Honey Cake
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Whether it’s for Rosh Hashanah, a family get-together or just because, this honey cake is all about sweetness, warm spice, and cozy flavor in every slice.
This honey cake recipe is adapted from Marcy Goldman’s much-loved cookbook, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. Many say the recipe alone is worth the price of the book, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s hands-down the best honey cake I’ve ever tasted. Tender, moist, and full of depth (there’s coffee, orange juice, and whiskey in it!), the honey flavor really shines through.
Honey cake is perfect with a cup of coffee for breakfast or a snack, or dressed up for dessert with whipped cream and a drizzle of honey. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make—just mix the batter by hand in one bowl, pour into the pan, and bake. It keeps well at room temperature for up to two days, and the recipe can easily be doubled if you’d like to freeze one for later or share with a friend.
“So easy to make, with a tender crumb and delicious flavour, and the house smelt wonderful while it baked.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Honey Cake
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda – Work together to give the cake structure and a light, fluffy rise. Always measure flour using the spoon-and-level method for accuracy.
- Ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice – Warm spices that add a cozy depth of flavor.
- Vegetable oil – Keeps the cake incredibly moist and soft.
- Sugar, honey, and orange juice – Provide sweetness, moisture, and balance. Honey is the star here, lending its signature rich flavor, while orange juice adds brightness that complements the spices.
- Vegetable oil and eggs – Keep the cake incredibly moist, soft, and rich, while binding everything together.
- Brewed coffee, whisky (or orange liqueur), and vanilla extract – Enhance and deepen the flavors, balancing sweetness with warm, fragrant notes.
- Sliced almonds – Adds a bit of crunch on top for a nice contrast in texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Add the oil, honey, eggs, coffee, orange juice, whiskey/orange liqueur, and vanilla extract. Using a strong wire whisk, mix the ingredients until well combined.
Step 3: Prep for baking. Pour the batter into a greased 8 or 9-inch cake pan and sprinkle the top evenly with the almonds.
Step 4: Bake and cool. Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes in a 9-inch pan, or 45 to 55 minutes in an 8-inch pan, until it’s set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then invert it onto the rack and flip it right side up to finish cooling.
Step 5: Serve. Enjoy the cake warm or at room temperature, with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of honey if you like. If you’re not serving it the same day, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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Honey Cake
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup honey
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ⅓ cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons whisky or orange liqueur (or substitute more orange juice)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
For Serving (Optional)
- Whipped cream
- Honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray an 8 or 9-inch (20 or 23-cm) cake pan (see note) with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Pam Baking or Baker’s Joy.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Add the oil, honey, eggs, coffee, orange juice, whiskey/orange liqueur, and vanilla extract. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the almonds. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes if using a 9-inch pan, or 45 to 55 minutes for an 8-inch pan, until the cake is set and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a rack and let cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack and turn it right side up to finish cooling.
- Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with honey, if desired. If not serving on the same day, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil or freezer wrap and place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
- If you’d like a taller cake with more of a dome on top, opt for the 8-inch pan.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn, I plan to make half this recipe tomorrow. I was wondering if I could make this loaf cake without all the spices (family isn’t really a fan of spices in their desserts) but replace them with orange zest and also substitute the coffee with tea, and just make it an orange honey tea loaf? Thanks!
Also, I have tried making your focaccia recipe and they were delicious!! My sister requested for your French apple cake again yesterday, we served them warm and topped our cakes with vanilla ice cream this time and it was beyond decadent. I hope there will be more recipes coming soon!
Hi Sheila, I wouldn’t recommend it — I think it will be too bland — sorry!
Delicious cake! I didn’t have cloves or Allspice so added ginger and nutmeg. Didn’t have orange liqueur so used whiskey. Made it with strong tea, not coffee. Moist and tasty. I would cut down on the sugar a bit next time. A tad sweet for my taste. Will definitely make this again!
Unbelievably delicious. Thank you for a soft, moist, not to sweet cake.
I made 2 for Rosh Hashanah and the cakes were perfect. I enjoy all your recipes. Cannot wait to have a slice.
Regards all the way from PERTH, Australia 🍯🍎
So glad you enjoyed, Ruth! 😊
Hi Jenn, another one of your recipes that I must try. I’m not a coffee drinker but I am a tea drinker. What type of tea would you recommend? I drink PG Tips or Typhoo. Saw someone mention Earl Grey , would that be better? Personally don’t like Earl Grey but will make it for the recipe.
Thanking you in advance!!!!!
Hi Arlene, Any strong tea you have will work. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Hi there! I have been searching for a cake recipe that has a deep caramel flavor , had spices and little alcohol in it. Thats when I found your page. Regarding the spice powders, all spice powder is not available in my country. I found a site where you can make your own. To make a teaspoon of all spice, mix together 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and clove powders and a pinch of nutmeg. Your recipe calls separately to add cinnamon, cloves and all spice. Will it be ok if I add into the recipe just 1 or 2 tsp of all spice powder to the dry mix? Looking forward to hear from you.
Sure Mary, that should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t have whiskey on hand. Could rum or bourbon be substituted or is it best to go with orange juice? Thanks.
Hi Maret, I think bourbon would work nicely here. Hope you enjoy!
The only complaint I have with your recipes, is that they don’t last long. I made this bread yesterday because our grandson can’t have dairy, and I thought it looked interesting, I love anything with fall spices. The store was so crowded with our impending hurricane, so I forgot the oranges – all I had was some Motts for Tots apple juice in the fridge, so I used that in place of the OJ. I made the 2 larger loaf pans. Took about 5o minutes or so to cook. This bread is absolutely wonderful, if I could give it more than 5 stars I would . My husband said forget the orange juice, just stick with the apple juice. It has the most tender moist texture, and I plan to make more today, because I wanted to freeze a loaf, but that is obviously not happening. I just want to thank you so much for doing all the hard work, while we home cooks get all the praise. I always tell everyone where I got the recipe, and my husband now says, “Is it that lady’s recipe” and I laugh and say, “yes, it is that lady’s recipe. Have you ever tried it with apple juice or cider?
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This lady says thank you! :). No, I haven’t tried this with apple juice or apple cider, but good to know that you can get good results with it!
I made this recipe with a lot of changes. I wanted more of a bread than a sweet cake. I used 100% whole wheat pastry flour. I may try a cup of spelt flour with it next time. I put it in 4 mini-loaf pans, but 5 would’ve been better. When it first came out, I cooled a 1/2 hr b4 tasting and I didn’t care for it at all… coffee flavor was overwhelming and a bit doughy. So I let it set overnight and this morning it was AWESOME after flavors had melded. I read later you said to store a few days, but I was more into looking at pics and it looked like you were eating it right after cooling. Thanks for another great recipe.
I’d like to make this for the upcoming holiday. I already have your sweet & spicy roast chicken on my menu. Do you think I can make the honey cake using half whole wheat flour for the white flour? Thank you.
Hi Ilene, I’ve only made this with all-purpose flour, so for best results, I’d stick with that. That said, I think you could get away with using half whole wheat flour, but it may change the texture a bit. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it. Happy holidays!