Honey Nut Cake
A soft, moist Honey Nut Cake with warm cinnamon and a sticky topping of mixed nuts coated in honey. An easy melt-and-mix cake with a lovely contrast of soft sponge and crunchy nuts.
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Servings: 8 slices
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 150 g Block Margarine or Butter
- 100 g Soft Light Brown Sugar
- 200 g Clear Honey
- 225 g Self-raising Flour
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 100 ml Milk
- 2 Free-range Eggs (beaten; at room temperature)
For the Topping:
- 1 tsp Block Margarine or Butter
- 100 g Mixed Nuts (shelled; walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts…)
- 4 tbsp Clear Honey
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 160°C (140°C for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 3 or 325°F). Grease and line a round 18cm (7 inch) cake tin with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter/margarine, sugar and honey over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter/margarine has melted.
- Meanwhile, sift the self-raising flour and cinnamon into a large bowl.
- Allow the melted mixture to cool a little (around 5 minutes) before pouring it into the bowl of flour and mixing it a little, before also adding the milk and eggs. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 1-1¼ hours, until the cake is golden, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter/margarine before adding the nuts. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the honey. Turn the heat up until the mixture starts to boil, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes, until the honey starts to thicken a little. Spoon the nuts over the top of the cake and allow it to cool completely before removing it from the tin and serving in slices.
The dome on top of the cake will settle a little as it cools - this is normal.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion, but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
Egg Size: I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs, and generally, egg size doesn't make much difference in most baking unless you are using sizes that lean toward the extremes. If you're unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That's what this recipe has been tested with.
Self-raising Flour: Don't have self-raising flour? For this recipe, simply whisk together 225g (1⅔ cups) plain flour and 3 teaspoons baking powder instead. If you bake regularly, you can also make a larger batch to keep in your baking cupboard. For full instructions, cup conversions and answers to common questions, see my Self-raising Flour Ingredient Guide.
Honey: Ordinary clear runny honey works best, but darker or stronger-flavoured honey can also be used for a deeper flavour and colour. Crystallised honey is fine as it will loosen again when warmed.
Mixed Nuts: Use whichever plain/raw nuts you prefer. I like a mixture of almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews and hazelnuts. Leave them whole or roughly chop them if preferred.
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