Aromatic spiced honey cake is a simple cake with honey. Lots of honey, butter, and a generous addition of spices. Perfect for afternoon tea, picnics, or a slice as a lunch box treat.
Sometimes I simply feel like a slice of cake. Nothing fancy, something to satisfy my urge for a homemade baked treat. To have with a cup of tea in the afternoon or after dinner.
If you feel the same way, my spiced honey cake may be right for you. A cake with honey and spices that is easy to whip up. If you are after more honey cake recipes, you may also like my honey coffee cake.
Sara xxx
What's in this post
Ingredients
- Butter: Butter is the preference, but you can substitute margarine.
- Honey: Use a mild tasting honey that won't fight with the spices for taste prominence but still give a glorious honey flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Standard or dark brown sugar. If you use dark brown sugar the cake will be slightly darker and more caramelised.
- Self Raising Flour: You can replace self raising flour with 300 grams (2 cups) of plain flour + 4 teaspoons baking powder.
- Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground Cloves, Ginger. I regard this as the magic mix of spices, when pair together not only do they taste amazing, but smell sensational when baking.
- Eggs: Always use free range eggs if you can
Spiced Honey Cake Tips
Dress the Cake Up
Cake made with honey is perfect just as it is, let the honey and spices shine through. But of course you can jazz it up if you want to!
Simply dust with icing sugar/confectioners sugar
Drizzle with lemon glaze (thin lemon icing)
Fluffy lemon or vanilla frosting
Bake in a Loaf Tin
I often make spiced honey cake in a loaf tin, which means that after a few days you can even give it a light toasting to make it go that extra mile. That is of course if you haven’t eaten it all by then.
Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake
This recipe isn't a traditional honey cake for Rosh Hashanah. Very similar but it is missing a few key ingredients like orange juice and tea.
Over Baking
Be careful not to over bake the cake as it will dry out. It is quite a dense cake, but not a dense moist cake when baked. Watch the timing and test with a skewer. If it comes out clean it is done.
How to Make Spiced Honey Cake
- Preheat the over to 180°C (360 °F). Line and grease a 20cm round cake tin.
- In a medium saucepan place butter, honey and brown sugar. Over a low heat stir the ingredients until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl sift flour and spices. Add the cooled butter mixture and eggs. Using electric beaters, beat until the mixture is combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked. Test with a skewer to ensure that the cake has cooked through. The skewer will be sticky, but there should be no batter attached to it when cake is tested.
- Cool in tin for 10 minutes and then remove cake from tin and cook on a wire rack.
Printable Recipe
Honey cake
Ingredients
- 150 grams butter
- 250 ml (1 cup) honey
- 115 grams (½ cup) brown sugar
- 300 grams (2 cups) self raising flour
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 eggs
INGREDIENTS: USA Measurements
- 5.3 oz butter
- 8.45 fl oz (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) honey
- 4 oz (½ cup + 2 teaspoons) brown sugar
- 10.6 oz (2 cups + 4 tablespoons) self raising flour
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat over to 180°C (360 °F). Line and grease a 20cm round cake tin.
- In a medium saucepan place butter, honey and brown sugar. Over a low heat stir the ingredients until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl sift flour and spices. Add the cooled butter mixture and eggs. Using electric beaters, beat until the mixture is combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked. Test with a skewer to ensure that the cake has cooked through. The skewer will be sticky, but there should be no batter attached to it when cake is tested.
- Cool in tin for 10 minutes and then remove cake from tin and cook on a wire rack.
Oven Temperatures
All oven temperatures are fan forced.
Measurement Notes
All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
- 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
- 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
- 4 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon
- I use the below unless specified in my recipes;
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.
More Easy Cake Recipes
Our Cake Recipes index has some great recipes. There are also cheesecakes and cupcakes including the ones below.
Vanessa
Why are the measurements so weird?!
Sara
Hi Vanessa, which measurements and in what way weird?
Tricia
Love the recipe - you said it can be made in a loaf tin - what size and how long would the cook time be? I'll be giving this a try tomorrow. Thanks
Sara
Hi Tricia, you could use a loaf tin around the size of 10cm x 20cm. My loaf tin is 10.5cm x 21.5cm. I envisage cooking time to be roughly the same, but just keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out.
Tric ia
Thanks Sara- will give it a go. I too love a simple cake - simple doesn't equate to boring in my mind. Sometimes you just don't need fuss
john | heneedsfood
I adore honey cake. Dangerously adore. That thing wouldn't last a day in this house. Honestly!
Sara
It didn't last too long in ours either 😉
Lynn @ The Actor's Diet
Ha ha! I feel like the term "Plain Jane" should be "Plain Lynn" = because I hardly know any other Lynns but I know a ton of Janes!
Sara
Hehehe. I am positive there is nothing plain about your Janes or yourself Lynn!
Helen | Grab Your Fork
This looks so similar to the Dutch breakfast cake I've been eating. And the fact I have all the ingredients in my pantry could be a very dangerous thing!
Sara
Sounds like it could be dangerous, and it does taste similar to Dutch breakfast cake.
The Surprised Gourmet
This looks like my kind of cake, simple and delicious.
Sara
Thank you, there are times when you just feel like a slice of simple.