This Rose Honey Cake turned out so gorgeous, I had a hard time slicing into it.
Which is pretty frickin’ hilarious, considering how absolutely awful my first attempt at making this dessert went!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll remember my post of the cake that flowed like molten lava up and over its baking dish and (thankfully!) onto the baking sheet below.
Moral of that story? Don’t try to cram a cake meant for a 9” springform pan into a 9×5 loaf pan. CUZ IT JUST DON’T WORK.
Thankfully, I was able to get it together for my second attempt at this Rose Honey Cake. Itmay have had something to do with following the baking instructions…just sayin’.
Rose Honey Cake is my book-inspired recipe for Jerusalem Maiden. Honey’s referenced pretty often by the characters in this book, usually as an ingredient in cooking or baking.
I’ve always associated eating honey cake with Rosh Hashanah to usher in a sweet new year. Given how devout main character Esther is, and since the Jewish New Year is only a few days away, this cake seemed like a perfect recipe to pair with this wonderful book.
That recipe I mentioned earlier? Well, I gotta admit: Rose Honey Cake is barely adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.
I’ve never made a honey cake before, so when I went in search of baking inspiration, going with something from the Queen of Baking seemed like the obvious choice.
The only changes I made to the original Martha recipe are to reduce the salt (trust me on this one!) and to add a lil’ somethin-somethin to the traditional honey cake in the form of rose water.
This exotic ingredient is used in so many Middle Eastern desserts, and its delicate perfume enchances the flavor of the rich, dark honey in the cake. Rose water can be powerful stuff, so just a little bit is needed — enough to infuse the cake but not overpower your tastebuds.
The only honey cakes I had when I was younger were from a grocery store; needless to say, they left much to be desired.
This Rose Honey Cake is a dream, though. The sponge is light, fluffy, and incredibly moist. And it bakes up thick and high, which means heartier cake slices for all! *cheers*
Most honey cakes I’ve seen are served plain, but we love a good, drippy, crackly glaze at The Cottage, so I whisked together a little confectioner’s sugar, milk, and almond extract to pour over the golden cake.
It was a good choice. The nuttiness pairs so well with the floral notes of the rose water and honey, and let’s face it: throwing glaze on a cake never hurt anything, did it?
To decorate, I sprinkled the cake with some almonds, which add a nice crunch, and dried rose petals, which don’t really add any flavor, but they look SO pretty!!
My inner three-year-old comes out whenever anything hot pink is thrown onto a baked good.
Although we still have a few more months left of 2020, I think we’re all ready to embrace a new year right now. If making a Rose Honey Cake is a good way to ensure a sweet one, count me in!
Rose Honey Cake
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 55 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- scant 1/4 tsp rose water*
ALMOND GLAZE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- sliced almonds for decoration (optional)
- edible dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325F.
Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray. Set aside.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, then set aside.
Using a hand-mixer, cream together the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, 1/2 cup milk, oil, and rose water* until thick and creamy, then pour into the egg mixture. Beat together on high for about a minute.
Slowly beat in one half of the flour mixture into the batter, than beat in the other half until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325F for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove pan from oven and let cake cool in the pan for about an hour on a cooling rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cake, then carefully remove the collar of the springform pan. Let cake cool completely before glazing.
GLAZE INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together confectioner's sugar, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp milk, and almond extract until thick and smooth. Pour glaze over top of cooled cake and spread to the edges so it drips down the sides. Decorate with sliced almonds and rose petals if desired.
Notes
*Rose water is a tricky ingredient. When I used a full ¼ tsp, the rose flavor was too perfume-y; when I used only 1/8 tsp, I couldn’t taste it at all. So, you’re aiming for somewhere between 1/8 - ¼ tsp of rose water.
Rose Honey Cake recipe lightly adapted from this recipe.
