Honey Whiskey Cake

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 40 min
  • Active: 30 min
Honey cake is classic for Rosh Hashanah because it signifies a sweet New Year to come. However, Molly thinks honey cakes aren’t often the best cakes because they’re dry or personality-less, but not this one! It’s velvety soft and packs a boozy punch. The lemon ginger tea adds depth, the sugar on top gives the cake a tasty crust, and the honey whiskey glaze amps up all the autumnal flavors!
Advertisement

Ingredients

Cake:

Vegetable oil nonstick cooking spray

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

1 cup (185 grams) light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cardamom

1 cup (190 grams) vegetable oil

1/2 cup (160 grams) honey

1/4 cup (47 grams) whiskey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (118 grams) prepared lemon-ginger tea (see Cook’s Note)

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Pinch flaky sea salt

Whiskey Glaze:

2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey

1 teaspoon (13 grams) whiskey

1 to 2 tablespoons nondairy or dairy milk

3/4 cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions

  1. Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-1/2-by-2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. To make the cake: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Whisk until combined and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, add the oil, honey, whiskey, vanilla and eggs. Whisk vigorously until incorporated. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. While whisking, slowly pour in the lemon-ginger tea. Once everything is combined, transfer the batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and flaky salt over the top of the batter. Bake until the cake is a deep golden on top, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool the cake on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before glazing or slicing.
  3. To make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, whiskey and nondairy milk (or dairy milk, if using). Add the confectioners’ sugar and whisk until combined and smooth. Set aside until the cake is cooled.
  4. Drizzle the cake with the honey-whiskey glaze. Slice and serve the cake warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Cook’s Note

For the lemon-ginger tea, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the tea bag to steep for at least 5 minutes. Discard the tea bag, then pour into the batter. It’s okay if the tea is still hot when added into the batter.

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

ninememo

I have been wanting to make this for weeks. 12 minutes after it was in the oven I realized I forgot to put the whiskey in. Oh well, I will try it again. This is why maybe I should stop cooking!

See All Reviews