Quick and easy honey cake recipe, homemade with simple ingredients, from scratch. Rich, soft, moist and not too sweet. Uses honey instead of sugar. Topped off with a chocolate honey glaze drizzle.
This rustic, old fashioned cake is not be confused with honey bun cake recipe, which is totally different and typically a doctored cake mix recipe. I love this just as much as my Classic Vanilla Cake Recipe.
There are so many versions of this no sugar cake. I have come across Hawaiian, Indian, Jewish Rosh Hashanah and Greek recipes. The most popular seem to be Fijian or Fiji honey cake, which is a honey spiced cake and topped off with sliced almonds. The other popular one is Russian version, which is composed of multiple layers (8-10 layers) of spiced sponge cakes and whipped sour cream filling/frosting.
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How to make honey cake?
- Mix together butter, honey, eggs, yogurt, vanilla.
- Mix in flour and baking powder until just combined.
- Bake.
- Drizzle cake with chocolate honey glaze.
- Enjoy!
Does cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes, it needs to be refrigerated to retain freshness for as long as possible.
What does sour cream do to a cake?
It adds moisture and makes the cake really soft and dense. Some good substitutes for sour cream are cream cheese and Greek yogurt.
What are Honeycakes?
Based on my research, they are Elizabethan cakes that are light and fluffy. It's more of a bun than a cake and soaked in honey. It was also yeast-based and doesn't use baking powder or baking soda. They had the addition of some spices like cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. The cake that I am sharing today, however, is a modern version.
Tips and Techniques
- All ingredients should be at room temperature– That’s because they blend together smoothly and evenly.
- Don’t over-mix cake batter– Because this will yield a tough and it can also cause the cake to collapse/sink during baking.
- Temperature is key– Do not drizzle the glaze over the cake before it has cooled down or else it will make a sticky, soggy mess.
- How much glaze to use? This is entirely a personal preference. I drizzle enough to create little streaks on top of the cake, without soaking it completely.
- Use unsalted butter- To prevent this cake from becoming too salty.
- Oil vs. Butter- You must use butter because it make this cake dense and rich and also adds a buttery flavor that's lacking in oil.
- Use high quality ingredients- This is especially with regards to honey. Your cake is only as good as the ingredients you use. Make sure to use the best quality of honey you can find because it really affects the overall flavor.
- Use full fat ingredients- This is especially with regards to yogurt. I recommend Greek yogurt since it's richer and thicker and adds a lot of moisture to the cake.
- Leavening agents- For best texture, baking powder needs to be used and should not be replaced with baking soda.
Variations
- Apple honey cake- Mix in 1 diced apple into the batter.
- Russian honey cake- Divide this batter into 8 cake pans and bake. Allow all the cakes to cool down. Them, layer them with Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Add spices- I just used vanilla extract but you can pumpkin spice mix or a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg.
- Add zests– Use fresh lemon, lime or orange zest to enhance the citrus flavor. Add it in the cake batter.
- Frosting ideas- I used a chocolate honey glaze because I am a big chocolate lover. You can also just drizzle honey on top of the cake or drizzle a vanilla glaze. You can also drizzle Homemade Dulce de Leche or Homemade Caramel Sauce. If you don't want a very sweet pairing, I recommend using this Homemade Whipped Cream.
- Decoration– Keep it simple with a classic glaze or you can toss some chopped nuts, shredded coconut, fresh fruits and even edible fresh flowers.
More Honey Desserts (Or Desserts with Honey)
Recipe
Easy Honey Cake
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Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- 1 cup Honey
- 2 Eggs Large
- ½ cup Yogurt Regular full fat or Greek
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Milk Whole or 2%
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, honey, eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter in a greased and floured round cake pan (Dimensions: 9x3). You can also use two round pans (Dimensions: 8x2).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool down completely.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze by mixing together honey, cocoa powder, milk until smooth.
- Drizzle this over the cake and enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Until next time, tata my lovelies!
Carol
This recipe is so nicely explained and it has such great variations, I cannot wait to try it with lemon zest added! Perfection!
Kate Berkey
I was looking for a cake recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this!
Abeer Rizvi
That's awesome! Thanks for trying this recipe.
Natalie
I love honey cake! Looks so delicious and that chocolate glaze at the top is so tempting
Susan
I just made this and while I don’t eat cake, my husband absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for sharing. #covidbaking
Bianca Vogt
I love the recipe, it is always hard to find some without the sugar. I took off my cake 2 min before the 40 min baking and it was just a tiny dark, so I will change the recipe for a cook time of 35 min!