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Spiced Honey Cake with Walnuts, fall desserts recipes easy
Brittany Stage

Spiced Honey Cake with Walnuts

A warmly spiced, one-bowl honey cake made with toasted walnuts, strong coffee, and a blend of honey and brown sugar. It bakes up dense and fragrant with a tender crumb that keeps well for days.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Jewish American
Calories: 340

Ingredients
  

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 cup honey dark or amber honey preferred
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar light or dark
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup strong brewed coffee cooled to room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups walnut halves or pieces toasted and roughly chopped

Equipment

  • large mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • 9x13 baking pan or bundt pan
  • dry measuring cups
  • liquid measuring cup

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease your 9x13 baking pan or bundt pan well with nonstick spray or oil, then lightly dust with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.
  2. Spread the walnuts on a dry skillet over medium heat and toast for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they smell nutty and fragrant. Tip them onto a cutting board, let them cool for a few minutes, then roughly chop them. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice until evenly combined.
  4. Add the honey, brown sugar, eggs, oil, cooled coffee, and vanilla extract directly to the flour mixture. Whisk everything together until you have a smooth batter. It will look thin, and that is completely normal for a honey cake batter.
  5. Fold in the toasted walnuts with a spatula, stirring just until they are distributed evenly through the batter.
  6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. If using a 9x13 pan, bake for 40 to 45 minutes. If using a bundt pan, bake for 50 to 55 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
  7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. If using a bundt pan, run a thin knife around the edges before inverting onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely before slicing, at least 1 hour. The texture firms up and improves as it cools.

Notes

This cake is even better the next day. Wrap it tightly once cooled and let it sit overnight at room temperature before serving.