I've been meaning to post this recipe sooner, but I've been experiencing a little bit of writer's block lately. It's a struggle! The words don't flow easily in recent days. You would not believe how long I have sat on this post. Hence I'm going to keep this post super simple and just go straight to talking about this delicious cardamom honey cake with chocolate honey ganache.
Would you believe that this is my first time tasting/smelling/eating cardamom? The baking world has been raving about this spice and only now I finally get to try it. Let me just say that I love it! It's strong and earthy and warm, and pairs wonderfully with this cake.
Look at how moist the cake is! It's so good.
Another thing that really elevates the flavour of the cake is that I added a bit of Earl Grey tea in it! It's not strong enough for you to really taste the Earl Grey; rather, it serves as a complement to the cardamom and honey.
If you can, use a good quality honey, since honey is the main flavour of this cake. You could use any honey that you like, such as acacia, clover, etc. In this recipe, I used orange blossom honey, a mild, floral honey with a slight citrus note, which to me marries well with cardamom and Earl Grey.
Finally, make a simple chocolate honey ganache and douse the cake with it! The ganache itself is so delicious, you could just eat it on its own by the spoonful (but really, you should pour it on the cake first).
Ganache pour!
Most of all, this recipe is really simple to make. In fact, you don't even need to whip out your mixer! The cake batter and ganache can be made entirely by hand. It really is that simple to create a stunning, delicious, flavourful cake.
Even if you are not a honey cake person, I'm sure this cake will change your mind. Make it for your family, your friends, yourself! Happy baking!
Cardamom Honey Cake with Chocolate Honey Ganache
Makes one 10-inch Bundt cake
Ingredients
For the honey cake:
384 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
150 g (3/4 cup) dark muscovado sugar or brown sugar
340 g (1 cup) honey (I used orange blossom honey)
215 g (1 cup) vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
250 g (1 cup) brewed Earl Grey tea, warm (1 cup water + 2 Earl Grey tea bags)
2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
85 g (1/4 cup) honey, warmed, for brushing on top of the cake after baking
For the chocolate honey ganache (adapted from here):
170 g dark chocolate, chopped (at least 60% dark chocolate)
113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
78 g (1/3 cup) heavy cream
85 g (1/4 cup) honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
Method
Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 170°C. Butter and flour a large Bundt cake tin. (I used a 12-cup capacity pan.) Set it aside until needed.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cardamom.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar and honey together until well-combined and smooth.
Drizzle in the oil slowly, pausing the scrape down the bowl every now and then. The mixture may look grainy but that is normal.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time ensuring it is fully incorporated.
Fold in the dry mixture in two additions, ensuring that its incorporated before adding the next part. Scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is well-incorporated.
Pour in the warm Earl Grey tea 1/4 cup at a time, making sure its incorporated before adding the next part. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in pan for 5 to 10 mins before unmolding and cooling on a rack fully.
Make the ganache and assemble:
Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl or double boiler sitting over top of a saucepan of just simmering water, being careful to not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.
Melt the chocolate and butter, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. When everything is smooth, remove from the heat.
While your chocolate is melting, warm your cream slightly in the microwave (you want it to be a bit warm but not boiling). Add it to the chocolate mixture, stirring to incorporate. Stir in the honey, vanilla, and salt, and allow the ganache to cool for about 30 minutes before pouring over the cake.
Once the ganache has cooled, pour over the cake. Cut generous slices of cake and enjoy!
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