14 Delicious Ways to Bake with Honey

There's a lot to love about honey! This all-natural sweetener boasts a handful of health benefits, easily upgrades everything from chicken wings to fruit compotes and can keep in the cabinet for quite a long time, thanks to its low water content. It should come as no surprise that honey is great for baking too. Whether you choose buzz-worthy Manuka honey, raw honey from an artisanal producer or a bear-shaped bottle from your local supermarket, you’ll find that it adds just the right amount of sweetness to all your favorite recipes, like this melt-in-your-mouth cake. It's soaked with the flavors of wildflower honey, citrus and cardamom before getting a finishing touch of glossy honey glaze — just like a real honeycomb!

Honey adds a delicious pop of sweetness to this decadent and moist olive oil cake. We’ve paired the cake with apples gently simmered in a honey syrup. Make it for the holidays or anytime you’re craving a fall dessert.

This baklava was created to honor the delicious combination of apples and honey. The syrup is honey-forward and the filling has less nuts than a classic baklava to allow the apples to shine. Breadcrumbs between the bottom layers of phyllo help absorb any excess moisture from the apples and keep the phyllo crisp, even after being soaked in syrup.

Apples and honey are the stars of this cake. The apples provide a nice tart sweetness while the honey adds a deep, rich flavor that pairs nicely with the spice blend in this cake.

Once you try Trisha’s cookies, you’ll never ask for chocolate chip again. Browned butter adds a deep, nutty flavor to her tasty treats, which are served with a creamy yogurt and honey dip.

Ina’s sweet, tender pound cake is great for both snacking and gifting! You can prepare her foolproof recipe a day in advance, then wrap it in foil and present it to your loved ones as a sweet edible gift.

Upgrade the classic apples and honey with Molly’s stunning apple butter rolls. Honey plays double duty in this recipe: it lends a rich sweetness to the rolls and to the dreamy marzipan frosting.

"My Bourbon Honey Cake came from a strong taste memory: It’s inspired by a classic Jewish holiday dessert that my mother served. I started with the flavors of honey, orange and autumn spices, then I added hot coffee for depth and rich bourbon to give it a grown-up edge. And because texture is so important, I added crunchy sliced almonds to the top. When it all came together, it was even better than I remembered!" says Ina.

Ellie’s biscotti has a secret — it’s actually healthy! She swaps in half whole-wheat pastry flour and olive oil instead of butter, but doesn’t sacrifice any flavor.

Crushed biscotti cookies form the buttery crumb crust for Giada's smooth ricotta cheesecake. Use orange blossom honey or clover honey in the cake batter for a hint of floral flavor.

Buckwheat honey has a robust color and flavor that is both deeply floral and richly caramelly – almost like molasses. It balances the tartness of the slowly simmered apples in the filling and adds a really unique flavor that will appeal to any honey lover.

Trisha’s pretty and impressive pavlova is deceptively simple to make. Basic meringue is flavored with tangy buttermilk, sweet honey and fragrant vanilla before it’s baked. Once the meringue cools it’s dressed up with a little whipped cream and fresh fruit for an elegant dessert that’s guaranteed to impress.

If you celebrate Passover or eat gluten-free, you'll agree: Baking without all-purpose flour is no piece of cake. Our test kitchen chefs tweaked this recipe 10 times to get it right. At first the cake turned out too dry and dense (like many flourless cakes). Upping the potato starch gave the cake a softer texture, but without any leaveners the result was like a thick cookie. Then the chefs discovered the secret: They folded beaten egg whites into the batter, and the cake became light and airy.