This moist honey and spice cake is oh-so warm and comforting. I like to compare it to big hug!
This cake is packed full cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and aniseed which give it a big, bold flavour. A rich and fluffy cream cheese frosting is the perfect pairing for this divine cake.
Treat yourself to a big square of this cake on a cold day. Be warned, it's addictive!
Honey & Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield:
1 Cake (12 Serves)
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
50 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 20 minutes
This easy and moist spice cake has just the right blend of spices and honey for a beautiful aroma and rich flavour. A cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping for this aromatic cake.
Ingredients
For the Spice Cake
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice / pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground star anise / aniseed
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- 60 g (2 oz / ¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 60 g (2 oz / ¼ cup) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar / powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Spice Cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F (fan/convection) or 180°C / 355°F (standard). Grease and line a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) square cake pan with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and spices. Whisk until well combined.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together honey, brown sugar, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla essence until well combined and the honey is well incorporated.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined (a couple of lumps is fine).
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden or a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat together the butter and cream cheese on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the sifted icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla essence. Beat for another 3-4 minutes on high speed until fluffy, thick and pale. If your icing is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Make the cinnamon sugar: in a small bowl, stir together the white sugar and cinnamon until well combined.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar. The frosting will continue to firm up over the next couple of hours.
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the loaf un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze the un-frosted loaf, allow to cool completely then wrap tightly in clingwrap and then place in a zip-loc or freezer bag. Keep for up to 6 months frozen. To thaw, allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight.
Substitutions & Tips
- Baking powder: you can omit the baking powder and instead use 2 cups of self-raising flour. You can also replace the baking powder with 1 ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
- Oil: you can substitute canola oil for any type of vegetable oil. Note that if you're using a rich olive oil it may change the flavour of the cake.
- Spices: in a pinch, you can substitute any of the spices for the same amount of mixed spice / pumpkin pie spice. If necessary, you can substitute all of the spices in the cake for just 1 tablespoon of mixed spice. However, this cake really does taste best if you put in all the individual spices!
- Cream cheese frosting: you can use any store-bought frosting or your personal favourite frosting instead, if you like. This cake also tastes absolutely wonderful on its own.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/12th of Cake with FrostingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 417Total Fat: 20.7gSaturated Fat: 4.6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1.4gCholesterol: 44.9mgSodium: 36.3mgCarbohydrates: 56.2gFiber: 0.9gSugar: 40.8gProtein: 3.7g
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