Serves: 8 Time: 40 minutes - 1 hour
I dare say without hesitance that this cake is what I would imagine to be a slice of Heaven. It is a tantalizing treat served best when accompanied by a piping hot cup of tea for your special guest/s. Whether hosting a spring picnic party, housewarming, birthday spoil, engagement, graduation, baby shower, braai, or simply because life is sweet and worth celebrating, you can be sure of this recipe to lighten & brighten the hearts of every visitor. And what's more, I went through all the possible flops before getting it right so you don't have to! With trials, errors and victory in my pocket I present to you this brisk and easy-peasy Honey Cake tutorial.
The first time I baked this honey cake was for a dear friend in celebration of her engagement - a Honeymoon cake, if you will. Aster flowers, meaning "Star", were the chosen flora, for they are a symbol of love, wisdom, faith and valor - all of which uphold our relationships with one another. Also they are just gorgeous little gems, reason enough. One can of course, choose any flower to bedazzle the cake, so long as the species is first checked for toxicity lol :)
Ingredients
*decorative, optional
5 large eggs
165g brown sugar
85g raw acacia honey
100g sliced almonds
65g bran rich self-raising flour
*posy of aster flowers, not to eat though
*handful of chopped almonds, roasted in pan
*500ml cream, whipped with 1tsp vanilla essence
*1 can caramel, heat up in saucepan with generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Directions
Beat the sugar & honey with the eggs until very thick.
Gradually stir in the flour &almonds.
Pour into two greased or lined cake tins.
Bake for 20 minutes at 180 C until honey brown and tester senses spongey-moist consistency and comes out clean.
Allow cakes to cool completely in the tins before gently removing.
Smear the top layer of the first cake with the caramel sauce and a thin layer of cream.
Place the second cake on top of the first, before creaming the entire cake and drizzling over the caramel sauce.
Decorate as you like with the almonds and asters.
Serve with a pot of tea & a smile.
Savour every mouthful, dissecting each flavour and texture one by one, from honey-cinnamon notes to velvet cream-caramel and nutty crunch. Think of the meaning of the aster flowers, and their significance in regard to your guest.
With sweet joy & lemon zest,
Hannah Mia xo
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