Honey Cake

I have been playing with alternative sweeteners lately. My favorite is brown rice syrup, with honey a close second.  Honey is sweeter than brown rice syrup, so you can use less of it in recipes, making it easier to create a balance between your wet and dry ingredients. The other advantage honey has is that I actually know the family that owns our local apiary. There is just something so satisfying about knowing exactly where your food is coming from.

I adapted this cake from the Evil Cake Lady’s Gluten Free, Agave Sweetened White Cake, which she adapted from the White Lemon Cake in The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham. My version has a distinct honey flavor, if you would prefer a milder flavor, then I would suggest using agave, like the ECL did. I have only made slight modifications to the directions, because I think the ECL’s directions of using a stand mixer for an extended period, created a light and fluffy cake. I have used this technique on several other recipes since I made this cake and have been pleased with the results. This makes enough for one 8 inch round cake. If you would like to make a layer cake, double the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup all–purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (I used GF, non aluminum)
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract (I use GF)

Preheat the oven to 325. Grease (and flour, if you wish) an 8 inch round cake pan.

Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs and honey on med speed. Add melted butter to the eggs slowly.

Let the mixer continue to beat the egg mixture while, in a medium bowl, you measure out and combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder). Turn down the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer back up to medium speed once the dry ingredients are moistened and continue to beat, while measuring and adding the milk and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.

Pour the batter into a greased (and floured if you choose) 8 inch round pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan, and let cool completely. The Evil Cake Lady’s final step: Do a little jig of happiness.

I frosted the cake with Whip Cream sweetened with 1 ½ tbsp of honey. I had lots of help, as usual.

Have you found any new baking or cooking resources recently?