Honey Cake is the sweet treat many Jews on Rosh Hashanah, AKA Jewish New Year, as a symbol of hope for a sweet year to come. This one is deliciously moist with an alluringly crisp edge.
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
One day when my niece was about three years old, she declared, “I’m going to make a honey cake!”
I don’t think she had ever heard of honey cake. But she does love honey. And I love her! So I started searching for honey cake recipes the minute I got home.
Why Do We Eat Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah?
The holiday celebrates the dawn of the new year according to the Hebrew calendar. It is one of the two High Holy days in Judaism (Yom Kippur is the other) and therefore one of the most important holidays.
Honey cake is one of the traditional foods eaten on the holiday. Honey symbolizes our hopes for sweetness in the year to come. It is also customary to eat apple slices dipped in honey on the holiday.
What does Shana Tova mean?
During Rosh Hashanah, you’ll often hear the greeting “Shana Tova umetukah!” Or simply “Shana Tova!”
It’s the Jewish version of “happy new year,” translating more specifically to mean “have a good, sweet year!”
What makes this the best honey cake recipe?
The biggest complaint people have about honey cakes is that they are dry and lack flavor. I wanted something super moist and rich.
I searched for moist honey cake recipes and found one on Smitten Kitchen. It was a recipe by Marcy Goldman’s A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking.
If anyone knows her way around a Jewish dessert, it is Marcy Goldman. Smitten Kitchen calls Marcy’s cake “Crazy moist and soft and plush with a little crisp edge about the corners.”
This cake is perfect for Rosh Hashana
The first thing you want in a Rosh Hashana honey cake is for it to be sweet. After all, that’s the whole point, right? A sweet cake to usher in a sweet new year. This cake cake is sweet, and it is also:
- Moist
- Tender
- Not too dense
- Full of the flavor of honey
- Crisp around the edges
Honey gives the cake it’s signature flavor and makes it plenty sweet. But this cake has other flavorful ingredients, too. Coffee and orange juice give it bitterness and tang to counter the sweetness of the honey.
What ingredients do you need?
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cooking oil
- Honey
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Coffee or tea
- Orange juice
Marcy’s version (and Deb’s) includes cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. But I’m not crazy about a spice cake. I just wanted a cake that tastes like honey.
It may sound crazy, but I left all of those spices out. The result was perfect.
How do you make this easy honey cake?
You only need one bowl and a spoon to mix this cake. You could, however, use a stand mixer if you prefer. Just be careful not to overbeat it after adding the flour, as this can make a cake rubbery.
- Preheat the oven and spray the baking pan(s).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the oil, honey, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, and orange juice. Mix thoroughly.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan(s) and bake.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
A little trick that makes this honey cake pure magic
Remember those crisp edges I mentioned earlier? Before baking, I drizzle a bit of honey over the batter. It caramelizes in the oven, giving the bottom and edges of the cake an extra crispiness. It also adds the deep, rounded flavor of caramelized honey.
My niece was delighted and proud of herself for coming up with the idea. My mother, who doesn’t even like honey cake, took home an extra-large hunk. [Breaking news: Mom called as I was writing this post, and said, “I just ate a third of the cake you sent me home with, and it is the most delicious honey cake I’ve ever had. I can’t stop eating it.”
Tips for success
- This recipe makes a lot (us Jewish ladies worry that someone will go hungry, so we always make extra). You can use three 9-by-5-inch loaf pans or one 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or make 36 standard cupcakes.
- Alternatively, you can use a mini Bundt pan with 6 cups as well as a few different sizes of small loaf pans.
- Whatever size pans you use, be careful not to overfill them. Each pan should only be filled about halfway.
- Smaller portions will bake faster so be sure to adjust the cooking times and check early and often.
- If you just want less cake, you can reduce the recipe by 1/3 or even 2/3. See my recipe notes for details on how to cut down the quantity.
- The recipe uses cooking oil for its fat, which makes it kosher parve (no meat or dairy).
- The recipe calls for strong brewed coffee or tea. The bitterness of coffee or tea balances the sweetness of the honey. But you can substitute milk or water in the same quantity. Note that if you use milk, the recipe will not be parve.
- Feel free to add a diced apple or two, a cup of sliced almonds, a tablespoon of orange zest, or 1/4 cup of whiskey to the batter.
- The texture of this cake improves when it sits for a bit. I think it is best the day after it is made. Make it ahead and let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature.
This morning I learned inadvertently that honey cake, paired with a cup of coffee, makes a great breakfast. If you’re a sweets-for-breakfast person, you might want to try this Japanese Souffle Pancakes recipe, too!
More Jewish holiday recipes you’ll love
- Hamentashen
- Sufganiyot or Jelly Donuts for Hanukkah
- Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
- Classic Chopped Liver
- Vegetarian Chopped Liver
- Honey Cake
- Check out all of my Jewish Recipes!
Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake
No spices, no distraction, just a simple, moist, delicious honey cake for Rosh Hashanah, or any time of year. Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. This recipe makes a lot of cake. You can use either three 9-by-5-inch loaf pans, one 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or any equivalent-sized pans.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup (237 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (237 ml) honey, divided
- 1½ cups (300 grams) sugar
- ½ cup (110 grams) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237 ml) brewed coffee or strong tea
- ½ cup (119 ml) orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease the baking pan(s) with nonstick cooking spray, baking spray, or butter. (Use either three 9-by-5-inch loaf pans, one 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or any equivalent-sized pans.)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the oil, 3/4 cup of the honey, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, and orange juice. Mix thoroughly, until all ingredients are combined and no lumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s), filling each about halfway.
- Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of honey over the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is set all the way through and feels springy to the touch (30 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of your baking dishes). A tester inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Let cool 15 minutes before removing from the baking dish. Slide a knife around the edges to help loosen the cake, if necessary.
Notes
1. This recipe makes three 9-by-5-inch loaf pans or one 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or 36 standard cupcakes.
2. Be careful not to overfill the pans—each pan should only be filled about halfway.
3. Smaller portions will bake faster so be sure to adjust the cooking times and check early and often.
4. You can cut this recipe down. To make one 9-by-5-inch loaf or 12 cupcakes, use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup honey (save about 1 1/2 tablespoons for drizzling over the batter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup coffee or tea, and 2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice.
5. To make 2 9-by-5-inch loaves or 24 cupcakes, use 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup vegetable oil, 2/3 cup honey (save about 3 tablespoons for drizzling over the batter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2/3 cup coffee or tea, and 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon orange juice.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 265Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 23mgSodium 169mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 1gSugar 28gProtein 3g
Jewish Recipes
Jewish recipes are the heart of every Jewish holiday celebration. There’s a special dish (or five!) for every occasion, from the high holidays to Shabbat dinners! Here are my favorite Jewish recipes for the holidays or any day.
Brisket with Apricots, Prunes, and North African Spices
Brisket is braised in a mixture of red wine, beef broth, dried fruit, and North African spices for a Mediterranean take on the traditional Jewish holiday dish. This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Jayne Cohen in Bon Appetit.
Potato Latkes
You can make a gluten-free version by substituting gluten-free brown rice flour for the flour. You can also jazz up the recipe by adding thinly sliced scallions or substituting sweet potatoes, parsnips, or apples for some (or all) of the potatoes. This recipe serves about 4 people and is easily doubled or tripled.
Instant Pot Applesauce
This Instant Pot applesauce is super quick and easy to make. It's delicious on top of crispy potato latkes--or just eat it plain!
Instant Pot Falafel
Crispy, golden brown patties are tender and moist on the inside. They're seasoned just right with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and fresh parsley.
Instant Pot Hummus
This Instant Pot hummus from scratch starts with dried chickpeas and takes less than an hour to make—and that's start to finish time. There's no need to soak the beans. The result is lush, rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seed, Pistachios, and Hummus Vinaigrette
This is a great way to use up leftover cooked couscous. The dressing can be whisked together in a bowl, but is especially easy to make in a food processor—chop the parsley leaves in the processor first, then add the other ingredients and process until smooth.
Lamb Kofta Kebabs
Ground lamb is mixed with lots of fresh herbs, aromatics, and spices and then grilled on skewers. I like to serve these with pita bread, hummus, tzatziki, harissa or chermoula, and a salad of romaine, cucumbers, and tomatoes with lemon dressing. Brown basmati rice is a great accompaniment as well.
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is surprisingly easy to make and watching the rounds puff up in the oven is so, so satisfying. Use them for sandwiches or cut them into triangles and use them to scoop savory Middle Eastern dips like my Instant Pot Hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki.
Whipped Feta Spread with Garlic and Fresh Dill
Whipped Feta Spread is a great addition to a mezze appetizer platter. It's a tangy, salty, creamy dip with a punch of garlic and fresh dill. Scoop it up with pita chips or raw veggies.
Easy Homemade Jelly Donuts or Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot are traditional Israeli jelly donuts often eaten during Hanukkah, along with other fried foods. Because, of course, fried foods celebrate the miracle of the oil! This recipe makes a simple, lightly sweetened fried dough that can be filled with jelly or the fillling of your choice and dusted with powdered sugar.
Grandma Fran's Vegetarian Chopped Liver
Made of mostly walnuts, butter, and onions, this chopped liver is just as good as the original, but meat free!
Harissa Chicken
This deliciously spicy sheet pan chicken takes just a few minutes to prep. The recipe was inspired by one in Dinner: Changing the Game, by Melissa Clark.
Israeli Salad with Egg and Feta Cheese
Israeli Salad, distinguished by finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers, is described (by Wikipedia) as "the most well-known national dish of Israel." Variations on the theme are limitless. Our version includes hard boiled eggs and feta cheese.
Matzoh Fattoush or Bread Salad for Passover
This bright, fresh, kosher for Passover salad—a take on the popular Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush—gives the plain crackers new life. Spiced, baked matzo “chips” replace the usual flat bread, but other than that, this hearty salad packs all the fresh herby, tangy, spicy flavor you expect from fattoush.
Yes, yes, yes! Deb is so right in saying that honey cakes are “dry, dull, and coarse”. I, too, think that. Or did think that until I ate this honey cake of yours today. It is fabulous. Well, I can say “It WAS fabulous,” since it is almost all gone save a few crumbs of that wonderful crunchy thin covering.
And, yes, Juliana, the reason you never knew about honey cake for Rosh Hashana was that I could never bring myself to bring one of those dry, dull coarse confections into the house. Sorry for the lapse in your childhood, but now we can have honey cake for Rosh Hashana thanks to you, Deb and Marcy. Hooray!!
I believe the reason most honey cakes are/were so dry and tasteless is that they were baked in a flat pan rather than a loaf or tube pan. My mother who was a world class baker never baked a honey cake and never liked honey cake until I took it upon myself close to 70 years ago to bake one – and have made the same recipe every year since, sometimes as many as 10 to be shipped to out-of-town family and friends.
A Happy New Year to you and yours.
I often make a honey syrup to drizzle over my cakes for extra moistness… However I’ve never made a cake completely based round honey. This looks absolutely delicious and a good place to start!
Honey syrup sounds interesting!
Never made one before but this year made it hard to find one in the markets so I tried this one.
Wonderful results!! Gave my neighbor half and he called twice for MORE! My whole family LOVED IT!
Best, most moist honey cake ever! And easy to make…sweetness all all around!
Thank you, Sandee! I’m so glad you (and your neighbor) liked it! It is a huge favorite around here, too!
i remember reading the recipe on smitten kitchen and thinking that, though it seemed yummy, it was a bit too involved for cooking with kids. thanks for the simplification, me and the kids made this today and it is pretty darn good.
tried your recipe last night just have no words to say, accept i cant stop eating it. oh my have never tasted anything that good in years. thank you.
Being new to Judaism I came across this recipe for my first Rosh Hoshana and it is soo yummy! Super moist and just lovely. The edges sort I of caramelised into a lovely crisp. I used a large loaf pan and actually ended up cooking it for 1 and half hours.
This is the best honey cake I have ever made.Moist, soft and delicious! I added some raisins and orange zest. Everybody loved the cake ! Thank you very much for this recipe!
Simple, amazing, delicious recipe! I made it into honey cupcakes. Worked like a charm. Batter formed 24 cupcakes and baked for 22 min. Like all honey cakes, they have improved with age. Thanks and Shana Tova!
Since my Bubbie took all her recipes with her when she died and my first and last attempt at honey cake turned out so hard and dry I’m now using it as a door stop (!), I am looking forward to this moist and tender honeycake to share with 14 new friends tomorrow for Rosh Hashanoh in Denver. I will bake it today and let you know how it turns out. Wish me luck!
Everybody loved your moist honey cake. It will definitely be a family favourite .
Everybody loved your moist honey cake. It will definitely become a family favourite. Thanks Shana tova
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! I made it for Passover and it was a hit! I took an extra loaf to my non-jewish coworkers and they loved it so much they asked for the recipe! I’ve shared it on my dairy-free cooking blog too!
Nice recipe 🙂 sounds like a very delicious cake, looks good too.
This sounds like a great recipe. Does it work in a round cake tin? If so, does anyone know what size round tin to use?
Check out this baking pan size conversion chart: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Cake-Pan-Size-Conversions/Detail.aspx. They suggest using 2 (9-inch) round cake pans or 3 (8-inch) round cake pans as the equivalent of one 9×13″ baking dish. I hope you enjoy it!
We’ve been looking for a great honey cake. The edges of a cake with this much sugar will burn easily. I tried this recipe at 350 degrees as recommended – and it burned the edges; the top was overly brown. So the burned sugar took away from the flavor of the cake. Next time, I will try 275 to 300 at the most for 60 minutes +/-. I rarely bake any cake over 325 degrees.
We enjoyed the center of the cake, and the orange, coffee, honey is a delightful combination. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thanks for the suggestion. It turned out great when I made it, but it would be interesting to experiment.
What would be the best way to store my cakes for a few days. Great receipe!
I’m afraid I don’t have an official answer on that one. I think it would be fine on your counter (wrapped) for a day or two, or good in the fridge for a few days. Glad you liked the recipe!
Honey cakes tend to store well and improve their flavour and moistness with age. If you added a dash of whisky, as in Marcy Goldman’s original recipe, the cake will store even better! A whole cake in a sealed cake tin stored in a cool place has always worked very well for me. Once you cut the cake, it’s best to eat it within a few days. The only problem for us has been keeping our greedy hands off it for long enough to let it mature!
I love this recipe. I have tried 3 size pans. I made it in 1 big loaf pan and it overflowed and collapsed. Used 3 small loaf pans and it overflowed and collapsed. I used a large rectangle pan and it worked. I may try next time to lower the temperature and see what happens. All in all, this my favorite honey cake recipe.
Perfect recipe for 24 cup cakes!
Thanks!
Can i use something to replace orange juice?
I don’t have anything to recommend offhand, since this is the only way I’ve ever made the recipe. If you find something that works, let us know!
L’Shana tova. Can the cup of oil be replaced by a cup of unsweetened apple sauce?
P.S. If applesauce is used, do I need to adjust the baking time?
I wish I could answer with authority, but I just don’t know. If you try it let us know how it turns out!
Leann, did you try the apple sauce? If so how did it turn out, also, did you have to make any other adjustments? Thanks!
This recipe looks delicious and I’m planning on making it tomorrow for my book club dinner, but I have a question.
For the orange juice, do you just use store bought, or do you fresh squeeze and orange?
Thank you for the lovely recipe!
I used OJ from the store. No need to squeeze!
I made this cake. Super easy to make. I made no changes to recipe. Cake is delicious.
Loved the honey cake. Can I use extra orange juice instead of the coffee?
I’ve never tried that, but I imagine it would be fine. Let us know!
Wow I wish you would put this in the actual recipe. I assumed coffee grounds because it did not say brewed coffee anywhere!!!! This is in my oven right now and I’m sure it’ll go right into the trash
Hi Ashley, I’m so sorry that you misunderstood the ingredient. I have changed it to “brewed coffee or tea.” This recipe has been on my site for 4 years and this is the first time anyone has made that mistake that I know of, although I have gotten many questions about whether a different liquid can be substituted for the coffee or tea so I thought it was pretty clear that it was a liquid. If it was meant to be coffee grounds or tea leaves, I would have said “coffee grounds or tea leaves.” Thank you for bringing it to my attention though so that I could make it totally clear to anyone else who might make that mistake.
Loved the cake- i used all orange juice the second time i made it and it was better yet!!!!🌺
I’m a beekeeper and was looking for a honey cake recipe that would highlight the taste of honey, not bury it with spices and other ingredient flavors. So, I tweaked your recipe a bit and got exactly what I wanted. My changes were: melted butter instead of oil, dropped the white and brown sugar and increased honey to 1.5 cups, dropped the orange juice and coffee/tea liquids and just used 1/2 cup of warm water. Baked it in a 9 x 13″ pan, lined with parchment paper for 45 min, mostly at 350F, although I turned it down to 325F for the last 6-7 minutes because I was concerned about the top getting too brown. If I were too change anything for the next time, I’d think about increasing honey to 2 cups, to increase sweetness and moisture – maybe a tad more water also.
Love the flavour but struggled to get the cakes out of the tins in one piece…not sure where I went wrong….
Any advice would be appreciated!
Hi Helsa,
Thank you for posting! I am glad you liked the flavor of the honey cake, but so sorry you had a hard time removing them from the pans! It could have to do with the pans you used, or perhaps you didn’t grease the pans thoroughly enough (I have just changed the instructions from “grease the pans” to “generously grease the pans” in hopes of helping readings avoid this problem in the future.) I grease the pans with coconut oil spray but any type of nonstick cooking spray should work, as will butter or vegetable shortening.
Robin
I think parchment should be used. I made this recipe, which was delicious, but like Helsa mine stuck to the pan (all 3 of them!). I am going to make again with parchment and see how it turns out.
Hi Loni, I’m sorry that yours stuck too! I have made this cake dozens of times in different pans and never had it stick that I can recall. But yes, using parchment paper would certainly reduce any risk of sticking!
Is the batter real liquidy? Mine is
It is a very wet batter. It should be pourable. I have made this recipe exactly as written at least a dozen times, so as long as you followed the measurements given, I am certain that it is the consistency it should be.
For the coffee, do you use grounds or an actual cup of brewed black coffee?
Hi Bonnie,
It is brewed coffee (a cup of coffee, not grounds).
Thanks!
Robin
Thank you, I’m looking forward to try it
I wanted to love this recipe and make a delicious honey cake for the holidays. I even bought beautiful individual floral bundt pans as I loved the idea of individual desserts. I followed the recipe to a t and the cakes looked beautiful and were very moist but they were gummy and lacked flavor. Not sure what went wrong as so many others loved this recipe.
Hi Lola, I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you! I am not sure why it would turn out gummy. I mean, the honey does make it pretty sticky, especially the outside, which of course you have more of if you do it in small tins, but that is part of the appeal of the cake to me. Is it possible that you overmixed the batter? I’m not sure what else would cause gumminess, but I will see if I can figure that one out!
I have been making a similar cake (slightly different proportions and probably a little less batter total) for 50 years and I think it is the amount of oil that keeps the cake moist. Originally, I got the recipe from my mother and wrote down 1 cup oil. About 20 years ago a friend told me she liked the cake except it was too oily. I told my mother the story and she said, “How much oil do you use?” When I told her she said, “One cup? It’s supposed to be 1/4 cup!” So the next year I put in 1/4 cup and thought it was too dry. Now I use 1/2 cup. I bake it in a 9″ x 13″ greased and floured pan with sliced almonds sprinkled on the top, and keep it in the pan, covered, on the counter as I eat my way through it. It lasts for well over a week and stays moist.
Hi Andrea,
That’s so funny about the oil! Topping it with sliced almonds is a great idea, too!
Happy new year!
Robin
I would rather use butter and I wish the alternative spice cake was here too. I used another recipe from Spruce Eats awful, made it two years in a row. So upset, dry and burned @ degrees 1 1/2 hrs like as per recipe no oil 1 stick buter Afraid to try ,again. Help
Hi Andrea, You can use butter instead of oil. Use the same amount (1 cup aka 2 sticks) and cream it together wtih the honey and sugar before adding the other ingredients. Let the butter come to room temperature ahead of time. As for the spices, you can add the spices from another recipe that uses them! I promise you this recipe will not turn out dry or burned if you follow my instructions!
BH Hi! I want to make this Honey Cake after finding this recipe by googling it online after reading a lovely inspirational story today (on chabad.org) about a Righteous Rebbe who gave out honeycakes. Honeycake is new for me (never had it)- and i want to make it…but i have one question: about the ingredient CoFFee- is it liquid or grounds?
Thankk you for your time! Shana. Tova!
Hi Marybel,
The coffee is liquid (brewed) coffee! You can also substitute tea or even water or orange juice.
Thanks!
Robin
Hi. Amazing delicious! About the coffee would prob make more sense to write how many tablespoons of instant coffee and then a cup of water.. as not sure how strong coffee cup should be.. but was delicious!!!
Hi Jason,
I’m so glad you liked the cake! About the coffee, really any brewed coffee is fine. I don’t keep instant coffee around, and I’m sure a lot of others don’t either. If you don’t have coffee, you can substitute tea or additional orange juice.
Hi can i change orange juice to milk?
Hi Veronica! I have never tried making it with milk instead of orange juice, but I think it would probably be fine. If you try it, post an update to tell us how it worked out!
I made this with a few tweaks to the recipe. It was so delicious! I used 3/4 cups melted coconut oil instead of 1 cup oil. I also only used 1 cup sugar and I replaced the brown sugar with 1/2 cup coconut sugar. Instead of coffee, I used 1 1/4 cups fresh squeezed orange and lemon juice (about 4 med/lrg oranges and 3 lemons). Since I only had raw honey on hand, it was extra thick and I had to take care to really scrape the bowl while mixing or the honey would settle in a glob. I also used two 9 inch round cake pans and made a layer of honey cream cheese frosting, then covered the whole thing with a lemon glaze. I’m definitely saving this recipe for future use (next time I’m going to try adding pineapple chunks!)
Wow, Julianne, that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing and I’m glad you liked the recipe!
Honey cake is great. I’m success with your recipe.I want to ask you that How long can I store the cake and how do I store it? Thanks!
I’m so glad you like it! You can wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it on the counter for several days.
I am doing a bee theme birthday party, and of course I need a honey cake. However, it is for small children who do not like strong tea or coffee. Is the taste of the coffee or tea strong? Is there an alternative I can use?
Hi Monica! Your party theme sounds great! I don’t think you can taste the tea or coffee, and lots of kids have eaten this cake as is and liked it. But you can use weak coffee or tea or substitute another liquid–orange juice, water, milk–if you prefer. Have a great party!
Absolutely in love with this sticky sweet honey cake!
I used a lavender & chamomile tea which added a subtle flare to the flavor – I mixed in some lavender blossoms and orange zest and stepped into heaven! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 for1 Flour and got beautiful results. I also ended up doing 3/4 cup coconut oil instead because I have no vegetable oil.
I took the advice of some of the comments and decided to bake with some aluminum foil the last half of the time to avoid burning the top. Definitely helped!
The cake was overall a big hit with the family but was a tad too sweet for me-I added a dash of nutmeg and a bit more salt to balance the flavors. Next time I’ll try to omit some of the sugar – anyone have any advice??
.
Thank you, Hannah! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake. The lavender sounds like a brilliant addition! And thanks for sharing your gluten-free substitution as I often am asked if this can be made gluten free. As for the sugar, I think you could safely cut the white sugar by as much as 1/3 without issue.
I just made this and with 1/2 tsp orange extract instead of the orange juice the calorie content came out to 2132 according to my ipad. I’m going to let it “age” until tomorrow as suggested to improve the taste.
Hi Cynthia! I’m not sure what you are saying about the calorie count, but the number you are getting will depend on the app you are using to calculate it. The free calorie apps aren’t very accurate. Are you saying 2132 calories for the whole cake? Per serving, your cake should be pretty close to the calorie count of the original recipe since the original recipe uses 1/2 cup of orange juice and makes 24 servings of cake. The calorie count per serving of the original recipe is 265 per serving. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi,
This sounds delicious. Which oil do you use and which brown sugar/dark or light
Thank you
Hi Lili! You can use any neutral-flavored oil. I like safflower or sunflower seed. For the sugar, either light brown or dark brown is fine. I usually use light brown because it is what I tend to have on hand, but dark brown would work fine, too. Thank you!
Is it possible to use a full-size bundt pan? If so, what baking temperature should be used and what is the approximate baking time?
Hi Brucene! You can use a full size bundt pan. The full recipe will need the largest size bundt pan. The information for cooking in different size pans is included in my post. One word of warning: I have made it in a large Bundt pan and it is not nearly as good as if you make it in, say, 3 loaf pans. When cooking it in such a large pan, the inside of the cake comes out a bit gummy and you get much less of the nice caramelized edges of the cake. So, I don’t really recommend it.
I would like to try the honey but cannot find the measurements of flour honey etc
I would like to try the receipe for the honey cake but cannot find the actual amt of each ingredient please rush reply thank you
Hi Jeanette, You just need to scroll down until you see the recipe card. All of the ingredients are there with measurements as well as the instructions. Thanks!
I chose the right recipe for my first ever honey cake – absolutely delicious and a keeper! I had to give it away as I couldn’t stop eating it! I substituted grapefruit bier for OJ as that was the only citrusy liquid in my fridge and the taste was very subtle.
I’m so glad you liked it, Grace! And that’s great that the substitution worked. I feel like it is a pretty forgiving recipe. I always have to give most of it away because otherwise I will just eat myself silly.
I just took my first honey cake out of the oven, Will have to wait till tomorrow night to taste it. We live in Israel and we will be on lockdown for the holiday so I made the one loaf pan as it will only be the two of us. I was planning to make an apple cake for the holiday but my husband wanted a honey cake, so there you are. It looks and smells great! Wishing you a happy and healthy new year. Shana Tovah!
Hi Shelli! I think you (and your husband) will love it! Shanah Tovah!
Hi! Do you think a regular size bundt would work? If so, should I cut the recipe? I read the above comment about using a larger bundt but definitely don’t want it to be gummy. Would a few mini bundts be better?
You can absolutely use a regular bundt pan, but if you are making the full recipe, you’ll want to probably use 2 bundts or maybe 1 bundt and a couple of loaf pans. The recipe makes enough batter for 3 full-sized loaf pans, so if you are going to use different pans, you’ll need to make sure that you are substituting pans with the same combined volume. You’ll also want to cook less time the smaller the cake is–so mini-bundts will be done much faster than a full-sized bundt. i personally prefer the smaller cakes, but using 3 loaf pans or the equivalent works out well, too.
Sooooo delicious!!
I’m so glad you like it! Shana tova!
Just to let you know, it came out great! And it was so easy. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you for the recipe, DELICIOUS!! I made 12 muffins and followed your instructions. I used milk instead of coffee and baked it for about 18 min, was perfect. Everyone loved it
Thank you, Lili! I’m so glad you liked it! Good to know that you were successful subbing milk for coffee.
I made this this year, with a couple modifications, and it was incredible. I’d like to share those modifications, in case anyone else wants to try them.
Instead of vegetable oil, which we didn’t have, I used half coconut oil and half Smart Balance (which is pareve), both melted because they’re solid at room temperature. I used rosewater instead of vanilla, because, well, I’ve been on a rosewater kick recently, and thought it might be good (it was). I also was lucky in that I had some really good local honey with interesting flavors to use, and I didn’t have orange juice but did have some Cara Cara oranges which I squeezed.
Used a standing mixer because I’m lazy, and poured it in a bundt pan and cooked it for what turned out to be a little under an hour. It’s two days since Rosh Hashana, and it was a big cake, and there’s just the two of us this year, and it’s way closer to gone than is probably congruent with a healthy diet…
This is fantastic, Ian! I’m so glad you liked it and your variations sound amazing. Especially the rose water. I am intrigued. I went through a rosewater phase last year and still have a bottle in my pantry. I may have to experiment! Thank you for posting!
If I were to use tea since im not a coffee fan what type of tea should I use? I’ve looked everywhere but i can’t find an answer :0 Also i were to use coffee is it a prominent taste? or is it all blended in?
Hi Genevieve, The coffee is not a prominent flavor. I think the bitterness of the coffee may subtly offset the sweetness of the honey, but the cake would be just as good (and not taste much different if at all) without it. If I were to use tea, I would use a basic black tea–something like Irish breakfast or English breakfast would be fine, or just something like PG Tips. Another reader recently mentioned that she substituted milk for the coffee and it worked out well. The main thing is just to make sure that you use an equal quantity of another liquid.
I’ve been making honey cake for 40 years (and eating it for longer), and this is far and away the BEST honey cake I’ve ever had. It really showcases HONEY as the main flavor/ingredient, and it is SO moist. My high holidays have never been so sweet!
Hi David, Thank you so much for posting! I’m so glad you loved the cake. I love that the flavor is all about the honey!
I can’t tell you how amazing these little cakes are! For Rosh Hashana or anytime, they’re my favorite!
Yum! That sounds scrumptious!