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This Honey Cake is perfect for Rosh Hashanah! If you've been let down by Jewish honey cake in the past, prepare to have your mind changed. This one is deliciously moist and perfectly sweet.
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What Makes This Honey Cake Special?
Honey cake often gets a bad rap. That's because many of them turn out dry, flavorless, dense, or gummy. But set aside your preconceived notions of honey cake and you’ll discover that this one is wonderfully moist and flavorful. It’s a far cry from the disappointing honey cake recipes that have traumatized so many of us.
This recipe focuses on achieving a tender, moist crumb and a beautiful balance of flavors. So what is it that makes this honey cake different? The key is in the ingredients, obviously, but also in the technique.
Ingredient Notes
Other honey cake recipes use a heavy mix of spices, but this one lets the honey flavor take the lead. Here’s what matters in the ingredient list:
- Oil: A neutral oil keeps the cake moist without competing with the honey. I usually use avocado oil, but canola or another mild option works just as well.
- Honey: The honey you choose makes a difference. Lighter, cheaper honeys tend to fade once baked, while darker wildflower or clover honeys hold their flavor better. Pick one with depth, since it’s the star of the cake.
- Sugar: White and brown sugar work alongside the honey. The brown sugar adds caramel notes that deepen the flavor and keep the sweetness balanced.
- Brewed coffee or strong tea: A touch of bitterness offsets the sweetness and adds complexity. I prefer coffee, but strong black tea works if that’s what you have.
How to Make It
This cake is so easy to make! You don't even need an electric or stand mixer—just stir the batter together with a wooden spoon. Here’s how to whip up this honey cake, ensuring it turns out perfectly every time:
- Grease the baking pan or pans and preaheat the oven.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add all of the liquid ingredients including the eggs, honey, both kinds of sugar, coffee or tea, and orange juice.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared pan, filling it halfway to allow room for rising.
- Drizzle a bit of honey over the top for extra sweetness and a lovely glaze.
- Bake until the cake feels springy to the touch and a tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
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Tips for success
- This recipe makes a generous amount of cake. If that feels like too much, the recipe card includes scaled-down versions for smaller batches.
- Whatever pans you use, only fill them about halfway so the cake has room to rise. Smaller pans will bake faster, so keep an eye on them and check early.
- Line standard loaf or cake pans with greased parchment for easier removal. If you’re baking in several small pans, set them on a sheet pan to make them easier to move.
- Mix the batter gently with a wooden spoon. Once the flour is in, stir only until smooth — overworking it will make the cake gummy.
- The flavor improves after it rests. The cake is even better the next day, so it’s worth making it ahead.
What to Serve With It
Honey Cake is so versatile that I serve it on most Jewish holidays. It even makes a great holiday breakfast or brunch. And it's a perfect end to a meal of Brisket or roast chicken, latkes, and Beet Salad with Harrisa Dressing.
A dollop of whipped cream, or vegan whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream takes it over the top. Try rich vanilla ice cream or, even better, Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream. For a ligheter take try sliced fresh fruit like figs or pears would be lovely on top. If you want to take it over the top, add
Looking for more Jewish holiday-ready sweets? Try Honey Cookies with orange and cinnamon, also perfect for Rosh Hashanah, Rugelach, or Hamentashen. Chocolate Orange Babka is another Jewish dessert that easily shape shifts into a delightful brunch offering. Love that honey flavor? Try No Bake Honey Cheesecake.
Honey Cake
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- 3½ cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240 ml) honey, divided
- 1½ cups (300 grams) sugar
- ½ cup (110 grams) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) brewed coffee or strong tea
- ½ cup (120 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
Nutrition
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!
My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
can i store this at room temperature?
Yes! Will be good for at least a few days. Once it’s cut, cover it with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
This is so yummy! Great thanks for sharing this!
Loved the cake but couldn’t get it out of the loaf pans – not sure why. I sprayed the pans first. Should you just mix batter with a spoon not an electric mixer? Also can you make the cake ahead and freeze it?
Hmm could be your pans? I haven’t had trouble removing it, but perhaps try nonstick pans if you aren’t using them already? And yes, you can freeze it! Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap.
I’m wondering what the bake time you used for the 6-cup mini bundt pans? Thanks in advance!
30 minutes
This is one of the BEST and Tastiest Honey cake recipes I’ve found!! It’s so delicious, and moist.
Scrumptiously moist cake! Love the pop of citrus! The coffee was unexpected but really helped to temper the sweetness. Perfect balance of flavors.
Absolutely loved this cake! It was so moist and the perfect amount of sweet.