honey cake

Susan Reid’s selected honey cake is a tender single-layer cake with sliced almonds and a distinct honey flavour. Whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour share the batter, while almonds provide a contrasting texture at the surface and within the cake.

A greased round pan receives three-quarters of the sliced almonds, with the remaining quarter reserved for the batter. The two flours are whisked with baking soda and table salt in a separate bowl.

Unsalted butter, honey and four eggs are mixed together before the dry ingredients enter. The selected sour cream and reserved almonds follow, and the bowl is scraped so the mixture is evenly moistened.

The batter is poured over the almonds in the pan and baked until its edge pulls away from the tin. After a short cooling period, the cake is inverted onto a serving plate so its almond-covered underside becomes the top.

The cake cools further before serving, with powdered sugar offered as an optional decoration. Reid suggests slices of fruit and a little ice cream alongside when presenting it as dessert.