Honey Cake Roll just like “Medovik” only way easier! This fluffy sponge cake is incredibly simple to make, filled with a sour cream frosting, its sure to be a crowd-pleaser dessert and perfect for busy moms.
If you’re like me, easy desserts are a must, and roll cakes are exactly that! I love our Honey Medovik Cake but let’s be real feeding a family of 8 it’ll be gone in no time! With this honey cake roll you get two large cake rolls that you can slice easily into 14 slices each!
Honey Roulade
This cake roll recipe comes from a relative of my husbands that still lives in Ukraine. She has a large family, and distinctly called these “family roulades” because they truly feed a crowd and make two delicious cake rolls!
When I made this roll cake the flavors were identical to the popular honey layer cake, and with a sour cream frosting it was only appropriate to name it this honey cake roll or aka “Medovik Roll”. This dessert is amazing, and so quick and easy to throw together! I love how soft the sponge cake turns out and when you fill it with cream it gets so moist from the sour cream!
It even works as a last minute dessert, because when I had visitors coming on a short notice, this roll cake made it happen in under 1 hour! I quickly made the honey sponge cakes, sticked the cake rolls in the freezer to cool, and while that was chilling I then whipped up the frosting and assembled the entire dessert super fast! It’s really hard to mess up and the graham cracker crust disguises any imperfections!
Did I mention how moist the sponge cake turns out? That too, is really hard to mess up because moist cakes flex better its the perfect cake roll recipe!
How Do You Roll A Cake?
A honey roll cake comes together when it’s hot from the oven. This is when a jelly roll pan comes in handy, you simply line the pan with aluminum foil (for easy peeling later) and lightly grease it before spreading the batter over it. Then you bake the cake as you would normally, only when you take out the cake roll it up (using kitchen mittens) right in the pan, while it’s still hot. As it cools down it keeps its jelly roll shape and is easy to flex, as you peel off the foil.
Can I Use Different Size Pans?
Yes, you can however, keep in mind the bigger the pan the thinner the cake layer. I have used one 18×13 sheet pan and one 18×12 jelly roll pan to compensate however, one turns out slightly thinner than the other. So, it’s best to use two standard sized jelly pans (15×10), to get the same thickness on your jelly roll cake.
Storing:
This honey roll cake can keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, making it an excellent make-ahead dessert (and a reason to make two)! If you are hesitant to make this considerable size, you can half the recipe to make one jelly roll cake, but in my humble opinion make two because tasty desserts go fast and the cream is just enough to fill both rolls.
Ingredients:
I know busy moms will love this honey roll cake! Its calls for super basic pantry ingredients and minimal effort to pull together. It also works great with 100% freshly milled flour and organic cane sugar for wholesome fans, but I’m sharing the original recipe using white flour.
- Honey Sponge Cake- this cake is very moist right out of the oven! It will have a darker hue from the honey ingredient but no worries it tastes excellent!
- Sour Cream Frosting- goes perfectly with honey cake because it adds a little tang to the sweet flavors. It’s really the perfect combination and not overly sweet. Also the moisture of the sour cream filling softens the cake even more!
How To Make Honey Cake Roll:
This honey roll cake recipe is so easy to make! It’s really just a honey sponge cake, rolled up and filled with cream. So much easier then the traditional thin layer cake that has lengthly preparation time and yet the same main ingredient and flavor from honey!
- Make the honey sponge cake, get the mixer going with the eggs and sugar for 20 minutes over high speed.
- Meanwhile prepare and line two jelly roll pans with aluminum foil and then lightly grease.
- Evenly divide the batter between the two pans (this angled cake spatula will make it so much easier to spread) and bake.
- Remove cake rolls from the oven and roll up, jelly roll style. Its key to do this when it’s hot from the oven so that it doesn’t break.
- Cool the cake rolls and make the cream.
- Carefully unroll each cake roll and peel the foil off. Fill with cream and roll up again, then finish icing the entire roll. I crush a sleeve of graham crackers and cover the cake with crumbs to give it that “Medovik” look but that’s optional. Serve immediately or allow the cream filling to moisten the cake even more.
Q&A
I Forgot To Roll The Cake After Baking Is It Too Late?
It depends how long the cake was sitting, if the cake cooled completely it can break when you try to roll it, however when it’s still warm it’s easier to flex without breaking. There has been a time I forgot to roll up a cake roll, and about 20 minutes later I tried rolling it warm and it worked fine. Sponge cakes are forgiving and if it does break you can always cover it with cream.
Can I Substitute Aluminum Foil with Parchment Paper?
Yes, you can use lightly greased parchment paper to bake the honey cake rolls, either one can be used interchangeably and makes for easier for unrolling.
Should I Quench the Baking Soda?
No, you do not have to dissolve baking soda in sour cream or vinegar before adding it to the cake batter, honey contains a number of natural acids which will neutralize any bitterness.
Tips:
- Serve honey cake roll with fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries for more flavor and presentation.
- This is the perfect dessert for Holiday’s or for everyday sweet cravings. A roll cake is quick and easy to make.
- Substitute foil with parchment paper.
- Use oven mittens to roll up the cake, I like to hold on to the edges from the excess foil to roll it up without squishing the tops too much.
- Substitute white flour with a quarter cup more of freshly milled soft white wheat flour.
- For super moist rolls, frost the jelly roll cake with the sour cream frosting and leave it at room temperature for several of hours, then refrigerate it. This gives the sour cream time to seep into the sponge cake and softens it more! It will still be moist even if you skip this step.
More Moist Cake Recipes To Make:
Honey Cake Roll
Equipment
- 2 jelly roll pans
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Sour Cream Frosting:
- 2 cups sour cream (500ml)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (100 grams)
- 2 cups heavy cream (500ml)
Crumbs:
- 1 sleeve graham crackers* (crushed)
Instructions
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar over high speed for 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F and line two jelly roll pans with foil, lightly grease, and set aside.- To the sponge cake batter, mix in the honey and baking soda. Turn off the mixer and using the wire whisk attachment gently stir in the flour going in one direction.
- Evenly divide the batter into the prepared pans using an angled spatula and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
- Remove the honey sponge cakes from the oven and gently roll up. Cool completely.
- Make the Sour cream Frosting: whisk together the sour cream and powdered sugar then set aside. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks and mix it into the sour cream mixture.
- Gently unroll each cake roll and peel off the foil. Frost with 1/4 of the cream, roll up, and place onto a rectangular cake plate.
- Finish frosting the sides and top with 1/4 of the cream, and garnish with graham cracker crumbs if desired. Repeat process with the other cake roll. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator until needed.
Notes
- Graham crackers are optional, but they look more like "Medovik Rolls" with this garnish, use honey flavored ones.
- This cake is very moist and ready to serve immediately however, I like the cream to soften the cake roll even more so allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- You can use lightly greased parchment paper instead of foil.
