Fluffy Honey Cake

Tags: #dessert #baking
Servings: 12
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

An airy, dark honey cake with a sponge-like crumb, balanced sweetness, and a subtle tea/coffee note.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 100g white sugar
• 80g dark brown sugar
• 340g honey
• 240ml strong Earl Grey tea (or strong coffee), cooled to warm/room temp
• 240ml neutral oil
• 50g vanilla instant pudding mix
• 300g cake flour
• 10g baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 165°C.
2. Grease your pan(s) well (see Notes for pan options).
3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar for 8 minutes until very pale, thick, and voluminous.
4. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the oil until incorporated.
5. Add the honey, then the strong tea (or coffee), and mix just until combined.
6. Add the salt, cinnamon, cake flour, baking powder, and vanilla instant pudding mix.
7. Fold gently (or mix on the lowest speed briefly) just until the batter is smooth and no flour pockets remain.
8. Pour into the prepared pan(s).
9. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost completely dry (a few moist crumbs are fine), then cool in the pan 10–15 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Notes

• Pan yield (from the original): 1 high bundt/formed pan (24–26cm), or 1 pan 20×30cm, or 2 large loaf pans (about 30cm each) / 1 large tall Pullman-style loaf pan, or 3 disposable paper loaf pans, or about 24 standard muffins.
• Bake time varies by pan: muffins often ~18–25 min; loaf pans ~40–60 min; large bundt/20×30 pan ~35–55 min—start checking early and go by doneness.