This easy, dairy-free, moist honey cake is an adaptation of my mom’s famous recipe and a true family favorite. It will fill your house with a wonderfully inviting sweet and spicy scent that is sure to make you happy.
In the Jewish culture, especially in my family, there is one noticeable thing that happens during the holidays, and that is nonstop eating. There’s no blame for how much food you shove into your mouth since “it’s a holiday!” and it’s time to celebrate.
When it comes to holidays and family events, my mom always goes over the top. She’s either having trouble with math, or she deliberately makes enough food for three times the number of people actually coming for dinner (and I suspect it’s the latter). Her excuse is just in case someone surprises her with a visit during the holidays, she’ll have enough food for everyone. I guess it’s fine, though, since she clearly secretly enjoys it. Besides, that means my fridge is full of food for an additional week since she sends me home with the leftovers.
My entire life, my mom’s Rosh Hashanah honey cake has been one of my favorite dessert recipes. She makes it every single year. This is her recipe, and I wanted to share it with you all so you can enjoy it with your family, too. If you’ve never tried a honey cake before, the fall is the perfect time to try it since it’s warm and comforting, sweet and spicy. It is perfection.
This recipe makes enough cake batter for a 9×5-inch loaf pan, but you can always alter the recipe to convert cake pan sizes to fit what you have in your own kitchen. I bake with this gorgeous non-toxic loaf pan from Caraway because the cake releases like butter from the perfect non-stick sides.
Rosh Hashanah honey cake
Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, is one of the most meaningful Jewish holidays. Honey is one of the traditional Rosh Hashanah foods because it symbolizes the beginning of a sweet new year, so you see lots of honey cakes around this time. Another tradition is to eat apples and honey, which also happens to be delicious.
How to make this easy honey cake recipe
Pro tip: I highly recommend making this cake 1-2 days ahead of time. It will taste better and the flavors will be stronger. Keep it in the fridge but serve at room temperature.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk together to combine.
- Heat the wet ingredients together. In a saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, oil, and water and heat on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Then, add in the eggs and whisk together.
- Combine. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and combine together with a whisk or spatula, being careful not to overmix the batter.
- Bake the honey cake. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and top with slivered almonds before placing it in a preheated 340 degree oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, but keep an eye on it in case your oven runs hot–it might be done in as quickly as 35 minutes.
Mix it up
While the honey cake is amazing on its own, I sometimes like to mix it up and add in fresh apples or bananas for different flavors. Both taste amazing!
- Apples. Adding apples to this honey cakes makes it even more perfect for Rosh Hashanah. If you want to try this, cut up 2 peeled apples (I like using Granny Smith but any type will do) into ¼-1/2-inch size pieces and fold into the batter before baking.
- Bananas. Bananas give this cake wonderful added flavor and moisture, but it does increase the sweetness. If you don’t like your cake too sweet, you can reduce the sugar in the recipe by ¼ cup. Then, cut up 2 bananas into ¼-1/2 inch pieces and fold into the batter before baking.
Flavor and texture of honey cake
The signature honey gives the cake sweetness and a delicious flavor, but it’s also packed with other flavorful ingredients and is wonderfully spiced.
The edges of this cake are crisp and sticky, and the interior is moist and sweet. The honey helps to keep this cake moist for several days. The cake tastes better a day after it’s made, when the flavors have had time to mellow, but it still tastes great eaten the day of, too.
Other delicious fall recipe ideas:
- Apple Cake: This classic apple cake is perfectly moist and full of delicious fall spices.
- Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake: This decadent butter cake is topped with sticky caramel apples for a gorgeous and beautiful dessert.
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns: These irresistible sticky buns are filled with cinnamon and sugar and topped with a decadent sticky pecan topping.
- Easy Puff Pastry Apple Tart: This simple but classic puff pastry apple tart is made with only four ingredients and tastes amazing.
Honey Cake Recipe
This delicious honey cake is an updated version of my original honey cake recipe. It's super moist, full of flavor and even easier to make! However, for those interested in the original recipe, I've included it at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- 1 and ⅓ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves or nutmeg , optional
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar (or granulated sugar)
- ½ cup (180g) honey
- ½ cup (120 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (25g) sliced almonds or other nuts, for the topping, optional
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 340°F/170°C. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
-
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
-
In a small saucepan over low heat, heat together sugar, honey, oil, and water for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool for several minutes. Whisk in eggs until combined. Add flour mixture and fold until just combined. Do not over mix.
-
Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top is browning too fast while baking, cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
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The cake is best served at room temperature. Cake will keep for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It's delicioues straight from the fridge but I like it better at room temperature.
The cake will keep covered, in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 5 days. It's delicious straight from the fridge but best served at room temperature. Bring to room temperature about 1 hour before serving.
*This recipe was updated on July 15, 2022 to be even simpler and easier to make! I also prefer this version to the original one and it produces an absolutely moist and delicious honey cake. However, I have gotten comments that many people preferred the older recipe, so I wanted to share that one with you, as well. Here it is :).
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom or nutmeg, optional
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) honey
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) warm coffee or tea (mix ½ cup hot water with 1 teaspoon instant coffee or 1 black tea bag)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (25g) sliced almonds, pecans or walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340°F/170°C. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom/nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and honey on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. On low speed and with the mixer running, slowly add the oil and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Turn off mixer. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the coffee/tea in 2 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until smooth. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top is browning too fast while baking, cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
- The cake is best served at room temperature. Cake will keep for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
This honey cake is divine! My family is the very same during the holidays, we can’t stop eating!! This looks like the perfect sweet cake to celebrate with! 😀
Shiran says
I’m glad to know it’s not just my crazy family 🙂
Cara says
Do you think this recipe would work well as cupcakes?
Shiran says
Yes, it would be great 🙂
Pamela says
Live in Denver, and made these into mini muffins. Cooked for 15 min and came out perfect. Also made a Bundt cake and only cooked for 30 min.
D. says
Haven’t tried this “modified” recipe yet. I have a tendency to write down recipes I like. The original had the following.
1. One egg, not two
2. Third of a cup of oil. Not a half.
3. Half a cup of cooled coffee. Not water.
4. Vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp.
5. Salt, where’s the salt? 1/4 tsp.
Why the changes. Two eggs per cup of flour seems unwise…..what happened to the original? Honestly, at first glance I don’t think this would work out…..FTR, the original is/was great and my family loves it.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi D, my apologies for removing the old recipe and I’m so glad you enjoyed the original honey cake! I’ve included the original recipe below the new one in the post:) Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Pam says
Just made this today. Mixed by hand, baked it in an 8×8 pan. Cooled about half an hour, slices came out of the pan intact. Delicious, we all had seconds and look forward to finishing the cake tomorrow.
Liza says
This looks really good!! As soon as it stops being boiling temperature here I will try it out! 🙂
Ellee says
Hello, I’m super excited to make this cake. I love all those spices with honey! I’m a pretty terrible cook so will be following the recipe really closely. There is brown suggar mentioned in the method but not in the ingredients is it supposed to be the honey?
Shiran says
Hi Ellee! Making this cake is quite simple, so don’t worry 🙂 Just follow the recipe and you’ll be fine! Make sure your oven is hot enough, and that you remove the cake out of the oven once a toothpick inserted into the center is clean (overbaking will make the cake dry). You are right, there’s no brown sugar in the recipe and it should be honey instead. Thank you so much for pointing this out!
Liza says
Baked it today for breakfast – very good!!!!! I used whole wheat pastry flour and flax eggs. Light, fluffy and honey scented. Thank you!
Shiran says
Thank you Liza! 🙂 I’m glad you liked it, and that the substitutions you made worked out for you!
Amanda says
When do you add the vanilla extract?
Shiran says
After adding the oil. Sorry about that! 🙂
Jeff says
This is a wonderful recipe. The cake is delicious, and easy to make. The only problem I have had is
it sometimes sticks to the pan and falls apart. It’s still tastes great, but it’s not suitable to take to someone’s house. Any tips for getting the cake to release more easily?
Shiran says
Yes! You can line the pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides for lifting the cake out after baking. Make sure to chill it before so it will firm up and won’t fall apart.
Roxy says
Cake was good but when cut a slice it fell into pieces. Any suggestions?
Shiran says
Hi Roxy, it probably happened because this is a very moist cake, but if you bake it long enough and let it cool completely (or even refrigerate it), it shouldn’t fall into pieces.
Gayatri says
Thank you so much for this recipe Shiran! The cake turned out so incredible, I think it’s my new favourite!
Shiran says
That’s so great to hear, thank you! 🙂
Mandy says
I actually made it today.It came out fantastic.Thanks! First time I ever added coffee to a recipe too.
Shiran says
Thank you Mandy!
Sara says
Thank you for this recipe. My cake is in the oven at the moment.
I used 1/4 c white sugar and 1/2 c brown sugar as well as the honey. Thank you ?
Galina says
I was looking for a good honey cake recipe for Rosh Hashanah and my sister found this.
It was one of the best honey cakes I’ve tasted, I’m going to make this as well next time!
Linda Walsh says
Everyone loved this honey cake. I used by Kitchen Aid with the whisk, which really lightened it up; also, local dark honey. I made it for my library groups’s book, “A Gentleman in Moscow” to coincide with the honey bees on the roof of the Metopole Hotel.
Aimee Line says
Hello,
I’m a Language Arts teacher in Naples, Florida. My middle school class will be studying the book The Bronze Bow next year. I would love to print your recipe for the class so that kids can make this at home. May I make 16 copies?
Thanks!
Shiran says
Sure Aimee!
S Zet says
Do you think it will be ok to leave out the cloves?
Shiran says
Yes, you can leave out the cloves.
Maxine says
Your recipe sounds delicious. I want to make it for Rosh Hashanah 2018. I would like to make it using date honey rather than bee honey. What changes to your recipe needs to be made?
Thank you in advance.
Shiran says
Thank you Maxine, I haven’t tried it with date honey, but the flavor will be different. If you want to try it, replace the honey with date honey without changing anything else in the recipe.
Zoe says
I’ve made this before it was delicious. Can you double the recipe?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Zoe, you can absolutely double the recipe. You’ll just need a larger pan or two loaf pans 🙂
Julie says
Can I make mini muffins using this recipe?
Shiran says
Yes you can.
Jane says
Made this recipe exactly as stated and it is wonderful! Perfect moist crumb. Don’t be afraid the use the cardamom – it makes these really special. Thanks for the recipe!
sivan says
Hi Shiran!
I would like to wrap this cake as a gift once baked, but cannot find a paper loaf pan in that size. If put the batter in a 9.25 inches x 3.1 inches x 2.5 paper pan, and put that in the 9×5 you think it would bake ok? I would put a bit less batter- but my concern is, would it the inside of the cake bake properly? I am also doing that for your carrot loaf.
Thank you so much
Shiran says
Hi Sivan, I don’t recommend placing the paper pan inside another pan. Use the pan that you want, and fill it no more than 3/4 full with batter.
Diana says
This cake is divine! My new go-to.
Miri says
Hi Shiran! I made this cake for Rosh Hashanah 2018 and it’s amazing! I’m going to make it again during the holiday. I made it a day in advance like you said. Thank you and happy holidays
Esther says
Can I substitute the sugar for more honey?
Try to stay away from white sugar
Shiran says
Hi Esther, this amount of honey gives the best flavor. You can replace some of the sugar with more honey but I don’t recommend replacing all of it, it would affect both the flavor and texture.
Helen Kelly says
Hello Shiran. I am making this cake for Rosh Hashana with adjustments for people with osteoporosis. I reduced the honey, compensated with molasses, used coconut oil and half the sugar. So this to request permission to reproduce the adjusted recipe as a modification of this one with a link to the original.
The Heathy Bones Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1991143367777138/
Thanks for the recipe and for considering my request.
Best, Helen
Shiran says
You can share the recipe Helen, thank you for asking!
Renee says
Just made this cake. It smells great and can’t wait to have for dessert. Any suggestions to avoid the sinking in the middle?
Shiran says
Hi Renee, over whipping the eggs could cause that, or that the cake is undercooked in the middle. Also, make sure you measured the ingredients correctly, if the cake doesn’t have enough structure it can sink.
Carrie Goldman says
Have you ever made this with buckwheat honey?
Shiran says
I haven’t tried this recipe with buckwheat honey.
Leyla says
Hi Shiran
I made this cake today and it is fantastic and moist..
I wish I could post it to my family in Iran..?
Thanks for your delicious recipe ❤️
Ana Pimenta says
This recipe is fantastic. We produce our own honey and was looking for some honey cake recipes. Thought this one sounded interesting. Used decaf coffee as I was doing it for our kids as well. I thought the kids might not like it because of the different intense flavours but they love it!!
I love the texture of the cake too.
Already added it to my recipe book
Thanks
Felice Durazo says
Can you bake this successfully in a binder pan. Not sure it will cook through.
Cramen Todman says
Can I add zucchini to this recipe? If yes what do I omit?
J magure says
Can this cake be frozen?
Shiran says
Yes!
Danielle Bagan says
The BEST honey cake ever. Saved it for every year
Archana says
I made this yummy cake without the cinnamon, cloves etc. Loved it. Thanks a lot.
Catherine says
Would this cake be suitable for stacking?
Christine says
I made 2x the recipe yesterday for my hubby to take into work. It was all gone in a mattter of minutes, we are lucky enough to get given lots of natural raw honey which I like to turn into honey flavoured things and give back to the bee parents. Was a huge hit and I’ve been told I need to make again very soon.
Thanks for a great recipe!
mt says
made these in mini loaf pans and they came out adorable and delicious!
Hannah says
Could you please share how long you baked the minis?
Shraddha says
Hi Shriram,
Could you tell me how can I make this eggless.
Thanks
Shraddha
Miri says
Hi Shiran!
I’ve made many of your recipes and they all turned out fantastic!
I’ve never had honey cake before but I think my family will love it so I want to give it a try!
Was wondering what kind of tea you recommend to add…
Also, if I add coffee then is it black coffee?
Thank you!! 🙂
Shiran says
Thank you so much, Miri 🙂 I use English breakfast tea or black tea.
Maury Cohen says
This cake is delicious, but both times I’ve made it there’s been a big sunken crater area in the middle, Any idea what might cause this? Maybe it’s an altitude issue since I’m in Denver at 5280 feet .
Shiran says
It might be it. It’s hard to know what went wrong without being there!
Carissa says
I’m in Colorado Springs and always have to halve my baking powder, soda, etc. or the same thing happens to me.
Ruth S. says
Just made this today and haven’t yet sampled it as it’s cooling. I made the basic recipe with a few simple additions and subs, though I could tell the original recipe was already excellent. Here’s what I did: I subbed about 3 tablespoons of maple syrup for some of the honey, used grape seed oil instead of canola, and added some raisins, a chopped apples, and orange zest. I baked the batter in a lined muffin tin (it made 12) for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. The muffins look pretty awesome with sliced almonds sprinkled on top! Can’t wait to try them!
Lara says
Lovely recipe. I couldn’t resist trying it on the same day I baked it and it was delicious. Can’t wait to see how it tastes tomorrow. I didn’t have ground cloves but used ground ginger instead. Great taste!
Tera says
I have made this 5 or 6 times already and I have a batch in the oven now. Incredible – thank you!
Robyn says
Hello, do you think I could double this and use a large square cake tin?
Mikaela says
Just made this recipe today and I ADORED it. Would highly recommend to anyone considering trying it out. I didn’t have any cloves on hand so left that out and I chose to use nutmeg over cardamom. I also halved the recipe because I was a bit low on honey.
AMBER E RIPPINGALE says
Tried this for the first time and the batter was very thin. Soupy,
Even. Is it supposed to be like that? I followed the recipe with no substitutions. Thanks
Shiran says
Hi Amber. It shouldn’t be that thin or soupy. Maybe if using hot tea/coffee instead of warm.
shprintza goldberg says
I doubled this and baked it for 1 hour in a 9×13 pan. I make honey cake every year for Rosh Hashana, and I’ve tried lots of recipes, and this is the BEST honey cake ever!!!! amazing.
Maddie says
This cake is just so delicious! I stumbled upon this recipe only 2 weeks ago and have already made it 3 times! Thank you thank you thank you!
Nikita Bhatia says
Can I use olive oil?
Shiran says
You can, but keep in mind that it has a strong flavor so it would affect the flavor of the cake.
Harley says
Would this work without tea or coffee? My family doesn’t drink either because my parents are Mormon.
Shiran says
Hi Harley. You can use the water without adding coffee or tea, just keep in mind that the flavor will be slightly different.
Hannah M says
Use Orange Juice! It doesn’t make it orange juice flavored, just adds a nice tart contrast to the sweetness of the honey.
Carissa says
I use herbal teas instead of coffee (we don’t drink coffee or black/green tea in my family either). Chamomile has a nice, mild flavor, and compliments the honey well, but my favorites are sweet or floral herbal tea blends. I even brew them extra strong (4-8x normal) so the scent and taste really come through. However, even with normal strength chamomile tea the taste of it may be noticeable in the finished cake (just like if you used a strong honey like buckwheat, or a flavored honey like lavender or orange), so if you want to go that route make sure to pick something that compliments the rest of the ingredients.
Rose says
Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda? So that I use 1.5tsp of baking powder only? Thank you.
Hannah M says
This is my go to honey cake recipe! It makes 6 mini bundt cakes (plus a little left over), filled halfway, cooked for 20-30 minutes.
The only thing I change is I play with the “1/2 cup warm coffee” part. You can use any 1/2 cup of liquid so today I used a mixture of OJ, Whiskey, and Coffee and it turned out amazing! You can’t taste any one of the liquids, it just adds a complex, rich taste. I also never measure out my spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, whatever I have) and just go by feel, which is probably way more than is called for, but I love a really intense spice cake. Sometimes I ice them with a simple Coffee Icing (just powdered sugar and coffee, made really thick). I wish I could include photos, they came out amazing and this recipe is perfect! I’ve basically memorized it at this point.
Shiran says
Thank you, Hannah! I’m glad you like is so much 🙂
Hannah M says
Forgot to rate it in my comment. 5/5 no question!
Kay says
can I put fondant on this cake
Shiran says
Yes you can 🙂
Neta says
Made this recipe for the first time but as cupcakes and this is so good!! So fluffy and exactly in the right amount of sweetness.
I’m definitely going to use this recipe again 🙂
Zahava Fisch says
can I sub coconut oil for canola or veg?
Shiran says
Yes 🙂
Deb says
Can I use warm brewed coffee rather than instant coffee?
Shiran says
Yes 🙂
Mandy says
I did have a question: is it possible to make this with normal coffee instead of instant?
Shiran says
Hi Mandy. You don’t have to use instant coffee, you can use coffee made with coffee and water.
danielle bagan says
This is our go to honey cake every year!!!
Laura says
I have based this cake last night. It os great. I have used the old recipe.
Thank you for posting it!
Tamara says
Hi Shiran,
I’m going to make this for this Rosh Hashanah – sounds great. Two questions:
1. Can this be made in a regular size Bundt pan? If so, would recipe have to be doubled?
2. What is the reason that it has to be refrigerated? (Since no butter or dairy in the recipe)
Thank you – Tamara
Shiran says
Yes, you can double the recipe (the baking time will be different). You can keep it at room temperature as well, but it stays fresh for longer in the fridge. Happy Rosh Hashanah 🙂
Penny Saltzman says
How can I make this recipe without a whisk attachment on my kitchen aid mixer?
Shiran says
Hi Penny. If you don’t have the whisk attachment you can use the paddle attachment.
Harinie Immanuel says
Its amazing! And I love all your recipes 🙂 Happy Rosh Hashanah!
Monica says
Absolutely THE most delicious honey cake. My grandkids loved it!! I found with my oven it take 25 mins so will allow for that next time. It so light and moist . A big thumbs up from us all 😊
Gali says
This cake turned out amazing!! Super moist, great honey flavor with just a hint of that rich coffee flavor. In the future, I would cut down a bit on the sugar, but that’s just a personal preference. Also I don’t have an electric mixer, but I whisked thoroughly by hand and it still worked!
Valerie Hornstein says
I made this delicious honey cake for Rosh Hashanah with chopped apples added. It was excellent! I didn’t have the individual spices, so I used pumpkin pie spice, which happens to be a combo of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves! It worked great!
Now, a new loaf, with mini chocolate chips, is in the oven for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur. Thank you ! L’Shanah Tovah!
Rose says
Could I use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar ?
jenny Spencer says
This was PERFECTION! It was so moist and lovely! I made it in a spring form pan and it worked just as well.
Thank you!
Jacqui Wong says
So good! Wow! I omitted the sugar and it was perfect — not too sweet. Lots of spices and super strong coffee. Super moist, but stayed in tack
Thea says
I made the cake, it was lovely and light seperating the eggs and oil. I used the optional spices and it made it taste more like a ginger cake and over powered the hiney that I couldn’t taste. What would you suggest for a more honey taste, exclude the optional spices or add more honey ? Or maybe it was the quality of the honey ? Thanks
Shiran says
Hi Thea, a traditional honey cake has this spice-cake like flavor and doesn’t necessarily have a strong honey flavor:)
Kirn says
Hi! I was just wondering if I could double this for a layer cake? Would that work?
Kim says
Hi I am very excited to try out this recipe! I’ve never made Honey Cake before and am just curious if I could use butter instead of oil?
Shiran says
Hi Kim, it’s possible to use butter. However, I like using oil for the best texture. The cake is super flavorful as is so you won’t be missing the butter 🙂
sachika minobe says
is it possible to store this cake at room temperature?
Shiran says
Hi Sachika, it’s possible to store this cake at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. It will get dryer faster at room temperature so it depends how long you plan on keeping it for.
Marie says
Wonderful! I made this with burnt wildflower honey and it might be the most divine cake I’ve ever made. I used a bundt pan, making sure to really grease/flour it, and the cake popped right out. Now I have a lovely, burnt wildflower honey cake, and I am complete. thank you!
Alaina says
I am about to make this today and I wanted to ask, if I added applesauce to it should I lessen the amount of honey or oil? Your cubed apples gave me the idea, plus cinnamon as I’ve been fond of apples and cinnamon and I like to put applesauce in my cakes.
Shiran says
Hi Alaina. Applesauce would add lots of moisture to the cake, and the cake is already moist 🙂 So I don’t recommend adding it without adjusting the recipe.
Yaniv says
You can replace eggs with applesauce. 1 egg is 1/4 cup applesauce. Works with yogurt as well
Peggy J Dollar says
This recipe turned out Amazing! I used the note and whipped my egg whites and folded them in at the end and it was so beautiful and fluffy. It tasted so good! Thank you!
M says
Followed the recipe, but the cake is tasting very… oily. Is that normal?
I used rapeseed oil. No idea if that has anything to do with it.
Shiran says
This oil should be ok to use. I’m not sure why it tastes oily, it should be moist but not oily. It’s hard to know without being there 🙂
Esti Yadgar says
Hi Shiran ,
I want to make this cake for the holiday but i need to make 30 small cake trays of this, what will be the best to measure this?
Shana Tovah Um’tukah 🙂
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Esti, I recommend checking out my article on how to convert cake pan sizes 🙂
Lisa Harris says
Awesome! It smelled so good while baking. I needed to bake it longer because a toothpick placed in the center of the cake didn’t quite come out clean. I omitted nuts. I think if people had issues with the cake coming out of the pan easily, either it wasn’t cool enough or they didn’t grease the container enough. Once out of the pan & no longer warm, I covered it and put into the refrigerator.
Thank you for the recipe. It was so easy to make.
Lisa Harris says
Made this for Rosh Hashanah and it was so delicious I could have consumed it by myself. The spices made this cake stand out. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make this delicious cake. I plan to make it for Chanukah too so my granddaughters ,who live in Texas, can taste it when they visit.
Danielle Bagan says
Best honey cake ever !
Ade says
Gluten free variation cooling at the moment. Hope it works!
Jo says
This cake will definitely become a regular in my household here in Australia! Everyday ingredients, recipe was easy to follow and the cake is delicious. I did have to cook mine for 10 minutes more but that’s probably just my oven. The top has a beautiful texture and the inside is lovely and moist. Next time I’ll remember the almonds on top. Thanks for a great recipe 😁
SALLY KUTNER says
my oven does not have a 340 setting. ver very old oven i admit but i baked 2 and loved the taste but they burned badly and stuck badly. i am 95 and don.y want to deal with kitcken renovations. perhaos baking at 325 and using oil on the pans instead along with parchment paper or aluminum foil.. pleaswadvise. my phone no is 659349 6946. thank tou. SALLY
Anna says
What consistency it should be? I fallow the recipe exactly and every time its very runny. I usually end up adding more flour. But then I thought maybe it needs to be liquidy?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Anna! It’s okay that the batter is runny – it will still bake up great!
Kevin Carr. says
Hi and just need to clarify two items from the comments pages.
one was about vanilla essence as none is mentioned in the recipe (Amanda 14th 0ct 2015) and the other is the brown sugar.( Ellee 17th Sept 2014 )
You say no sugar but honey in a comment is used.
Could you please tell me if the posted recipe is correct or is there a typo.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Kevin, I updated the recipe slightly since those comments were posted so you can stick to the recipe as it is posted now:)
Gena says
I notice a number of references to coffee………..there is no coffee in the recipe.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Gena, we actually updated the recipe recently. The old one had coffee in it which is why there are comments about it 🙂 But thanks for pointing this out to us – I can see how this can be confusing!
Kay says
I found this recipe last year and made it multiple times. It was the most amazing honey cake I’d ever tasted and so simple to make. I came back today to find that it’s now a completely different recipe (not just updated to make it simpler). A large part of what made it so good was the coffee, vanilla and the spice mixture (which included cardamom). With this update, we have just another run-of-the-mill honey cake and not the outstanding one that was here before. Could you not have both versions of the recipe on your website?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Kay, thanks for bringing to my attention, and my apologies for removing the old recipe! It’s a great idea to include both recipes, so I’ve added the original below the new one in the post 🙂
Kay says
Thank you so much for including the original recipe along with the updated one. I did manage to find a copy of the original that I had printed and I made it yesterday. I actually doubled the recipe and made two loaves. One loaf was devoured within hours! I was asked this morning for the recipe, so now I’m happy that I can refer them directly to your website.
Sarah says
Hi
Planning to try this recipe. Can I use orange juice instead of water?
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Sarah, yes it will work! I’m curious to know how it tastes, I’m sure it will be delicious!
Sigal says
The new recipe, are you sure the measurements provided for water, oil and honey are correct? The dough tasted great but very runny, and it’s taking double time to bake. I’ve enjoyed the original version multiple times.
Janice says
I made the updated recipe but tweaked it by replacing water with cooled coffee as in original recipe and also included the salt and vanilla from there too. Made 12 cupcakes topped with chopped Brazil nuts, baked for 25 mins, at 170c, came out perfect, thankyou!
Hema says
Hello, Just needed some advise from the commented people and the author, which recipe is good the older one or the new? the older says 1/2 cup of coffee/tea or warm water, wont the dough be to thin?… Please put in your comments, planning to bake them tonight
Brenda R says
How is this recipe non dairy when it contains eggs? Looking for a vegan recipe
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Brenda, this is a dairy-free recipe as eggs are not a dairy product. If you’d like to make this recipe egg-less, you could try substituting the egg for a flax egg. To make one flax egg, combine one tablespoon of flaxseed meal and three tablespoons of water and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. From here, you can add this ingredient to your recipe just as you would an egg! Since this recipe calls for two eggs, double that amount. Hope this helps!
Sandra says
This recipe would have been so nice but the flour is not enough. I followed the recipe to a tee even reduced the sugar but after almost an hour of baking, it came out rubbery and after cooling the centre caved and I baked it both as cupcakes and in a round cake tin. So I retried the recipe and added another cup of flour and an extra egg and also increased the amount of baking powder and baking soda and it came out perfect. Nice, tall, fluffy and spicy in the best kind of way. Highly recommended adding the ground nutmeg and ground clove, if you have it.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Sandra, by reducing the amount of sugar, it greatly alters this recipe. Sugar does so much more to cakes than provide sweetness. It is an important leavening agent and provides texture, moisture, and structural stability. It sounds like you created a totally different recipe than what I’ve provided. I love the added suggestions for nutmeg and clove, that sounds absolutely delicious!
Laura says
This cake is delicious but I’m wondering if it freezes well if I make an additional loaf?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Laura, it should freeze just fine.