Honey Cake Recipe: A Moist, Spiced Cake That Gets Better Each Day
This honey cake recipe makes a dark, moist, gently spiced loaf that tastes even better on the second and third day, when the honey has softened the crumb. Honey cake is baked around the world, from the Jewish lekach of Rosh Hashanah to Russian medovik and Greek melopita. Here is a reliable recipe, the honeys that suit it, how to avoid the common pitfalls, and a look at the traditions behind it.
Honey cake recipe
This is a one-bowl cake. The coffee deepens the honey without tasting like coffee, and the oil keeps the crumb soft for days. It makes one large loaf or a 9-inch tube cake.
- 1 cup (340 g) honey
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) neutral oil
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) brewed coffee or strong black tea, cooled
- 1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Method
Heat the oven to 325°F and grease and line the pan. In a large bowl, whisk the honey, oil, coffee, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and zest until smooth. In another bowl, mix the flour, leaveners, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two parts, whisking just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thin; that is correct.
Pour into the pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the top springs back. Honey browns quickly, so if the top darkens before the center is done, lay a sheet of foil over it for the last 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely. Wrap tightly and leave at room temperature overnight before slicing.
Which honey to use
The honey is the star, so use one you like the taste of. A golden all-purpose honey such as Pure Raw or Wildflower gives a classic flavor. For a deeper, old-world cake, replace a quarter of the honey with buckwheat honey, which has long been used in Eastern European honey cakes. Orange blossom honey makes a lighter, fragrant cake that pairs well with the orange zest.
Crystallized honey is fine; warm the jar gently until it pours, so you measure accurately.
Why honey cakes sink or burn, and how to prevent it
Honey cakes have a reputation for being tricky. The usual problems have simple fixes.
- Dark or burnt top: honey browns fast. Bake at 325°F and tent with foil if needed.
- Sunken middle: underbaking. Trust a skewer, not the color; give it the full time.
- Dry cake: overbaking or too little fat. Use oil, not butter, and check early.
- Dense cake: overmixing. Stir in the flour only until combined.
- Sticking: honey is sticky. Grease well and line the bottom with parchment.
Honey cake traditions
In Jewish homes, honey cake, called lekach in Yiddish, is served at Rosh Hashanah to wish for a sweet new year, often alongside apples and honey. Recipes are frequently passed down with coffee, tea or even whiskey in the batter. Russian medovik is a different cake: many thin honey sponge layers stacked with sour cream frosting. In Greece, melopita is a honey and cheese pie from the islands. Each shows how central honey has been to celebration baking.
Storing and freezing
Wrapped well, honey cake keeps at room temperature for up to a week and actually improves for the first few days. Honey holds moisture, so it stays soft. For longer storage, wrap slices or the whole cake in plastic and foil and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature, still wrapped.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my honey cake dry?
- It was probably overbaked. Honey cakes look dark early, so bakers leave them in too long. Check with a skewer at 50 minutes and use oil rather than butter.
- Should honey cake be made ahead?
- Yes. It tastes best one to three days after baking, once the flavors settle and the crumb softens. Wrap it tightly at room temperature.
- What is the best honey for honey cake?
- A golden, flavorful honey like Pure Raw or wildflower. Adding some buckwheat honey makes a darker, traditional-tasting cake.
- Can I make honey cake without coffee?
- Yes. Use strong black tea, orange juice or apple juice instead. Coffee or tea deepens the flavor but is not essential.
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice. Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months old.
