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Honey Cake
5 from 52 votes

Honey Cake

Honey Cake is a moist baked dessert featuring creamed butter and honey combined with flour, eggs, milk, and a touch of orange zest, topped with almond flakes and finished with a honey syrup to enhance sweetness and moisture. The resulting cake has a soft crumb and a sweet, fragrant honey flavor balanced by subtle citrus notes.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Servings: 10
Calories: 376 kcal
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Honey cake
  • 1 cup plain flour (Note 1)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt kosher salt, cooking
  • 225g (1 cup) butter at room temperature (Note 2, unsalted
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 4 egg at room temperature (Note 3, large
  • 3 tbsp milk , preferably full-fat, slightly warmed
  • 1 pinch orange zest , optional (brings out honey flavour)
  • 1/3 cup almond flakes
Honey syrup
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 tsp lemon juice (recommended but optional)
Topping options for serving
  • cream
  • almond flakes
  • vanilla ice cream lightly toasted; almond flakes or slivered almonds

Instructions

Honey Cake:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
  2. Prepare cake pan: Butter and line a 20cm/8" round pan or springform pan with baking paper (base and sides).
  3. Whisk Dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
  4. Cream butter and honey: In a separate bowl, cream the butter and honey for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway, until smooth and fluffy. (Speed 7 handheld beater or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment).
  5. Add eggs and flour - Add one egg, mix with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds until mostly incorporated into the batter (mixture will looked curdled). Then add in 1/4 of the flour and mix until the batter comes together. Repeat again - mixing in 1 egg, then a portion of flour - until you've used all the eggs.
  6. Milk and zest: Stir in the milk and orange zest, stir until the batter is almost completely smooth. The batter should be quite thick, but soft.
  7. Bake 45 min: Scrape batter into the prepared pan, smooth the surface and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool 30 min: Remove cake from the oven. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan - don’t skip this else the cake gets too dense when soaked with syrup.
  9. Honey Syrup: Meanwhile, make the syrup. Bring the honey and water to a gentle boil for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the lemon juice and boil for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes then use per below.
  10. Poke and soak: Poke about 30 holes all across the surface using a skewer (between the almond flakes). Pour 1/4 of the warm Honey Syrup across the surface (if using a springform pan, put it on a plate in case it leaks). Once it mostly sinks in, repeat 3 more times, waiting between pours for the syrup to soak in. Then leave the cake to soak for 15 minutes.
  11. Serve: Serve warm. Remove the springform pan sides, or serve it straight out of the cake pan (Note 4 for removing from cake pan). I typically serve it plain. However Topping Options suggested above would never be turned away!

Notes

  • Use unsalted butter at about 18°C for proper creaming; too soft butter results in greasy cake.
  • Room-temperature large eggs (~50-55g each) incorporate better into the batter.
  • Self-raising flour can substitute plain flour but may cause the cake to dome more.
  • Press down the domed surface slightly after baking to retain honey syrup without excessive runoff.
  • Honey syrup with lemon juice adds moisture and a subtle tang balancing sweetness.
  • Leftover cake keeps up to 4 days refrigerated; warm before serving for best texture.
  • To remove from pan, invert with baking paper and then right side up to preserve almond topping.

Nutrition Information

Calories 376cal (19%) Carbohydrates 48g (16%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 5g (25%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 115mg (38%) Sodium 150mg (6%) Potassium 140mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 38g (76%) Vitamin A 673IU (13%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 56mg (6%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 376

% Daily Value*

Calories 376cal 19%
Carbohydrates 48g 16%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 115mg 38%
Sodium 150mg 6%
Potassium 140mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 38g 76%
Vitamin A 673IU 13%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 56mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.