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A bundt cake with white icing is displayed on a plate, surrounded by fresh lemons and a yellow napkin.
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Honey Lemon Cake

Delightful dense cake sweetened with honey and flavored with lemon.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Budget Frugal
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 530kcal

Equipment

  • Mixer
  • 8” round cake pan
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Medium bowl

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1 teaspoon Kosher salt)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup honey

For the glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1.2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

For the Cake:

  • Take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time to allow the butter to soften and the eggs to reach room temperature.
  • Spray the sides and bottom of a round 8” cake pan with baking spray that includes flour. You can also grease and flour the pan if you don’t have baking spray.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to mix thoroughly. Set the bowl aside.
  • Put the softened butter and room-temperature eggs into a large bowl. Use a stand or hand mixer to beat them until whipped and creamy.
  • Add the milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and beat until well mixed.
  • Add approximately one-third of the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and mix. Repeat two more times until the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Pour the honey into the batter. Fold it in until it is thoroughly incorporated.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, flip it onto a cooling rack and let it continue cooling. If using a decorative cake pan, flip it again to maintain the design.
  • While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by thoroughly mixing the ½ cup honey with the powdered sugar. Set aside. Transfer the cake to a cake stand or plate and pour the glaze over the top.
  • Serve with additional honey drizzled over the top

Notes

  • Wildflower honey is perfect for this cake. Because so much of the flavor in this cake comes from the honey, use good honey and save the little plastic bear honey for something else.
  • Room temperature ingredients matter: This ensures even mixing and a smooth texture.
  • Do not overmix: Once you add flour, mix only until incorporated to avoid a dense cake.
  • Check early: Start testing at 38 minutes; ovens vary.
  • Glaze consistency: For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar; for a drizzle-style, add more lemon juice.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 594mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 863IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2mg