This easy Honey Cake is a classic Jewish dessert of sweet, moist cake full of honey flavor and a crunchy almond topping. Great with coffee!
When it comes to early fall Desserts, you’ll love a simple fresh recipes like Apple Cake, Almond Bundt Cake, or this easy, sweet Honey Cake that celebrates flavors of the season.
Table of Contents
Sabrina’s Honey Cake Recipe
Honey is one of those pantry staples that can do so much. It can be a condiment for a pork chop, it can be a topping for toast, and you can even use it for baking instead of granulated sugar! Honey transforms simple ingredients into incredibly tender, sweet cake that makes it one of the most well-loved desserts to celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
Ingredients
- Honey Mixture: Of course the star of this cake is 1 cup of honey. I suggest using a type of honey with a strong floral flavor, like wildflower honey and orange blossom honey. It will be mixed with ½ cup of unsalted butter, 3 eggs, almond extract, and ½ cup sour cream to create moisture in the cake.
- Flour Mixture: Be sure to have 2 cups of all-purpose flour on hand for this recipe, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon baking soda to create your dry ingredients. The combination will give some substance, and a slightly fluffy cake.
- Almonds and Powdered Sugar: In addition to the almond extract, more fresh almond flavor is added with ½ cup sliced almonds on top of the cake batter. They roast slightly while the cake bakes giving the sweet cake a nutty, crunchy topping. Lastly, you’ll use ¼ cup of pretty powdered sugar over the top for the last touch of sweetness.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- 9-inch Cake Pan and Baking Spray: This cake looks so pretty in a round pan. However, if you only have a square pan, that will do the trick. Baking spray will prevent sticking but if you don’t have any, you can use parchment paper cut to the exact size to line the bottom of your pan.
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment: Your ingredients will come together so fast and easy using a stand mixer. However, if you don’t have one then you can use a handheld electric mixer instead, or whisk the ingredients together by hand in a large mixing bowl.
How to Make
Time needed: 1 hour.
- Prep Time
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and ensure an oven rack is in the center of the oven. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with baking spray. If you don’t have baking spray, you can use oil or cooking spray and dust the pan with flour.
- Wet Ingredients
In a stand mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, honey and eggs until combined and smooth. Continue beating the butter mixture while you add the almond extract and sour cream, mixing until smooth again, then turn off.
- Dry Ingredients
In a separate large bowl, sift or whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together. Turn the on the mixer at the lowest speed setting and begin adding the flour mixture a ½ cup at at until just combined. Don’t over-mix your cake batter.
- Bake
Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan, spreading so it is even. Lay the sliced almonds flat over the top of the batter in a single layer. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean with moist crumbs.
- Cool
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before gently removing it from the cake pan.
- Serve
Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar if desired, or serve slices topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of honey.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup honey
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch cake pan with baking spray.
- To your stand mixer add butter, honey, and eggs on medium speed until smooth.
- Add in almond extract and sour cream, mixing until smooth.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Add in flour mixture ½ cup at a time on the lowest speed setting until just combined.
- Spread batter into cake pan, top with sliced almonds.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cake cool for 15 minutes before gently removing from cake pan.
- Dust with powdered sugar.
- Serve slices topped with vanilla ice cream and a honey drizzle.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: A Little About Rosh Hashanah
- What is Rosh Hashanah? When it comes to Jewish High Holidays, there is none quite as sweet as Rosh Hashanah. The holiday marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, and is a time when Jewish people celebrate the creation of the world. There are many traditions surrounding this holiday, but the most well-known has to be enjoying apples and honey. This represents bringing sweetness that will follow you and yours into the new year. And what better way to celebrate than this traditional treat?
- What does “Shana Tova” mean? A common greeting you’ll hear during the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashana is, “Shana Tova” or “L’Shana Tova”. Shana Tova means “good year” and if you add the L and say “L’Shana Tova” it means “for a good year”. It’s a beautiful, simple way to show your Jewish friends that you hope they have a good year, especially with a slice of Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time. Bake it a couple of days in advance and it will still taste nice and fresh if stored in an. If you prepare it ahead of time, don’t dust the cake with powdered sugar yet because it will soak back into the cake while it sits. Give the golden brown top a fresh dusting of sugar right before you serve it for the best look and taste.
Nutritional Facts
Baking Tips & Tricks
- Adjust for Different Size Pans
- If your pan is smaller than 9-inches that’s okay, your cake will just come out a bit taller and might take more time in the oven. If your pan is larger than 9 inches, it will be thinner and may cook faster. Watch the cake, use the toothpick test, and adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Don’t Over-Mix the Batter
- Be careful not to over-mix your cake batter. Only mix until you just see everything combined, and no more dry spots of flour in the batter. Over-mixing can lead to dense cakes.
What to Pair With Honey Cake
This is a naturally sweet, moist, delicious Cake with just a simple dusting of powdered sugar. Try a slice of warm cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and a drizzle of honey. If you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah with Honey Cake, or just want to make a special fall treat, the best topping is apples! Spoon warm Honey Roasted Apples or Fried Apples over top and then finish with a dollop of Whipped Cream.
How to Store
- Serve: This Honey Cake will stay good at room temperature for about 3-4 days. Cover it with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
- Store: Keep your cake a little longer by storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. It’s best at room temperature or warmed in the microwave.
- Freeze: Cool your cake (without powdered sugar) completely before storing. Cool it faster in the fridge or on a parchment lined baking pan in the freezer. Once it’s cool, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then either aluminum foil or a freezer safe bag. Store for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before topping with sugar and serving at room temperature.
Ideas to Serve Honey Cake
While this is a traditional Jewish Honey Cake recipe, you don’t have to be celebrating a Jewish Holiday to enjoy it! Serve this delicious Honey Cake with sugar topping for a simple, quick dessert. Double the recipe and make a layer cake with Cream Cheese Frosting for special occasions. It makes a fantastic coffee cake for brunch or enjoy a leftover slice on a cool morning with warm coffee, or enjoy it with some afternoon tea. We baked this as a single cake layer in a 9-inch cake pan, but a honeycomb pan would make an easy, beautiful cake.
Frequent Questions
Ultimately it is the ingredients that makes Honey Cake different from other cakes, especially frosted cakes. You’ll notice that the ingredients do not call for granulated sugar, which is typically used to sweeten cake batter. Instead the primary source of sweetener is pure honey, bringing a little different flavor and texture to the cake.
Yes, you can use allergy-friendly flour in this recipe, replace the almond extract with vanilla extract, and omit the almonds on the top of this cake. Instead just dust it with powdered sugar, or a drizzle of frosting, or fresh honey.
Variations
- Spices: You can give your honey more fall flavor with spices like ginger, cardamom, cloves, or cinnamon. You could even use a cinnamon mixture like pumpkin pie spice in the cake. Don’t add more than 2 teaspoons of spice or it will overpower the delicate flavor of honey.
- Caramel: Honey and caramel flavors are a delicious combination, especially if you have a real sweet tooth! Instead of powdered sugar, drizzle the top of this cake with Salted Caramel Sauce to serve. This is even better if you add fresh diced apples along with the caramel.
- Citrus: Bring out the floral notes of honey by adding a little orange zest and a teaspoon of orange juice to your cake batter. This really brings out the flavor of orange blossom honey. Orange Honey Cake would make a great coffee cake! Alternatively you could add some lemon zest and lemon juice to make a Honey Lemon Cake.
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