Moist Honey Cake

A moist honey cake, also known as a honey loaf cake, is a simple cake in which honey replaces the sugar entirely: it brings sweetness, fragrance and a crumb that stays tender for several days. Lavender honey gives it a delicate floral note, garrigue honey a more aromatic flavour, with hints of Provençal herbs.

Method

1. Preheat and prepare the tin Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Butter and flour the loaf tin, or line it with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter and honey In a saucepan, gently melt the butter with 180 g of honey, just long enough to obtain a liquid mixture, without letting it boil. Leave to cool slightly.
3. Combine the wet ingredients In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs for a minute, until slightly frothy. Add the lukewarm butter and honey mixture, the milk and the lemon zest.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, add the ground almonds, then fold everything in with a spatula, without overworking the batter.
5. Bake the cake Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. After 20 minutes, cover with a sheet of foil if the top is browning too much: honey colours faster than sugar.
6. Check and turn out Check that it is done with the tip of a knife, which should come out dry. Leave to rest for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack.
7. Brush with honey Thin the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey with a teaspoon of warm water and brush it over the still-warm cake so that it soaks in. Leave to cool before slicing.

Which honey should you choose?

Lavender honey is ideal for a gentle honey cake, enjoyed at teatime as much as for dessert. Garrigue honey harvested in Provence, more intense, gives a cake fragrant with thyme, rosemary and wild flowers. To compare several honeys before choosing, the lavender, thyme and garrigue discovery box lets you taste three terroirs. If you are looking to replace sugar in your baking, our article on replacing refined sugar with honey gives a few pointers.

Tips and variations

• In a 22 cm round tin, the cake is thinner: allow 30 to 35 minutes of baking.
• Replace the lemon zest with orange zest, or add half a teaspoon of cinnamon for a winter version.
• Without ground almonds, use 250 g of flour in total: the cake will be slightly less melt-in-the-mouth.
• Serve a slice with Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey for a simple dessert.

Storage

Wrapped in cling film or kept in an airtight tin, honey cake keeps for 4 to 5 days at room temperature. It is often even better the next day, once the glaze has fully soaked in. Find all our honey recipes.

Frequently asked questions

Can you replace all the sugar with honey in a cake?

Yes, as in this recipe. Because honey contains water, you reduce the liquids slightly and lower the oven temperature a little, since it colours faster than sugar.

Why does my honey cake brown too quickly?

The sugars in honey caramelise faster than white sugar. Bake at 170 °C and cover the cake with a sheet of foil as soon as the top is nicely golden.

What is the difference between a honey cake and spice bread?

Honey cake is a buttery loaf cake batter, light and only lightly spiced. Spice bread (pain d’épices) contains more honey, often rye flour and spices, and benefits from resting for a day or two before slicing.

Can you freeze a honey loaf cake?

Yes. Wrap it whole or in slices in cling film: it keeps for about two months in the freezer and defrosts in a few hours at room temperature.