Honeycomb Cherry Cake Recipe (2024)

Honeycomb Cherry Cake – Cherries wrapped into puff pastry, then layered with sour cream frosting and chopped roasted walnuts, then drizzled with chocolate. This cake is my childhood favorite and is always a stunner to present to guests.

If you ever sees a Russian with 15 buckets of the tart cherries at a cherry orchard it is most likely because they plan to use them for cherry pierogies, cherry piroshkys or for this lovely Honeycomb Cherry cake. If this presentation of the Firewood under the Snow cake has fooled you, then you can blame it on me! I wanted a round cake, not a long log-like cake so I improvised. This classic combination of cherries, whipped cream and chocolate ganache doesn’t really need much of an introduction but if you’ve never tried this cake before I will tell you, you should! Tartness of the cherries balances perfectly with the sweet filling, while the chocolate ganache makes it look like a masterpiece, and masterpiece it is!

Using the pre-made puff pastry sheets for this cake is a cheaters way to save some time, but if it’s still delicious can you blame me? All in all, it took about an hour to make this beauty and that’s pretty good considering the final product 😉

Ingredients for Honeycomb Cherry Cake:

• premade puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm ), rolled to 10in x18in
• sour/tart cherries, pitted, drained (click the link to see which ones I use)

Sour Cream Frosting:

• heavy whipping cream (at least 33% fat content)
• sour cream / plain yogurt / Greek yogurt
• vanilla extract
• sugar
• Ganache (click for recipe & instructions)

Chocolate Curls:

• Chocolate Bar
• Vegetable Peeler

Also:

• roasted chopped walnuts (optional)

How to make Cherry Honeycomb Cake:

Thaw puff pastry sheets on the counter until you can unfold them. Dust working surface with flour and roll each sheet to 10 in x18 in. Cut each sheet into 3 long strips. Line cherries in the middle of each strip. Pinch two ends firmly together enclosing the cherries inside. Combine 3 long logs together, then coil inside two 9 inch round cake pans lined with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 400-425F. (I use commercial size pastry sheets so they look a little different, but the written instructions are adjusted for the Pepperidge Farm premade puff pastry sold at the stores)

Once golden in color and puffed up, remove from oven, remove foil from the pan and unpeel the cake from the foil while hot (it will be harder to do so after it cools). Allow to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling make the ganache following the recipe and instructions here.

How to make Sour Cream Frosting:

In a bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment combine the heavy cream, sour cream (or Greek yogurt, or plain yogurt), sugar and vanilla extract. Whip on high until supple and holds shape without running, about 3-5 minutes. Take care not to overbeat or the cream will break into butter and whey.

How to Assemble and Decorate the Cherry Honeycomb Cake:

Reserve about 1.5 cups cream for the decorating and refrigerate until needed. Put a dollop of cream onto the serving plate, press and adhere the first cake layer to that dollop. Spoonless than half of the remaining cream on top of the cake and spread around evenly. Sprinkle with roasted chopped walnuts (optional). Place the second layer of cake and spoon the remaining cream on top. Smooth cream on top and sides.

Pour cooled ganache in the middle of the cake. Using a spatula spread the ganache around, bringing it close to the edges so it drizzles down the sides.

Fit a pastry bag with a star tip. Fill the bag with the reserved cream. Pipe stars all around the border of the cake, by making a spiraling motion twice for each star.

Microwave the chocolate bar for about 20-25 seconds in 5-10 second intervals. You’re trying to make the chocolate bar softer, but not soft. While holding the chocolate bar with a paper towel, run along the edge of the bar with a vegetable peeler producing chocolate curls. Do this right over the cake so that curls fall around the edges or over the piped stars.

Refrigerate cake overnight, allowing the cake layers to soften. Serve cold with coffee or tea.
To slice, dip knife in boiling hot water, wipe and cut. For clean cuts, do so after each cut.

Now Bon Appetite!