I first blogged about this honey chocolate cake back in 2011 and I thought this would be a great chance to update this recipe with both clearer instructions and better photos as it fits the Little Thumbs Up theme this month – honey!
I always have a jar of honey at home – besides mixing spoonfuls of it with lemon slices into my cup of water occasionally for a soothing treat, I use it often in both sweet and savoury foods. Most of the time, only a little bit of honey was needed as the honey taste, but this time round, just for this cake, the honey is the main star here!
I first knew of this honey chocolate cake while watching one of many Nigella’s cooking shows. I think I’ve blogged about this somewhere before – but when I was younger, I never miss an episode of Nigella’s (and Jamie Oliver’s) cooking shows and would always be ready with a pen and paper, eagerly jotting down the quantities and steps, then re-write them properly into a special notebook I bought for recording recipes. It was only years later that I realised that all these recipes are actually available on the internet…
This honey chocolate cake is an easy food-processor-cake – i.e. a dump everything in a food processor and blend together kind of cake. I had made it before with a hand-held blender and this time round with an immersion blender as I still have yet to own a food processor. Both methods work perfectly fine and the resulting cake turned out soft, moist and absolutely delicious with a nice honey taste in every bite – all I need is just a cup of tea and I’m ready for a tea-break! And here’s how to make it!
Step-by-step Photos | |
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| 1) Preheat oven to 180C / 355F (not fan-assisted). Grease and line the bottom of a 8-inch tube pan with parchment paper. Set aside. | 2) Melt chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler. Set aside and let it cool for 10 minutes. |
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| 3) Measure the rest of the ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey and egg) except water in a mixing bowl. Add in the cooled, melted chocolate. | 4) Blend with an immersion blender or electric mixer until everything is well-mixed together. The batter will be quite thick so you might need to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl a few times with a spatula so that everything can be blended together. |
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| 5) Add in 1/3 of the boiling water, blend until incorporated, then repeat until all the water has been incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is incorporated together. | 6) Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin. |
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| 7) Bake in the center rack for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. | 8) Whisk honey and water in a small pot and bring to a simmer. |
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| 9) Remove from heat and add in dark chocolate. | 10) Whisk until chocolate has melted then add in the icing sugar. |
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| 11) Whisk until the icing sugar has been incorporated. Let cool slightly for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened then pour it over the cake. |
This post is linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (March 2015 Event: Honey) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Joyce (joycescapade.com).
Nigella's Honey Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS
Cake
- 50 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 100 grams plain flour
- 120 grams brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 115 grams butter, at room temperature
- 85 grams honey, 1/4 cup
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 125 ml boiling water, 1/2 cup
Sauce
- 80 grams honey, 1/4 cup
- 2 tablespoon water
- 60 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 30 grams icing sugar, sifted
INSTRUCTIONS
Cake
- Bring out all the ingredients that are in the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180C / 355F (not fan-assisted). Grease and line the bottom of a 8-inch tube pan or 7-inch round cake tin with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler (see here for more information). Set aside and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- While the chocolate is cooling, boil a kettle of water.
- Mixing Bowl Method: Measure the rest of the ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey and egg) except water in a mixing bowl. Add in the cooled, melted chocolate. Blend with an immersion blender or electric mixer until everything is well-mixed together. The batter will be quite thick so you might need to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl a few times with a spatula so that everything can be blended together. Add in 1/3 of the boiling water, blend until incorporated, then repeat until all the water has been incorporated (see Naggy Notes). Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is incorporated together.
Food Processor Method: Measure the rest of the ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey and egg) except water in a food processor. Add in the cooled, melted chocolate. Pulse until the ingredients are blended together. Keep the food processor running then add in the boiling water through the funnel. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin. - Tube pan: Bake in the center rack for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin completely on a wire rack.
Round cake tin: Bake in the center rack for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Tent the top with an aluminum foil if the top looks like it's going to burn. Let the cake cool in the tin completely on a wire rack. - To unmould the cake, run a spatula along the edges of the cake tin and turn it out on a plate. Peel off the parchment paper if it's stuck to the cake then turn it right side up on a serving plate.
Sauce
- Whisk honey and water in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add in dark chocolate. Whisk until chocolate has melted then add in the icing sugar. Whisk until the icing sugar has been incorporated. Let cool slightly for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened then pour it over the cake.
Gayle says
How far in advance can I make this cake? Does it have to be served the day it’s made? Would it make sense to bake it one day, then put the sauce on the next?
Foodie Baker says
Hi Gayle, the cake should still be good for 1-2 days, as long as it’s properly stored in a covered container. For hot weather like in Singapore, l will keep it in the fridge. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving. I will make the sauce on the day that I’m serving so it remains shiny and runny.
Gayle says
Thank you!
Mel says
Hi, I wonder if you can help me… I just made half of the recipe above just so I could test it out. My batter looked like the photo and everything was weighed correctly, but when I took it out the oven it just sunk and shrank in from the tin A LOT. I baked it for approx. 40 minutes and the skewer came out clean. I can’t figure out what went wrong! It still tastes delicious but it’s not quite right somehow. Thank you!!
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
Hi Mel, when you made half the recipe, what is the size of the tin used?
If you made half the batter in a 7-inch tin, the baking time needs to be shortened as your cake is now flatter. Baking for 40 minutes is too long and over-baking can result in cakes shrinking from the tin. Try baking it for 15 minutes and do the skewer test, then adding 5 minutes to the baking time if the cake is not yet done.
Another thing I can think of is maybe over-incorporation of air into the batter while mixing. I remember this cake’s texture is pretty light, hence if too much air is incorporated, it will rise a lot, but the structure is not strong enough to support the rise, hence resulting in the collapse. Try to mix just until the batter is incorporated then add in the hot water. Mix just until the hot water is combined, then transfer to the tin and bake.
Hope this helps!
Melanie Blake says
Thank you so much for getting back to me! I think I must’ve cooked it for far too long I will try your tips!
Jasline (FoodieBaker) says
You are most welcome Melanie 🙂 happy baking!
Susan says
I love the simplicity of this cake! You can see how moist and delicious it must be by the photos, Jasline.
Monica says
I love watching Nigella’s shows and I love any kind of chocolate dessert. I’ve yet to find a dessert recipe featuring honey as a key ingredient that I truly love. This looks amazing and I like taking out the food processor to make a cake sometimes. Thanks for sharing it – great pics!
Zoe (@bake4happykids) says
Gosh! Jasline, this is such a seductive chocolate cake 😀
joycekitchenflavours says
Looks simply divine!
Louise says
That is one honey of a cake, Jasline! All I’m missing now is that cup of coffee, lol…
Some recipes just deserve to be written down and kept in a recipe book, Jasline. This sure sounds like a keeper!!!
Thank you so much for sharing…Pinning:)
Thea Ong says
I cook the cocoa powder with honey too, they taste absolutely delicious!
Raymund says
Ohh my look at that dripping chocolate, so Nigella. I think I will lick the serving platter once its all finished
Luvswesavory says
Oh so rich and moist chocolate honey cake! Love to have a slice 🙂
ChgoJohn says
That is one delicious looking cake, Jasline, and being able to mix it in a food processor is a big plus in my book. That chocolate sauce sounds so very good. I bet I could eat it alone by the spoonful.
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
I love honey! This looks beautiful. Can I have a slice please? 🙂
Joyce Rachel Lee-Bates (joycescapade) says
Looks so decadent and rich!
thehungrymum.com says
how rich & lush-looking. Yum!