Fluffy Honey Layer Cake With Fruit and Almonds

This incredibly tender Fluffy Honey Layer Cake is perfect for any occasion. The creamy sour cream frosting pairs so well with the honey cake and the fresh fruit and almonds make it classically beautiful.

Fluffy Honey Layer Cake With Almonds and Fruit


Words don’t do this cake justice, so I’m going to keep it short. This honey cake is perfect any time of year and is relatively simple to prepare. The honey gives the cake a sweet and caramelized flavor, which is so magical and pairs so well with the tangy cream cheese and sour cream frosting.

Decorating with fruit is a great choice always. Fruit is beautiful, and no matter how you arrange it, you know it will make a gorgeous presentation. It also adds so much fresh and juicy flavor to the cake. 

This cake has been a family favorite for decades. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Preparing the Honey Cake Layers

The honey cake layers are very similar to a sponge cake, so it’s important to start out with room temperature ingredients, so that you get as much volume as possible. This will help the cake layers to become very fluffy and rise as they bake.

Step by step tutorial of how to make the batter for honey layer cake

Sift the dry ingredients into the beaten eggs, sugar and honey mixture and then fold it in gently using a rubber spatula so that you retain as much of the volume of the cake as possible. Mix just until all the flour is incorporated, making sure to get all the flour from the bottom of the bowl too.

Tips To Keep the Cake Layers Flat and Even

Baking the Honey Cake Layers

To prevent the cake layers from caving in the center as they bake and then cool, DON’T grease the sides of the cake pans with butter or oil. This will help the cake to get a good “grip” on the edges of the cake pan as they bake and will result in a flat and even surface of each cake layer. However, make sure to place a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom of each cake pan to help you get the cake out of the pan after it’s finished baking.

Cool the cake in the cake pan for 5-7 minutes, before using a very thin knife to go around the edges of the cake and then gently remove the cake layers out of the cake pan.

Cool the cake layers completely before slicing each of the cake layers in half horizontally.

What Cake Pans Should Be Used For This Cake

I recommend using 10 inch round cake pans. They will bake through faster which will keep the cake layers much more tender. However, 9 inch cake pans will also work, you will need to bake them longer though, since they will be taller and require more time to bake through.

Preparing the Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Frosting

Cream cheese and sour cream frosting for a honey layer cake

This is my favorite frosting to use for this cake. It isn’t as thick as a typical butter cream of cream cheese frosting, because it has sour cream, sweetened condensed milk and whipped heavy cream part of the ingredients. I think it makes a really delicious frosting. Since it’s thinner, it is able to soak into the cake layers more, resulting in the most tender cake.

Make sure to start with softened cream cheese, which will mix up much better. The sour cream and heavy cream should be cold though.

When the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk are smooth, add the sour cream and vanilla, mix until combined.

Heavy cream vs Cool Whip

I use heavy cream and powdered sugar for this frosting. You can also use the same amount of already prepared whipped topping, such as Cool Whip. The Cool Whip has stabilizers in it, so it will give the frosting a much thicker consistency. I prefer to use heavy cream, but the choice is up to you.

Fold in the whipped cream gently into the frosting.

If you want a thicker frosting

As I already mentioned, it is my opinion that this particular frosting works the best for this cake. However, if you prefer a frosting to be thicker and richer, use only cream cheese, (add an additional package of cream cheese, powdered sugar to taste and 8 oz of Cool Whip. This will give you a really thick frosting.

Tips To Frosting the Cake

Frosting the Fluffy Honey Layer Cake With Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Frosting

You should use ALL of the frosting for this cake, so be generous when spreading it on the cake layers, leaving only enough frosting to go around the edges and the top of the cake. If you don’t use all of the frosting, your cake will be more dry.

To keep the cake from sliding around, I use the sides of a springform pan and place it around the cake after I have frosted it and place it into the refrigerator for a few hours to chill and set as the frosting is soaking into the cake layers.

Then, I use a really thin knife to go around the edges of the cake and carefully remove the springform pan, and then use the remixing frosting to frost the sides of the cake.

Use the palms of your hands to add toasted almonds around the edges of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh fruit.

Honey Cake Topped With Fruit - Strawberries, Mangos and Kiwi
Fluffy Honey Layer Cake With Fruit and Almonds on a cake stand

How Far In Advance Can You Prepare This Cake?

I like assembling and frosting the cake the day before I serve it, so that it chills in the refrigerator overnight. Add the fresh fruit right before serving, up to a few hours in advice only. The fruit will wilt if you place it on the cake too far in advance.

A slice of fluffy honey layer cake, a spoonful of cake and sour cream frosting with fruit on top.
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Fluffy Honey Layer Cake With Fruit and Almonds

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4.7 from 6 reviews

The fluffy layers of this honey cake are frosted with a creamy sour cream frosting. This is such a tender and delicious cake, perfect for any occasion. Decorated with almonds and fruit, it’s also classically beautiful. 

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cake (9-10 inches) 1x
  • Category: Sweets

Ingredients

Scale

Cake:

  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting:

  • 2 (8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar, or to taste

Optional garnishes to decorate the cake:

  • toasted almonds
  • 12 mangos or peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 1 box strawberries, halved or sliced
  • 2 kiwi, peeled and sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut out parchment paper to fit into the bottom of 2 round cake pans. You can use either 9 or 10 inch pans. Do NOT use butter or oil to brush the sides of the cake pans. 
  2. Using a hand mixer or a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and gradually add in the sugar. Mix until the eggs are pale and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.
  3. Add the honey.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and the baking soda. Sift the dry ingredients over the batter and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula until all the flour is incorporated. 
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the two can pans. 
  6. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes for the 10 inch cakes and the 9 inch cakes will take longer to bake through in the center. 
  7. Take out the cake layers from the oven, cool for 5 minutes. Use a thin knife to go around the edges of the cake and gently take the cakes out of the cake pan. Place on a cooling rack and cool completely. You can bake the cake layers up to 3 days in advance, but if you don’t use them within the first few hours, cover them with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap to keep from drying out and to keep the cake layers fresh. 
  8. Meanwhile, make the frosting.
  9. With a hand mixer or using a standing mixer and a paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese and condensed milk, until they are smooth. Use only half a can of sweetened condensed milk. 
  10. Add the sour cream and vanilla. In another bowl and using a whisk attachment, whip up the chilled heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
  11. Gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until the frosting is smooth.
  12. Place some aluminum foil around the edges of the plate where you’ll be assembling the cake. This will keep the sides of the plate clean while you’re working with drippy frosting, crumbs and almonds.
  13. Cut each cake layer in half horizontally.
  14. Generously spread each cake layer with frosting. Don’t smoosh the cake too much while you’re doing it.
  15. Spread more frosting on the sides and top of the cake. You may need to chill the cake in the refrigerator for a few hours until the frosting has soaked into the cake and to make frosting it much easier. I usually assemble and frost the cake the day before I am planning to serve it. 
  16. Using the palms of your hands, coat the sides of the cake with toasted almonds. Decorate the top of the cake with fruit. If you’re going to be serving the cake the next day, leave the fruit off the cake and decorate it before serving.

Did you make this recipe?

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The recipe for this Fluffy Honey Layer Cake was originally published on August 23, 2013. I have updated the pictures and clarified the instructions to give you the best results.

Fluffy Honey Layer Cake With Fruit and Almonds
Fluffy Honey Layer Cake sliced

106 Comments

    • olgak7

      Alena, 2 teaspoons is the correct amount for this cake. In my opinion, you can’t taste it in the cake. If you don’t add the full amount, the cake won’t be as tall or fluffy.

  • Oksana

    Made it on Saturday, and cut it on Sunday. It was perfect, and surprisingly fast to make from beginning to end. This was one yummy cake. Except we didn’t have any fresh fruit, and my husband doesn’t like any nuts on the cakes, so I omitted those.
    I didn’t have 2 pans of exact size, so I used a 9 inch, and other a 10 inch. Once they baked, I trimmed the larger cake edges, grated them and that’s what I used for the sides and topping, simple and delicious. Next time, I’d have to buy the fruit, sounds like a great combination.

  • Mommy

    Hi Olga,
    Can you tell me how sweet the cake is? I know everyone has a different opinion of what sweet is, but from 1-10 what would you give it. I tried the Tres Leches cake from Pioneer Women and we didn’t finish the cake because it was way too sweet. Also, what do you thing will happen to the cream if I cooked the condensed milk (I like the flavor of it cooked vs raw)?
    Just wanted to thank you for keeping up your food blog. I tried numerous of your recipes, and they all turned well. It makes me happy to see women who are good keepers of their home. May God bless your family. Did your little ones arrive?

    • olgak7

      It’s hard to judge how sweet something is since everyone has different preferences, but I normally cut the amount of sugar in most recipes in half, since I don’t like things too sweet, either.
      In my opinion, I don’t think this cake is too sweet. The cake layers are not too sweet and you can make the frosting as sweet as you like by adjusting the amount of condensed milk that you add.

    • Mommy

      I finally made this cake three weeks ago when I had guests over for dinner. Baking is not my forte, therefore I don’t bake often and when I do, I have to have a good feeling about the recipe. This cake was very easy and turned out good. Although 3/4-1 can of condensed milk was suggested to use for the cream, I will be using 1/2 a can tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I will also try adding chocolate ganache(not very sweet) over the cream, since fruit is out of season right now and I think chocolate will complement well. Thank you Olga. Your blog is my reliable “recipe book” that hasn’t failed me.

  • Roza K

    Olga just wondering if you cooked the condensed milk for the frosting. My sister and I are planning to make this for my daughters birthday. Thanks for you time and I love your blog. God bless!!

    • olgak7

      Happy birthday to your daughter, Roza!
      In my opinion, I think that using cooked condensed milk in the frosting doesn’t really go with the flavors of the cake layers, but it might work too.

  • Mila

    hi Olga. I made this cake for a little tea gettogether and everyone loved it…. my husband is a picky eater ….even he said ” from now on this is my favorite cake” lol…..
    thank u so much for this delicious recipe…..
    I have two questions tho
    1. does the cream have to be runny the way it was?
    2. how long can I freeze biskvit?

    • olgak7

      Hi Mila,
      I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the cake:). Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
      I know you can freeze cake layers, but I never do it myself, so I can’t tell you from experience. I think it would be fine for a month or so as long as you seal it well.
      In regards to the frosting, I like the texture and use it for most of my cakes. It’s my family’s and mine personal preference. If you prefer your frosting to be thicker, by all means use your own favorite frosting recipe.

  • Tanya m

    Hi.. I would like to make a easy cake for my sons birthday, but he’s allergic to nuts. Do you think it’ll taste good with a more of a chocolatey cream (if I were to add cocoa) some Oreo cookie crumbs and omit the fruit? His party theme is “construction” ..

    • olgak7

      Just omit the nuts, Tanya. In regards to the chocolate frosting – personally I’ve never tried it, but it’s up to you. everybody has different taste preferences. You can definitely omit the fruit as well.
      Decorating a cake is very subjective; you can do what ever you’d like. Sounds like a fun party:). Happy birthday to your son!

  • Alena

    hey Olga, i wanna try making this cake this weekend and wanted to have your opinion on, what do u think if i add rasbperries inside? u think that will be a good combination with honey?

  • Julia

    Hi Olga, I want to make this cake this weekend for my moms birthday. We will be serving it on plates with other desserts. Is the cake pretty sturdy? Also, how would I adjust the recipe if I wanted to bake it in a 9 x 13 pan so that it’s rectangular and easier to cut for serving? Thank you! 🙂

    • olgak7

      Yes, it’s a “sturdy” cake. It won’t fall apart if served on the same plate with other desserts.
      Just spread the batter around evenly in a 9×13 inch pan, it should be a thin layer, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. I’m not sure exactly how many layer you will have, though, since I never make it in that size.

  • veta

    Hi, Olga! Happy Thanksgiving! Made this cake today for Thanksgiving dinner/celebration. Over all the cake was good and I love the cream. The only “minus” thing was that we could taste the baking soda 🙁 ты гасишь соду для этого торта? I would definitely make it more but next time will put maybe 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Thanks 🙂

    • olgak7

      Hi Veta!
      I’m sorry you weren’t pleased with the results. No, I do not dissolve the baking soda in vinegar. Maybe you will like it better with less baking soda. I guess our family doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.

  • Hasmik

    Olga. Could you check the % of milkfat in your sour cream? Will 14% work? Other recipes call for 30%. But it looks like you use regular sour cream.

    • olgak7

      I’ve never looked at the percentage of fat, Hasmik. I always just buy the regular sour cream at the store, not part skim, low fat, or whatever else is sold.

  • Irina

    hey olga, i have a question if serving the cake the next day, should the cake be left in the refrigerator over night? or is it better just leaving it out?

      • Irina

        Thanks for the recipe Olga, the cake was AMAZING!!!!! 🙂 and it turns out my mommy has the same exact recipe from the Europe hehe also when I made the cake I left it out over night, and put it in the refrigerator in the morning, it was just perfect!! Thanks again.

  • Michelle Hammond

    Hi Olga,

    Some of us from my church will be watching the opening of the olympics which take place in Russia in February. We thought it would be fun to have dinner and each bring a Russian dish. I love the look of this cake but we were wondering if it is truly a Russian Recipe or if it is just a good recipe of yours?? Thanks for your help.

    • olgak7

      Hi Michelle!
      That sounds like such a fun idea!
      Yes, this is a Russian recipe. It’s very common to include honey in cake recipes and the frosting is very Russian as well. We made this in the former Soviet Union and I know that many other Russian make similar cakes as well.

  • Yelena

    Thank you , Olga for this recipe. Made it today, and it was easy, tasty and quick!
    I didn’t have heavy whipping cream, so used cool whip instead. Came out great.
    thanks again.

  • Happy Valentine’s Snow Day! | EcoHappy Style

    […] theme – this year it was Sochi! Andre and the kids were “Team Sochi Dessert” with Olga’s Fluffy Honey Layer Cake with Fruit , Almonds and Sour Cream Frosting. They hid the cake in the laundry room when it was done. I was “Team Sochi Dinner” with […]

  • Mila

    hey Olga
    i made this cake for this sunday everybody loved this cake it was gone with like 5 min! i got last peace! 🙂
    thanks it is good cake!
    ill be make it now always its really easy too!

  • Elli D.

    So I made this cake on Monday and instead of making it super tall with 4 layers, I made 2 smaller cakes.
    My family couldn’t get enough of it 🙂 it’s really yummy and it’s not so time consuming as many cakes.
    In my opinion it tastes even better the 2, 3 or even 4th day.
    Thank you Olga for this easy recipe!

  • Jacque

    Dear Ogla,

    Your cake recipe was amazing. We are Russian and Ukrainian decent and our children love honey cake. This cake was fantastic. I made a honey cake before but it was heavy. I loved the lightness of your recipe. My children loved it. And it was a show stopper. The guests took pictures.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will keep it and use it always.

    Jacque

  • Oksana

    I made this cake for guests before and got so many compliments! Made it again for tomorrow- going to a birthday party. It is super easy to make, but the frosting is so drippy, I think it needs to be a little improved. I even tried putting less sour cream and condensed milk, sweetened with powdered sugar, but still turned out runny. Maybe you have any suggestions? Once the cake absorbs it all, it has a heavenly soft taste, but the putting together part gets messy.

    • olgak7

      Hi Oksana!
      Yes, the frosting is on the thinner side. That is why the cake turns out so soft and tender. I personally prefer it this way. If you don’t, you can make a cream cheese frosting instead. Or a buttercream frosting. The cake will not be as tender, though.

  • Oksana

    Can’t wait to dig in! Just frosted it! Although my frosting was somewhat runny too like one reader mentioned.. And I seem to have a lot left over even though I frosted generously!? I am going to leave it in the frig and frost some more tomorrow and see if it gets thicker?.. Thanks for the recipe though!! Very simple indeed!!

  • SvetKa

    Olga,
    I made this cake last 14 months ago for my youngest, and still getting request for it. Thank you so very much for suggesting it.
    Here’s the next challenge, though: I need to make it for a dairy-free party. Any idea what I can do besides non-dairy ganache topping? Maybe some sort of thickened jam?

    • olgak7

      Hi Svetka. I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this cake. I really have no idea what you can use for this cake to make it dairy free. What kind of frosting will you be making? I don’t have any recipes of dairy free frostings. As for the ganache, most chocolates have dairy in them too. Sorry, I really have no experience with dairy free cooking.

  • Nataly

    Hi, Olga! I’m going to try that cake this week, the problem is that I can bake it only on Saturday morning, but it must be served around 6 pm evening… Will there be enough time for the cream to soften the cake layers, if I’ll be done with assembling it around 10 am??? Should I put it in the refrigerator or leave it on the counter?
    Thanks in advance for taking time to answer!!!

  • Hailey

    Just made this cake! I had it a couple years ago at a friends house. The cream came out almost like liquid for me. 🙁

    • olgak7

      I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you, Hailey. Did you beat the frosting long enough after adding the heavy cream? Was the heavy cream very cold?

  • Olga

    Hi Olga, I’m planning to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday this weekend. I was going to buy a cake but then I saw how easy this one is, so I figured that I might as well make it and I bet it’ll taste 100% better than any store bought one. Plus, I feel like I’m never really satisfied with standard american cakes. With regard to baking soda, I read a few people saying that it’s too much and if it needs to be ‘activated’ by vinegar. I did some research, and the acid in honey should do the same job as vinegar would with the baking soda. I will give it a try your way exactly and I’m sure it’ll be delicious! Thanks! Olga

    • olgak7

      Happy birthday to your boyfriend, Olga.
      I’ve never had any issues with this cake and it’s always been one of the cakes that I know I can whip up very quickly with minimum effort and comes out great every time. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do.

    • olgak7

      Cream cheese is a pretty important ingredient in the frosting, Nataliya. You can just omit it and use more sour cream, but it will be much more runny and have a different flavor.

  • Cyrena

    Olga, I made this cake for a dear co-worker / friend’s 88th birthday. I used raspberries instead of the strawberries because they were on sale and a fresh peach. I cannot explain how beautiful the cake came out or how absolutely delicious it was. Thank you so much for saying what words cannot express, with this recipe~~

  • Kendall Tuchkova

    Hello! I love your blog. I am making this cake right now and I have a lot of frosty left over. Any ideas as to what I can do with it? Thank you!

    • olgak7

      Hi Kendall,
      I like to use a lot of frosting, because as the cake stands, the frosting will seep into the cake and make it very moist and delicious. If you have a lot of it left over, you can use it as a filling in crepes.

      • Kendall

        Thanks! I️ will definitely use more next time. This time, we just spooned the extra over each piece as we ate. It was delicious, and my husband said it reminded him of cake he ate growing up!

  • Vicki B.

    Hello! I was just wondering if it would be ok to just use 16oz of sour cream and 2 8oz packages of softened cream cheese instead of 24 oz of sour cream and 1 8oz package of softened cream cheese. Would that work and would make it taste more “cheese-cakey”? Thank you!

  • Iulia

    I made this cake for Christmas and it was so good. It was surprisingly easy to make and everyone commented on how tasty it was. The best part was all the flavours that reminded me of my childhood. I am not into baking but this encouraged me to try more recipes from your website.

  • Katy

    This cake looks amazing – I am going to make it for my parent’s golden wedding anniversary.
    Is it plain flour or self raising?

    • olgak7

      What a wonderful occasion for your family to celebrate. Happy Anniversary to your parents. I think it’s wonderful that you are making them a cake, Katy.
      The flour I use in all my recipes unless otherwise noted is unbleached all purpose flour.

      • Katy

        The cake was a huge success! Easy to make, delicious, light and very moist. The hardest part was transporting it 60 miles to my parent’s! I put the frosting and nuts on the night before and refrigerated, but left the fruit till I arrived. It wasn’t too bad!
        Can’t work out how to post a photo, but it looked amazing. Lots of compliments – thank you!

  • Zebiniso Zakurlaeva

    Can I bake it in one 9’ pan, then divide on 4 layers? I just don’t have two 9 inch pans. If yes what temperature and how long do I need to bake?
    Thank you in advance.

    • olgak7

      No, I don’t recommend it. If you bake it all in one pan, cake will have a hard time baking through in the center without becoming dry on the outside.

  • Laura

    Привет Ольга, из Австралии! I’ve been learning Russian for two years and learning about the wonderful Russian and Slavic culture, so naturally I am looking to make Russian dishes 🙂 May I ask the Russian name of this cake, preferably in Cyrillic? Is it a variation of Medovik? I’m looking forward to making it soon!

  • Jen

    Made this cake for my Russian sister-in law and it was a big hit. We usually have the Russian honey cake for special occasions made by my MIL which is also fabulous but this was so much easier to make. We loved the frosting, not too sweet and very soft and creamy. I wish you could upload photos here. This recipe is a keeper.






  • Valentina

    Delicious cake, have been making it for 6 years now and always get rave reviews:) thanks for the recipe. Better than the basic beskvit recipes out there.






    • olgak7

      I haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes. In my experience, eggs are a really important ingredient for this recipe, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting it with something else. They provide the soft and fluffy texture to the cake layers and give them lift.

  • Maria Taleva

    I made this cake twice already, for different occasions and about to make it a third time! A favorite for both adults and children, I have received tons of compliments for it!






  • Yuliya

    I made this in 10 inch pans and it was overdone in 30mins, the bottom was turning very brown…I’ll have to try less time next time. But it turned out very delicious, my whole family enjoyed it including my husband who doesn’t really like any kind of cake. And I also did halved everything on the cream and it was perfect amount of cream. My go to cake now! Thank you!






  • Natasha

    I really wanted to love this cake as it reminded me a honey layered cake but this was a disaster! Right away when it was baking I smelled baking soda. I knew it’s not gonna be good and when I tasted it, the smell /taste of baking soda was so overpowering . Why ? I used your recipe step by step. Also using 10 inch baking pan made my cakes too thin to be able to cut it in half. Also the cake was full of little holes when came out of the oven:( so frustrating..






  • Valentina

    Make this cake all the time (6+ years)! Love it and many people ask for recipe… I sometimes omit the fruits and do a chocolate ganache and it tastes just we good! Thanks for the recipe!






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