Spiced Honey Loaf Cake
This old-fashioned spiced honey loaf cake is an incredibly moist and buttery tea cake that offers warming flavors and a delicate, fluffy texture. Perfect for afternoon tea, as a dessert, or sweet treat.
Why you’ll love my honey loaf cake recipe
- Quick and easy recipe: Just like my vanilla pound cake, this simple loaf cake is fast and simple to prepare.
- Long shelf-life: Buttery, moist texture makes it last longer.
- Versatile: Great base recipe you can easily add to.
Ingredients
- Flour – All-purpose flour works well for this recipe. For a more wholesome result use 1/3 wholemeal flour.
- Butter – Unsalted or salted butter are both suitable but unsalted works best.
- Brown sugar – Brings sweetness and molasses flavor to the cake.
- Honey – Gives this cake its signature flavor. Clover and orange blossom are great options for this loaf cake.
- Eggs – Give body and richness to the recipe. Use eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla – Adds extra flavor and depth. I use vanilla extract but you can also use vanilla syrup or vanilla paste.
- Baking powder – To leaven the cake.
- Milk – I use full-fat cow’s milk but you can substitute it with skinny or plant-based milk too.
- Icing sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar.
- Spices – Including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg bring warming flavors to the cake. You can also substitute the spices with 1 1/2 tsp of my chai spice mix or Christmas spice mix.
Variations
Citrus – Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the batter and/or 1/2 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the icing for a bright citrus flavor.
Dried fruit – Stir ½ cup of chopped dates into the batter before baking for a bit of texture and delicious date flavor.
Go nuts – Add 1/2 cup of walnut pieces or nut pieces of your liking for some extra texture and a nutty flavor. You can also add 2 tbsp of nut butter for a nutty taste.
Recipe FAQs
Place the loaf cake in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can freeze the cake in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months.
Yes. You can reheat the cake but you’ll need to remove the icing first. Microwave it for up to 15 seconds and serve with cold icing.
More easy cake recipes
If you like this easy loaf cake, make sure to check out these recipes as well:
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Spiced Honey Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Honey Icing
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, sugar, and honey until well combined. Add the egg and milk and mix them in one at a time.1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk
- Add all dry ingredients to a sieve and slowly add them to the wet mixture.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- Combine everything well until you have a lump-free cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and bake the honey loaf for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
- Let the loaf cool down for 15 minutes and transfer it to a cooling rack.
- To prepare the icing, combine the softened butter and powdered / icing sugar. Mix them well until you have smooth and lump-free icing.1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp butter, 1 cup powdered sugar
- Once the honey loaf cake has fully cooled down, add the icing to the top of the loaf with a large spoon or knife. Spread it evenly across the whole cake and add a honey drizzle. Enjoy!
