I love honey. I use it every chance I get. I stir into this iced green tea, mix into some muffin batter, or drizzle it onto these biscuits. It’s sticky, sweet, wonderfully earthy flavor makes me happy with every bite.

Sue Bee contacted me a few months ago to see if they could send me some honey products. Free honey products? Yes, please! There’s no way I could say no to free honey products. Sue Bee hooked a foodie up. They sent me several types of honey: orange blossom, sage, clover, and clover spun honey. They even sent me some bbq sauce. Squirrel loves his condiments, so he gravitated towards the bbq sauce. His review of the sauce, “Mmm, this is really good. It’s spicy. I like spicy.” I got to try the bbq sauce once before he carted it off to work with him, where it never returned and he consumed the entire bottle. That man.

As soon as I opened the large box of honey products, I knew I wanted to feature a dessert where honey was the star of the show. A dessert with multiple layers of sweet honey. As I was thumbing through some cookbooks, I found the perfect cake in Vintage Cakes. A honey bee cake. Not only was there a generous amount of honey in the batter, it had a sticky honey glaze dripping from the top of the cake. It was love at first sight. I made some minor adaptations to the recipe and came up with an orange honey tea cake perfect for snacking.

Orange Honey Tea Cake | www.themessybakerblog.com-7206

I wanted to use the orange blossom honey that Sue Bee so kindly sent me, so I introduced some orange juice and zest to the batter and glaze to enhance the hints of orange flavor in the honey. Oh. My. This cake is good.

Orange Honey Tea Cake | www.themessybakerblog.com-7212

The texture of this cake is so airy and light. As soon as the cake hits your tongue, it begins to melt. I enjoyed a slice with a piping hot cup of coffee in the morning for breakfast.

What? Cake is considered breakfast food. It’s a known fact.

Orange Honey Tea Cake | www.themessybakerblog.com-7196

As you read this post, I’ll be soaking up some sun on the beach. Enjoy a slice of this until I return on Tuesday.

Orange Honey Bee Cake

Recipe Type: Cake
Author: Jennie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Inspired by Vintage Cakes
Ingredients
  • Cake
  • 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tbs. unsalted butter, at room-temperature
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. Buttery Sweet Dough Bakery Emulsion (optional)
  • 3 eggs, at room-temperature
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room-temperature
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 tbs. orange zest
  • Honey Glaze
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbs. unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs. orange juice
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Instructions
  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 3-inch springform pan.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and buttery emulsion. Cream until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once.
  4. While the butter is creaming, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, and orange zest. Set aside.
  5. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, whisking after each addition until the egg is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after the addition of the third egg.
  6. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating and ending with the buttermilk mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is mixed well.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan. Rap the pan firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a kabob stick or tooth pick, poke holes in the top of the cake. Slowly pour the warm glaze over the top of the cake, waiting for it to soak into the cake after each drizzle; continue to drizzle until all of the glaze is gone. Top with toasted almonds.
  9. Cool in the pan for an additional 30 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan. Serve slightly warm.
  10. Cake is best served warm. Reheat each slice in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Glaze
  1. In a small saucepan, add honey, brown sugar, butter, and orange juice. Cook over medium-low heat until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the orange zest.