Honey And Spices Sponge Cake Recipe

We present you a delicious recipe for a honey and spice sponge cake, a dessert with a golden and smooth appearance that can be enjoyed at any time.

Either at tea time or on a special occasion, such as Christmas, the truth is that this delicious cake is very good, since it does not need a very elaborate decoration. Obviously, simplicity is its magic.

Although the use of ingredients of animal origin in this recipe can be reduced, it is necessary to conserve the honey, since it is the main ingredient.

The great advantage of using, for example, a vegetable drink instead of milk is that the cake will be much lighter and the taste of honey will be much more noticeable.

When it comes to spices, the variety that we will use is very aromatic. It should be noted that there are those who add a little more ginger to reinforce the spicy touch in the honey and spice cake, but this will depend on our taste.

Remember that it is not necessary to be too shy when experimenting with spices and desserts, because the result can be truly exquisite.

Honey and spices sponge cake

Ingredients

• 1 orange
• 3 cups of honey (335 g).
• ½ teaspoon of salt (2.5 g).
• 1 pinch of ground nutmeg.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves (5 g).
• 5 cups of pastry flour (about 500 g).
• 4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (20 g).
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger (5 g).
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda (10 g).
• 3 cups of vegetable drink or skim milk (300 ml).
• ½ teaspoon of ground anise or anise seeds (2.5 g).
• Optional: fresh orange juice, raisins, nuts (whole or powdered).
• Vegetable oil (necessary quantity).

Preparation

1. We preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. We grate the orange and reserve.
3. We place all the dry ingredients in a bowl (except for the orange zest) and stir with a spoon several times so that they are integrated.
4. We form a hole in the center of the bowl to pour the liquid ingredients there; that is to say, milk and honey.
5. Add the orange zest and proceed to mix all the ingredients with the help of a hand mixer. The purpose is to achieve a homogeneous dough, without lumps.
6. We let the dough rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. In this way the ingredients will settle and the dough will begin to have an intense and pleasant aroma.
7. We lightly grease a refractory mold with a little vegetable oil and proceed to pour the dough there. With the help of a spoon or spatula, smooth the surface to distribute the dough well.
8. We take to the oven for 30 minutes, approximately. Once the surface is well browned, we prick with a toothpick to check if the dough is ready or if it still lacks time.
9. In case it is not ready yet, we take it to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the toothpick comes out completely clean.
10. Once the cake is ready, we let it cool to room temperature with a dry and clean cloth on top.
11. When it is warm, we proceed to unmold it carefully and let it cool for another 10 minutes.
12. Before serving, we can sprinkle a little natural orange juice on top of our honey and spice cake, or we can add some orange slices.

A very special German recipe

The honey and spices sponge cake has a very special variant at Christmas time. And although it is a German recipe, it is also enjoyed in other countries such as France and Belgium. It is prepared with Glühwein , which in Spanish translates as “hot wine” and contains a series of spices and a sweet touch.

Ingredients for the Glühwein

• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cloves.
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 lemon (only the skin).
• 1 orange (only the skin).
• 7 and a half tablespoons of sugar (75 g).
• ½ teaspoon of ginger (2.5 g).
• 3 glasses of red wine (750 ml).

Preparation

1. In a saucepan over low heat, we put the wine to heat over low heat. Do not let the wine reach the boiling point.
2. We add the spices and stir everything with a spoon.
3. Add the sugar and stir, little by little, until it dissolves completely.
4. We strain and reserve in a container.
5. We prepare the honey and spices sponge cake in the same way as in the previous recipe, only that we are going to incorporate the Glühwein after step number four.

To enjoy!

The honey and spices sponge cake is a dessert that attracts a lot of attention for its exquisite flavor, despite its simple appearance.

In general, it is not decorated, although we can do it with a layer of dark chocolate (preferably greater than 70%) or a little icing sugar, nuts or seeds. Go ahead and try it! You’ll love it!