Honey Almond Coffee Cake
This cake is sweetened only with honey so the total grams of sugar has been reduced from 45 grams to 23 grams. The cake has a perfect balance of cinnamon, vanilla and almond. The topping is made with honey and almond slices that bakes into a crunchy finish. The end result is a cake that is super moist and tender, and just sweet enough to go perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. It's fancy enough to impress guests, too!
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 7 1/2 ounces
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup honey divided
- 2 eggs large
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter divided, melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2/3 cup almonds sliced
Instructions
- For the cake
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F. Great a 9-inch cake pan (I use Baker's Joy non-stick spray. Recommended: place a round parchment paper on the bottom to prevent any kind of sticking.
- Whisk the four, cinnamon, baking powder, baking sod and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream, 1/4 cup honey, eggs, 3 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla, almond extract and lemon zest until smooth.
- Whisk or stir in the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients until the mixture is just combined. The mixture will be very thick. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Set aside.
For the topping:
- Bring the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 cup honey and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine.
- Once simmering, stir in almonds to coat. Spread almond mixture evenly over the top of batter.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out out with a few moist crumbs attached-- 22-27 minutes (mine took 22 minutes), rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Place either a cooling rack or plat on top and gently flip over. If using parchment paper, remove it and toss away.
- Place a serving plate (or cake plate) on top and gently flip again, right side up.
- Serve and enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea or milk.
Notes
Optional: Consider adding diced fresh pear to this cake as a different variation-- my idea.
Recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen "Naturally Sweet" Cookbook.