This easy sponge honey cake is baked with real honey, then the layers are gently soaked in a sweet honey syrup and finished with creamy sour cream frosting. This cake is simple enough to make any time, but also elegant for special occasions.
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About honey sponge cake
If love the famous multi-layer honey cake (medovik), but do not feel like baking 8-9 layers, this sponge cake is a perfect shortcut. It delivers that same rich honey flavor and creamy frosting with sour cream, without extra work.
The sponge layers are soft and airy, so to keep them moist I have lightly soaked them in a honey syrup. Cake soak is the common technique for any sponge cake.
This version of honey cake is meant to be simple and low-effort, so I keep the decorations simple with berries on top. But it still looks elegant. And I think that the taste of the cake is always more important than the decoration.
The only thing, if you make it for a special occasion or need it to be taller, you can double the recipe and make it a 4 layer cake.
Ingredients
For the honey sponge cake:
- Honey: I used wildflower local honey.
- Vegetable oil: For softer sponge.
- Baking soda: Baking soda will react with honey and act as a leavening agent.
- Eggs: the base for the sponge cake
- Sugar: sugar is needed for the sponge texture and also adds sweetened along side the honey.
- Flour: You will need all-purpose flour. I have not tried making it with cake flour.
- Salt: for balancing the taste and bringing up the honey flavor
- Honey soak: you will need honey and water.
- Fresh berries (optional): for garnish.
For the frosting:
- Heavy cream: You will need cold heavy cream for whipping
- Sour cream: You can skip it but if you love the classic medovik, I recommend adding sour cream to the frosting,
- Powdered sugar: For sweetening the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: for warm flavor.
Tools used: 9-inch round cake pan ( you can also use 8-inch), large mixing bowl, kitchen scale, electric mixer.
How to bake the honey sponge
Add honey to the small pot or saucepan. Let it warm up well over low-medium heat, until it slightly melts and looks thinner. Add baking soda and whisk it until the soda reacts with honey and slightly foams. Once it does, take it off the heat. Stir and transfer the mixture to the separate bowl to cool down slightly.
Meanwhile, add eggs, salt and sugar in to a mixing bowl. Mix on high speed for about 6-7 minutes until it doubles in volume and the ribbons falling of the mixer whisks stay on the surface for a few seconds.
Add the warm honey to the eggs mixture. It can be warm, but not hot so the eggs do not get cooked. Mix on lower speed to combine. Add oil and mix again.
Sift in the flour, folding in gently from bottom to top into the batter. Do not overmix. The batter should look light and be pourable.
Pour the batter into the greased round 9-inch pan. I like to line the bottom of it with the parchment paper.
Bake at 350℉ for 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool down in pans for 20 minutes. Remove the from the pans and transfer to the cooling rack to cool down completely.
After they cool down completely, you can assemble the cake or wrap it in a plastic wrap and place them to rest overnight in the fridge. The next day they will become even softer and develop deeper flavor.
How to make the honey soak and the frosting
Heat the water until warm (not boiling). Add honey and stir until it dissolves. Let it cool.
Before making the frosting, I recommend placing the nixing bowl and mixer whisks in the fridge for a few hours, or freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
In large mixing bowl, add cold heavy cream and whip on high speed for a few minutes until frothy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add sour cream and mix gain with a mixer just until combined. Use it right away.
How to assemble the cake
Slice cooled down (or from the fridge) cake layer into two even layers. A cake slicer leveler will give you more even layers. You can also slice it into three thinner layers.
Brush the cut side of each layer with the honey soak.
Place one layer on a plate or a cake stand. Add about ½ cup of frosting. Spread it evenly leaving some height to it.
Place the second layer on top. Repeat the process. Place the top layer on top and add the remaining frosting on the sides and top of the cake.
Let the cake rest in the fridge for a few hours, but better overnight.
More baking recipes with honey
- simple honey cake - one layer Ukrainian honey cake that is often served without the frosting.
- honey cookies - buttery sugar cookies, made with a honeycomb pattern.
- honey banana bread - made without the sugar, soft and sweetened with bananas and honey only.
- honey muffins - rich honey flavor, with chocolate chips. Perfect for as a snack.
- Honey raspberry scones - buttery scones baked with both honey and sugar for the flaky texture, and drizzled with honey for serving.
📖 Recipe
Honey Sponge Cake
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 8 or 9 inch round cake pan*
Ingredients
Honey sponge cake ingredients
- 100 grams honey
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 60 milliliters (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- 230 grams flour
Honey soak ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey
Frosting
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Honey sponge cake instructions
- The batter comes together fast, so start by preheating the oven to 350℉. Line the bottom of the 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. I just cut out the circle. Grease the sides with butter or oil.
- Add the honey to a saucepan and Heat over low heat, whisking, until it becomes thinner and more fluid. Stir in the baking soda and continue whisking, until you see the mixture foam up and slightly expand. Once that happens, remove it from the heat and let it cool. For faster cooling, transfer it to a separate bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 4 eggs, 100 grams and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Using electrical mixer, beat on high for 4-5 minutes until the mixture doubles in size and thick ribbons fall off the mixer whisks.
- Add warm honey and baking soda mixture to the bowl, making sure it is not too how. Mix on medium speed to combine. Add 60 milliliters of vegetable oil and mix again on medium speed to combine.
- Using the silicone spatula, fold in the flour into wet ingredients. Do not overmix the batter. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading the top evenly if needed.
- Bake the cake at 350℉ on the middle rack for about 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool down in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let it cool down completely on the cooling rack. If the cake does not come out easily, use a butter knife to slide around the cake to loosen it up.
Honey soak
- In a saucepan, warm up the water (do not boil). Add whine and stir until fully dissolved. Let it cool slightly before brushing onto cake layers. You can make the honey soak a few days prior.
Whipped cream and sour cream frosting
- Chill the bowl and electric mixer beaters in the fridge. Add ½ cup of heavy cream to the cold bowl. Beat on medium speed until frothy.
- Add ¼ cup of powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add ¼ cup of sour cream and beat on low speed just until combined.
Assemble honey cake
- Slice the sponge cake into 2 even layers. Brush the cut sides of each layer with the honey soak.
- Place the bottom layer on a plate or a cake stand, cut side up and spread generous amount of frosting evenly on top. Gently place the second cake layer(and sides if desired). Finish by spreading frosting over the top of the cake. Top with fresh berries if desired.
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