This tested-until-perfect Honey Cake Recipe will provide you with a flavorful, moist and perfectly sweetened spice cake the following day. Even if you don’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah, you should make this dessert!
I grew up with the belief that freshness is always better.
But as in most things, there are exceptions… take this recipe for banana muffins, for instance. They become really flavorful and super moist the following day. The roasted bananas used in the recipe are probably a contributing factor.
Today, I’m sharing a honey bundt cake that transforms itself into the perfect treat to have with a cup of coffee or tea or even an espresso… the next day! You won’t believe the transformation in taste and texture!
Spices like cinnamon, cloves and allspice, when combined with coffee and honey, create a perfectly sweetened honey cake with an incredible texture and delicious flavor. The best part is that you only need a couple of bowls to make it.
How to make honey cake
As far as the recipe is concerned, nothing could be easier. The title should be modified to an easy cake recipe from scratch since all that is required are two bowls and a whisk.
Let’s begin by preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease and flour (or use non-stick spray) a 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside.
In the first bowl, properly whisk together all the dry ingredients.
More specifically, 3½ cups of flour (500 grams), 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cloves, and ½ teaspoon allspice. Set aside for now.
In another large bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.
More specifically, begin by whisking 3 room temperature eggs for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of granulated white sugar and continue to whisk together for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Next, add ¾ cup of vegetable oil, ¼ cup of applesauce, ¾ cup of orange juice, 1 cup honey and 1 cup of lukewarm (not hot) coffee or tea; whisk together properly.
Next, create a well in the bowl with the flour mixture and slowly add the honey mixture while whisking everything together.
Whisk only until the cake batter comes together. You will notice that the batter will be on the thin side.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350° F for approximately one hour or until a wooden cake tester comes out dry and the cake springs back when you gently press your finger against it.
How to remove a bundt cake from the pan
- Before any attempt to unmold the cake, the cake needs to cool off, on a wire rack, for about ten minutes, as any attempt to unmold the cake beforehand might result in the cake breaking apart or sticking to the pan.
- To unmold, place a large plate or another cooling rack over the top and quickly invert the pan.
- Then, lift and remove the pan.
The final result is a baked good that fills your whole kitchen with a sweet and spicy aroma and one that you will make again and again.
Why this recipe works
The spices and the honey and coffee create a wonderful mellow taste with a moist crumb. The aroma of this easy cake recipe from scratch bakes is simply out of this world.
Variations and substitutions
- If you don’t have allspice, make your own. All you need is cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- Add a handful of finely chopped/grated apples or raisins (coat with a little flour to prevent them from sinking).
- Dress it up by drizzling your favorite glaze over the top.
Tips
- Measure the oil before the honey so that when you measure the honey in the same measuring cup, it easily pours out.
- Do not over-bake your cake, as this is guaranteed to result in a dry cake. As all ovens are different, check your cake by conducting a “skewer test” five minutes before the end of the recommended baking time.
- Use an oven thermometer to confirm the real oven temperature. You would be surprised to learn that there may be variations between what you set your oven dial to and the actual temperature in the oven.
More honey recipes
If you enjoy baking with honey, then the honey flavor is sure to be your favorite part of this no-knead, yeast-free honey wheat bread. A few other family favorites include these honey cookies, these honey biscotti, and this recipe for whole wheat cookies.
Recipe inspiration
Some people collect coins or stamps. Others will collect comic books, baseball cards, key chains, bottle caps, or even rocks.
My obsession was and continues to be, collecting recipes.
My recipe collection began with family recipes, like pizzelle, ciambella, biscotti and mostaccioli – that’s the easiest place to start, after all!
When I was a teenager, I would send away the UPC label to get free recipe booklets.
Does anyone remember those?
I was continuously on the lookout for such booklets… and still to this day, I have them in my possession.
During the 90s and beyond, Robin Hood was one company that produced such booklets.
I am sharing the recipe with you today that I have adapted from the 2002 Quick and Easy Baking Recipes. The original recipe was called Honey of a Honey Cake.
I have been making this recipe for almost two decades, with the following changes:
- decreased the amount of granulated sugar by ½ cup and
- replaced ¼ cup of oil with homemade applesauce.
Apart from the catchy title, I love the fact that it uses vegetable (or canola) oil rather than butter -that’s always a plus in my books 🙂
With the advent of the internet, there is no need to use such extreme recipe-collecting means anymore. You have access to thousands of recipes in just a few seconds.
What a wonderful thing!
But those older recipes I’ve made dozens of times will always have a special place in my heart.
To all of you celebrating… Shanah Tovah ♥
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
And if you are new here, welcome! You may want to sign up for my weekly e-mail newsletter. You can unsubscribe any time you want.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Honey Spice Cake recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Honey Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3½ cups flour all-purpose (500 grams)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup coffee or strong tea lukewarm
- icing sugar to dust on cake optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour (or use non-stick spray) a 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients (except the sugar). Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs for 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, can use handheld beaters or stand mixer.
- Add the sugar and continue to whisk together for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, whisk in the oil, followed by the applesauce, orange juice, honey and coffee. Make sure to properly whisk together.
- Make a well in the dry ingredient and slowly whisk in the liquid ingredients. The mixture will be thin and runny.
- Pour batter in the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 55-65 minutes or until a wooden cake tester comes out dry.
- Cool in pan for about 20 minutes on wire rack; invert to cool completely.
- Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Video
Notes
HELPFUL HINTS on How to Make a Great Bundt Cake:
- Make sure to properly grease and flour your pan.
- Do not over bake your cake as this is guaranteed to result in a dry cake. As all ovens are different, check your cake by conducting a "skewer test" five minutes before the end of the recommended baking time.
- Use an oven thermometer in order to confirm the real oven temperature. You would be surprised to learn that there may be variations that exist between what you set your oven dial to and the actual temperature in the oven.
- Whenever using honey in a recipe, always measure the oil beforehand as this will allow the honey to easily pour out of the measuring cup.
- Prepare a day in advance to allow the flavors to develop.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 2nd, 2016, republished on August 30, 2018, with updated content, photos, and a video. Recently updated with new content on September 13, 2020.
LYANN LIM
What an awesome cake! So delicious, not sweet at all 🙂
Maria
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Lyann. Thrilled to read you enjoyed this honey cake!
Deborah Rauch
Hi Maria This is similar to a honey cake I make but doesn’t call for liquor, which is fine because my grandchildren love it.
Can I bake this in cupcake or mini Bundt pans ?
How long do you think would need to bake for and would it be the temperature as you would use for one big Bundt.
Thank you
Maria
Thanks for your interest Deborah. Although I haven’t tried, I am sure you can bake it in a cupcake or mini bundt pans. Yes, I would keep the same temperature. I would look for the visual cues (light brown color) and when a wooden cake tester comes out clean. My guess would be around 30 minutes. Would love to hear about your results if you do decide to try it!
Archana
Hi Maria
I love the recipe and I so want to bake it after reading all the comments butI don’t have a bundt pan.. can I bake it in a normal round pan???
Just wished to tell you only yesterday I tried your no yeast honey wheat bread.. delicious. My husband is a bread freak .. it’s already half gone:)).. so thanks a ton. Am I glad I stumbled by your site???:)))
Maria
Welcome Archana! I am also glad you found me! Yes, I think it should work fine. The total baking time might differ, but just check it with a wooden cake tester. Thanks again for your interest.
A
I adore this cake!
I’ve made it a few times and in the past it has come out of that bundt tin with a little effort but with a nice, glossy surface. Today when I made it though, the very top of the surface stuck to the pan and so the outside of the cake was all crumby.. I must have used something different to grease the pan on the c previous occasions I made it.. but this time I used margarine. Would you know if this is what has caused it to stick or would it be something else? I’m not much of a baker! Sorry if this is a really basic question! Thank you!!
Maria
I am sorry you had a difficult time removing this Honey Spice Cake from the pan.
This is a very good question, let me see if I can help.
Using margarine (or butter) should be fine, but you have to make sure that the bundt pan is properly greased… all the indentations… and then you also need to coat it with a thin layer with flour. If it is available to you, using a baking spray is the easier and most effective, in my humble opinion.
Another important factor is making sure the cake cools properly… if not, it can stick to the pan.
Hope this helps. Thanks so much for stopping by, appreciate it.
Amy
Oh my gosh, Maria, thank you for your reply- You reminded me that I completely missed a step (in my haste as I was pressed for time)- I forgot to *flour* the pan!! So there you go, that made all the difference (in a not so great way). It’s strange as I never need to do this for other cake recipes and never have any problems (which is also why I easily forgot that step). Anyway, glad I got to the bottom of it. Thanks from Australia! 🙂
Maria
My pleasure Amy. Thanks for getting back to me, appreciate it!
Summer
sorry for the double submission! I missed the stars!
So happy to have found this recipe. A major win for the whole family, I used tea as we are not coffee drinkers and it was delish. I was looking for a honey cake recipe for winter solstice and this was just perfect. I baked it in a star shaped pan for our celebration of the return of the sun and then in two round cake pans ( side note – that fit perfectly into some of my christmas tins so have not been gifted!) they looked beatuful with the dustin of icing sugar!It is a lovely recipe and it has been requested 3 times since I made it the first time. Easy enough at this time of year wich is so busy in the kitchen already, but special too! A wonderful new tradition and going straight into the “Family recipe book” on Gdrive!
Thanks!
Maria
That is so kind of you Summer, thank you so much! I love your idea of replacing the coffee with tea! I am thrilled to hear you are enjoying this Spice Cake. Thanks so much for taking the time to share, appreciate it!
Nathalie
Is it ok not to add applesauce?
Maria
Hi Nathalie, The change I made from the original recipe was to replace 1/4 cup of oil with applesauce. If you prefer, eliminate the applesauce and replace it with oil. So the total amount of oil will be 1 cup. Thanks for stopping by.
Grace Paolucci
This lovely cake is so delicious and easy to make. Honestly, it’s half gone and I just made it! All flavours work so well together-honey, orange and coffee. You did it again! Grazie Mille
Maria
Thanks Grace! This spice cake is one of my favorites to make throughout the year. So glad you are enjoying it. Thanks for taking the time to comment, appreciate it!
Marisa
Hi Maria what can I use instead of applesauce please.
Maria
Hi Marisa! Although I have never tried with this recipe, I usually get great results by substituting applesauce with pumpkin puree, or bananas. It’s such a small amount I think it will work. Enjoy!
Jane
I think of you with gratitude every time I make this wonderful cake. I just found out workers are coming to put up a greenhouse for me tomorrow. In no time I whipped up this cake. Everyone will love it. Thank you again and again. And i make gluten free for everyone.
Maria
Oh my goodness Jane, thank you so much for your kind words… it is truly my pleasure. What a wonderful thing to have a greenhouse… enjoy 🙂
Jane
Maria, the cake is gone already. We had overnight guests that were amazed that it was gluten free and so good. The balance of spices with the other ingredients is spot on. The sweetness is perfect as you know. My comment is geared to anyone that is thinking about making this. Just follow your exact instructions and they will love it. My husband seen me put the cake pan in the over and asked if that was one of those cakes. Yes it is! He said, oh good. Keep him happy.
Maria
Thank you so much for the detailed information Jane, it is truly appreciated. I have put it on my to do list of recipes to try.
Have a wonderful weekend Jane ♥
Jane
It is below zero, the wind whipping the snow off the roof and we are enjoying a warm piece of this cake. Delicious is too inadequate to describe this cake. Maybe “roll your eyes good!” I used a gluten free blend I make myself. ( 2 cups buckwheat flour, 2 cups sweet white sorghum flour and 1 cup tapioca ) added 1 teaspoon xanthan gum to the dry ingredients and everything else as written! Bless your heart! This is great. Let the wind howl. I should have brought my wind chimes in. Lol
Maria
Oh my goodness Jane, if you can see me now I have a big smile on my face:) Thank you… you just made my day.
I truly appreciate you sharing a “gluten-free” version of this honey cake as I am sure this will be of great value to some of the readers.
Once again, a heartfelt thank you and please be safe ♥
Jane
I just reread my comment and noticed I did not write, starch, after the word tapioca in the gluten free mix. I also plumped a hand full of raisins in the orange juice. Sooo good. Forgot that. My husband has eaten two slices already. Who cares that we are snowed in!
Maria
Thanks so much Jane 🙂