Polish Honey Cake
Polish honey cake is another dessert of my childhood and it's a classic Polish cake. The cake is light and has a mellow honey flavor without being too sweet. It's easy to make, delicious to eat, and I highly recommend it.
Polish honey cake is another dessert of my childhood and it's a classic Polish cake. The cake is light and has a mellow honey flavor without being too sweet. It's easy to make, delicious to eat, and I highly recommend it.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- topping
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup buckwheat honey (or a flavorful dark wildflower honey)
- 1/2 cup almonds slivered or sliced
- cake
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus extra for preparing pan
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus extra for preparing pan
- 5 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1/4 cup buckwheat honey (or a flavorful dark wildflower honey)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
- Carbohydrate 17.0013981523687 g
- Cholesterol 130.547500020647 mg
- Fat 21.6970688067619 g
- Fiber 0.725995426000374 g
- Protein 4.14835109007972 g
- Saturated Fat 11.7725061613556 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (134g)
- Sodium 1964.93433427104 mg
- Sugar 16.2754027263683 g
- Trans Fat 1.69016438643503 g
- Calories 265 calories
Step-by-step
- Place oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter bottom and side of an 9-inch springform or cake pan, line bottom with a round of parchment paper, butter parchment paper. Dust pan with flour, knocking out excess; set aside.
- For the Topping: Melt 7 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup honey and salt, stir until blended, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and almonds; set aside to cool.
- For the Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer or by hand, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually drizzle in the honey, continuing to beat, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add small amounts of the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing until just blended after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Turn the batter into the prepared pan, distributing evenly, and smooth the top. Pour and spread the topping mixture evenly over the cake. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cake should spring back when gently touched in the center. When the cake is done, let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto the wire rack to finish cooling completely. Cut into wedges. Excellent as is, or dust with powdered sugar, or serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
- Makes one 9-inch cake, or about 8 to 10 servings.
Buckwheat honey carries the structural weight of this pastry, bringing a dark, robust maltiness that lighter wildflower varieties cannot replicate. Selecting a pungent, mineral-heavy nectar ensures the baked crumb retains distinct character rather than tasting merely sweet. When combining the butter and honey for the topping, simmering the mixture for precisely two minutes drives off excess moisture so the almond layer sets firmly during baking rather than dissolving into the batter.
Room temperature dairy is non-negotiable when building the emulsion. Adding cold milk to a butter and sugar base causes the fat to seize, yielding a dense, uneven crumb instead of the tender texture desired. Incorporate the flour mixture alternately with the milk in small increments to prevent gluten overdevelopment, which makes the cake tough.
Baking this pastry on a cookie sheet provides a safeguard against oven spills while promoting even heat circulation around the nine-inch springform pan. The middle oven rack position set at 375 degrees Fahrenheit allows the top almond crust to caramelize without burning before the center finishes cooking. Testing the center with a skewer at thirty-five minutes confirms doneness when it emerges clean.
Cooling the cake in the pan for ten to fifteen minutes allows the crumb to stabilize before inversion onto a wire rack. Slicing the wedges cleanly requires a serrated knife to cut through the toasted nut topping without fracturing the tender interior.
