of each finished step within the recipe post itself. That should be really helpful for you to "see" how each component should turn out! Thanks for the note and Happy New Year!
I made this cake a couple of days ago. The cake layers were thin and crispy, so I really didn't think it was going to be good. I put the cake together and put it in the fridge overnight anyway. I was upset because I followed the directions to a tea. Something magical must have happened that night, because everyone raved about how good it was. I was shocked at what it had become! It was delicious! Super grateful for this recipe!
Hi, I am so glad you loved the end results. The cake takes some time to set and allowing it to set it in the fridge for at least 12 hours not only helps with the cake’s overall stability, it will also make it much more moist. This cake needs some sitting time. Thank you for taking the time to comment your feedback!
One extra tip alow cake to come back to room temperature before serving and see the magic. It will melt in your mouth
Love this, Sidrah!
This is seriously the BEST honey cake ever. I have always been a honey cake lover but this one is THE ONE to make. I won't ever use another recipe. Love it and thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Awwww, that's amazing Olesya! So nice to hear that. This recipe has been in my family for years, so I'm really glad we can pass it on to you to create some sweet memories with. Thank you!
My granddaughter wants this Cake for her birthday. Do I have to use plain flour or can I substitute with self rising flour? Can I put a can of condensed milk in the oven and cook it myself to have the cooked condensed milk and if so how long do I cook it? Also I need to know how to convert my grams of butter into tablespoons or cups. I am an experienced baker and I am looking forward to the challenge of making this cake but these are just a few things I need answers to I would appreciate your feedback
Cooked condensed milk is simply “dulce de leche.” You can find it in most U.S. grocery stores by the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk and it is canned as well.
It would probably be helpful to add a recipe note as I had never heard it called “cooked condensed milk” milk either and had to do some research.
Hey Judith, I would follow the recipe closely for success. In this recipe, you need all-purpose flour. I have never used a method of baking condensed milk, sorry can't give you much help there. As far as conversions go, you can use google to convert the measurements. Hope this helps. Enjoy the cake and Happy Birthday to your granddaughter.
Hi I have tried to make the cream following the recipe but the kitchen aid mixer just curdles the cream
I put in the butter, cream cheese and can of condensed milk mixed it up then added in the whipping cream and them it started to curdle
What am I doing wrong??
Hey Zaiga, that happens when you overmix the cream. When you add heavy whipping cream, keep an eye on the cream and turn it off as soon as you see stiff peaks. Sorry, you didn't have the best experience the first time.
Hi Natasha,
I have baked this recipe twice and both times it was amazing. If I were to double the recipe, do I need to cook it on the double boiler for longer?
Hey Irene, this is so good to hear. You may need to cook slightly longer, just pay attention to the color and remove it when the color changes. Enjoy
Hi Natasha ,
I'm trying to make the cake . Everything was good but the cream was not . I added half tsp of lemon juice and the cream curdled a little bit . Is there any chance to save it ? 😔
Hey Amel, unfortunately, lemon will make this cream curl up. You may need to start over. Sorry cant help.
Hi Natasha,
How many days in advance are the layers able to be made without creaming? Thank you for the recipe, I made it before and it's delicious!
Hi Nancy, you can store it in an airtight container for up to a week and you can freeze it for a few months.
Hi, currently making the honey cake now. But realised that the recipe says cooked condensed milk. Can we just use condensed milk instead? If yes, do I need to adjust the quantity?
Looking forward to eating the cake?
Hey Anna, I would do 1/2 of condensed milk. The flavor of the cream would be different. Hope you still love it.
If I want the cake to be bigger can I double the recipe? Or make it a rectangle shape instead?
Hey Laura, yes for sure, you can make it any shape, and welcome to double up the recipe. Enjoy
How wide are the layers supposed to be after you cut extra off?
We usually go with 9 inches wide and get 12 layers. Enjoy
Is there an alternative for honey
You can use corn syrup it just won't taste exactly the same, just as good though.
Ahhh interesting! But true, it definitely won't taste the same or have that creamy milkiness.
This is a honey cake, I am afraid not. We have other cakes on the blog that you can try.
My son and I made this cake for an assignment for his Global Studies class at school. It was amazing! We gobbled it up and my mom requested it to be served at our Mother's Day celebration. Thanks so much!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, Elise.
Hi Natalya,
I just had a question, I’ve been following your directions and I come up with usually 8 layers. My layers when baked come out a bit thick (they don’t look like your pictures) and they have air bubbles. Do you have any suggestions? Should I try to make make more layers? Is that maybe my problem? Thank you in advance!
Portion your dough into 12 equal pieces by weight and keep rolling until the proper size. ❤
Hey Martha, My goal is always to roll out the dough as thin as possible. If you feel like you could have rolled it out thinner, it would be a good idea. It's totally fine to have more layers.
Hello Natalya,
Firstly , the original cream for Medovik consists of sour cream whipped with sugar, and couple of spoons of lemon juice can be added to add special taste. Soft cream cheese, whipped fresh cream, condescend milk that are mentioned above are not used in the original recipe for Medovik. Also, it’s not a Russian cake only , it is a very popular desert in the cuisine of all post Soviet Union countries.
Thank you for sharing your feedback!
We just had this cake for tea. Hands down the best honey cake ever!! Thank you so much, its light, fluffy and moist! Absolute delight, a highlight of the birthday 😊 I wish I could upload the picture too, it looks gorgeous decorated with fresh berries and icing sugar
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake! Thank you very much for taking the time to comment your feedback.
hii
thanks for giving this information this is quite relavent.
You're welcome 🙂 I'm glad it was helpful!
I will try this recipe for my husband's birthday, I have a russian heritage and my hubby loves the honey cake. I have never tried the cream cheese and dulce de leche frosting, I used to do only soured cream with some lemon and sugar so very intrigued how's this one going to turn out. One slight comment though, your metrics are a bit confusing, you have cups and oz and g, would be lovely if everything was in g and mls, or only cups.
Thanks for the gorgeous recipe!
Hey Agne, Thank you for sharing your suggestions. I hope you love the cake! 🙂
Hi Natalya,
I’m excited to try this, how many layers should this recipe make? How big the circle should be? I’m worried how thin I should roll out each layer...
Hey Nica, I make mine 9 inches wide and we usually get about 12 layers. Hope you absolutely love it!
thanks for sharing your thoughts with us it was very helpful nd continue to sharing such post with us.
Glad to hear this!
So I was wondering if I should use cake flour or regular flour? Do you have the gram measurements for flour?
Hey Anna, we use cups for measurements, you can google to see conversion. Also, regular all purpose flour works great.
Hi Natalya, the problem with cups is that not all have the same measurments. The american cups are not the same as the uk ones... that's why grams are more accurate
Thank you
Hey, you can use our coversion calculator or google for conversion. A large majority of our users use US conversions but we definitely did add a conversion calculator. Enjoy the recipe
Hi Natalya,
I'm planning to follow your recipe this weekend for my honey:-). If I make the layers in advance, do we need to keep the layers in fridge or can it be stored in room temp?
Thanks,
Shabna
Hey, you can keep the layers in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!