Honey cake (Bangalore bakery style Honey cake )

Honey cake is considered a legend in its own right in several old Bangalore bakeries . You know , the kind that people have fond memories of and which transports you back to childhood (that is, if you are a Bangalorean kid of the 80s and 90s ). Well , I didn’t grow up in Bangalore , but I have been here since 10 years now and heard plenty about these cakes . They are right up there in popularity along with Iyengar bakery puffs and khara buns and dilpasands. I have received multiple requests for this cake and then tried and tested some recipes over time.

If you google Honey cake , you will get a myriad of results including a sophisticated Russian creation with layers of cake and frosting , any number of cakes with honey in the batter and of course this nostalgic Indian bakery cake .

The Bangalore honey cake is essentially
a) a vanilla cake sponge
b) soaked in a honey syrup
c) topped with melted jam
d) finished with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut .

Pretty simple right ! I used a fluffy and light sponge recipe that I also used in my Danish cake but you can also go with an egg free sponge if you wish. I would recommend my egg free vanilla cake recipe. Since this a soaked cake , I would suggest making this at least a few hours ahead. To ensure the honey syrup goes well into all the bits of cake , do poke holes into the cake with a skewer or toothpick. You can also cut off the top crust of the cake before poking and pouring . And do keep in mind that if you use a different base sponge recipe , depending on the height of the cake , you may need more or less of the syrup !

Its syrupy , its sweet , its rich , Its delicious !

Honey cake ( Bangalore bakery style honey cake)

The famous Bangalore bakery style Honey cake is made with a sponge cake , soaked in a honey syrup , topped with jam and coconut !

For the cake

• 190 grams or 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 180 ml or 3/4 cup whole milk
• 112 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 150 grams or 3/4 cup granulated or castor sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the honey syrup

• 240 ml or 1 cup water
• 50 grams or 1/4 cup granulated or castor sugar
• 6-8 tablespoons honey

For the topping

• 4 tablespoons jam
• 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut or dried coconut flakes

To make the cake :

• Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F

• Butter and flour a 8 inch square cake pan . You can line the bottom with parchment (optional)

• In a bowl , whisk together flour , baking powder and salt. Keep aside.

• In a saucepan , heat together butter and milk until butter melts . Keep this warm until needed

• In a large bowl , beat together the eggs , sugar and vanilla

• Beat well until mixture is tripled in volume and is light and fluffy.

• Beat or fold in the flour mixture at low speed until all the flour is mixed in. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to ensure even mixing.

• Beat in the hot milk-butter mixture until smooth. This will take only a few seconds

• Pour batter immediately into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until top is set , springs back when pressed and maybe even lightly browned

• Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes.

• Gently remove from pan , remove parchment (if using) and cool right side up on a wire rack until cool

To make the honey syrup :

• In a thick bottomed sauce pan , measure out the water and sugar

• Bring to a boil and then simmer for few minutes

• Take off heat and stir in the honey.

• Taste and add more honey as needed.

• Bring to room temperature before using.

To finish :

• Once the cake is cool, place it right side up in serving plate or cake pan

• Using a skewer , poke holes in the cake all over , going till the bottom.

• Pour the syrup all over the cake

• Warm the jam a little in the microwave or over stovetop to make it easier to spread ( optional )

• Spread jam all over the top of the cake in and smoothen

• Sprinkle the desiccated coconut over the top

• Serve immediately or ideally after resting for couple of hours at least.

This can be refrigerated for upto 3 days.
You can use an eggless or any other vanilla cake base instead. Adjust the syrup amount accordingly .
I used a mix fruit jam. 
If you don’t have dessicated coconut on hand, just dry roast fresh coconut on a pan for few minutes , stirring often.
My measuring cup is 240 ml

If this doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth ….