A simple sponge cake is the perfect starting point for those wanting to expand their home-baking capabilities.
Adding zesty fruits like lemon, lime or orange to the mix is one way to pack an extra punch of flavour but British cooking icon James Martin has a sweeter alternative.
His delicious honey cake recipe is incredibly versatile and “super easy” to make thanks to the five-ingredient formula.
Plus, it’s easy to tailor to very different palates with the honey being responsible for most of the flavour. Sharing his recipe with BBC Good Food, James said: “The honey you use will have quite an impact on the flavour of the cake – from a light orange blossom to a rich chestnut honey.”
The cake should be ready to eat within 1.5 hours of making it, averaging 30 minutes to prepare the batter and 30 minutes to one hour for baking.
Honey cake recipe
Ingredients
170g/6oz clear honey
140g/5oz butter
85g/3oz light muscovado sugar
Two eggs, beaten
200g/7oz self raising flour, sieved
Water
Icing
55g/2oz icing sugar
One tbsp clear honey
Hot water
Method
There’s no shortage of flavour in this delectable cake but the recipe is surprisingly easy.
First, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 3, then prepare a round 7inch/18cm cake tin by buttering the bottom and lining it with parchment paper.
Now for the cake mixture, measure the honey and butter into a large saucepan – not a bowl. Add in the measured sugar and one tablespoon of water.
Gently stir the mixture over low heat until the butter has melted and everything is well combined into a silky, golden liquid.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs followed by the flour. Sieving is important for the flour to avoid a lumpy sponge cake.
Stir everything together to combine into a coherent cake batter then transfer the mixture into the prepared tin using a large spoon.
Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the cake is springy to the touch and shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven and leave the cake to cool in the tin slightly before turning it out onto a wire rack.
While the cake is still warm, make the icing by combining the sugar and honey with two the three teaspoons of hot water in a bowl.
Drizzle over the cake in the design of your choosing. Serve the cake in slices with a cup of tea or strong black coffee.
