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Honey Cake

Anna Bosinyan
Crumb-coated and layered with butter cream, this honey cake truly melts in your mouth. This recipe is passed down from my aunt back in Armenia, who is a great cook and has always inspired me to bake. Any time I make this cake, it brings back fond memories of our time together. Although this cake is a traditional baked good in Armenia, I added my own alterations based on family feedback and it became a first prize winner at a honey dessert contest at The Valley Hive in Chatsworth. I prefer to use ValleyB’s Honey, which comes from my father’s beehive, since it is pure and natural.
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Course Dessert
Servings 1 large cake

Ingredients
  

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon plus 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 100 grams butter (or about ½ cup)
  • 4 eggs
  • 100 milliliters vegetable oil (about 6¾ tablespoons)
  • 100 milliliters water
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 4–5 tablespoons more

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING

  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 150 grams butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:

  • Whisk together sugar, honey and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Add to a medium saucepan and simmer on a low heat until the mixture caramelizes (changes color to red/brown), stirring regularly.
  • Add butter and stir until it completely melts. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vegetable oil and water until mixed.
  • Add to the honey mixture and whisk gently until incorporated. Put the saucepan back on medium-low heat and stir in 1½ teaspoons of baking powder. Simmer. When it starts bubbling on the surface, stir, cooking, for 1 minute more, then remove from heat and pour into a separate bowl.
  • Immediately add 1½ cups of flour to the mixture and stir to incorporate.
  • While the dough is still hot it will stick to your hands; sprinkle dough with additional flour to collect it together, then divide into 4 parts. It may feel runny, but will tighten as it cools down.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Form sectioned dough into 4 balls. Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out each ball into desired shape (I use a rectangle but a circle can work too). Dough should be rolled until about ¼ inch thick, similar to pie crust. Remove one of the parchment sheets and then bake each flattened section on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, or until edges begin to color.
  • Remove from the oven and cook the next sheet. Continue until all 4 sections are cooked and cooling.

TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM:

  • Mix cornstarch and sugar, add milk and stir well. Cook in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until mixture is thick, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  • In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, add softened butter and mix on medium high for about 10 minutes. Add the cooled milk mixture little by little to the butter, mixing well between each addition. After it is all incorporated, add vanilla. Filling should have a fluffy texture. Divide into 4 parts.

TO ASSEMBLE:

  • Stack the cooled cake layers 1 at a time, applying cream on every layer. Finish with desired topping.

Notes

Editor’s Note: The photo has a blood orange honey syrup drizzle, made with equal parts blood orange juice and honey and stirred until fully combined. Other options for a drizzle or topping could be lemon blueberry, chocolate, strawberry or any creative idea you might have!
Keyword honey