Honey Cake

By Arman Liewpublished on Oct 28, 2024

Reader Rating

Total Time 35

Servings 12 servings

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My moist and sweet honey cake is an easy dessert you can make for any occasion. With glistening honey on top and a fluffy, moist crumb, it’s sure to impress!

Love baking with honey? Try my baklava cheesecake, tanghulu, almond flour blueberry muffins, and flourless muffins next.

Whenever my famous honey cake lands on the table, my family can’t help but immediately reach for a slice! It’s been a childhood staple for me (my culture’s version of the standard yellow cake) and brings back so many memories whenever I indulge in a slice. It’s also super popular during Passover and Rosh Hashanah.

Table of Contents

Why I love this recipe
Ingredients needed
How to make a honey cake
Arman’s recipe tips
Storage instructions
Frequently asked questions
More simple cakes to try
Honey Cake (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

Perfect for honey lovers. If it wasn’t obvious enough, honey is the star of this recipe. It sweetens the cake, lends a captivating floral honey flavor, and gives every slice its irresistible shine and taste.
The easiest dessert. Other honey cake recipes call for multiple steps and ingredients but not my one. Mix the batter in one bowl, bake, and enjoy!
Versatile. I like to bake this as a pairing for coffee, but it works well as a post-dinner treat or sneaky breakfast, too.

Ingredients needed

Honey. Any type of honey you like will be splendid in the cake, but I am partial to manuka honey or wildflower honey.
Eggs. Remember to use room temperature eggs so the batter doesn’t separate and your cake bakes evenly.
Vanilla extract. For flavor.
Hot water. This thins the consistency of the cake batter and enhances the flavor.
All-purpose flour. Nothing fancy is needed here. All-purpose flour will do the trick!
Light brown sugar. Use brown sugar for the softest, most tender, and richly flavored honey cake. Otherwise, you can use white sugar or coconut sugar instead.
Oil. Neutral oil, like vegetable or canola oil, makes this cake moist and delectable.
Baking powder and baking soda. To help the cake rise.
Salt. A pinch of salt does wonders to make the rest of the flavors shine.
Ground cinnamon. For a warm and comforting flavor.

How to make a honey cake

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the hot water and mix to combine.

Step 2- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet mix. Stir to combine.

Step 3- Bake: Pour the mixture into a cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Step 4- Decorate: Drizzle the rest of the honey syrup over the cake when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool, then slice and enjoy!

Arman’s recipe tips

Don’t overmix the batter. Remember to only fold the wet and dry ingredients together until no dry flour streaks remain. If you overmix the batter, your cake will turn out dense or gummy.
Did your honey crystalize? No problem! To make it runny again, place the honey container in a saucepan filled with a little bit of water, then gently heat over low heat.
Bake in a loaf pan to make a honey loaf cake.
Make an almond honey cake. Sliced almonds + honey = love. Feel free to whip them into the batter, press them on top of the cake before baking, or sprinkle them on top as decoration (along with the honey drizzle).
Add other spices and flavor boosters, like orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, cardamom and cloves.

Storage instructions

To store: If you’re planning on saving the cake for leftovers, do not drizzle the remaining honey on top. Instead, let the cake cool, then wrap it or the individual slices in plastic or store them in airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To freeze: The cake or slices (without the honey on top) can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the leftovers in a layer of plastic or aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this recipe to make a layer cake?

For sure. Simply double the recipe and bake the batter in two 8-inch cake pans. Make a honey buttercream frosting or use any cream cheese frosting of choice.

Is this cake gluten-free?

If you swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend (that contains xanthan gum), this recipe is suitable for celiacs.

Can I make this egg-free?

I haven’t tested it without eggs but you can experiment with an egg substitute and see. Because of the delicate structure of the cake, a pre-formulated egg replacer would be the best option (as opposed to a mashed banana or yogurt).