EGGLESS HONEY CAKE

Dripping with the goodness of orange, honey, condensed milk and jam, this honey cake is juicy, richly flavored and gob smacking delicious

If you’ve ever taken a trip to any of the Iyengar bakeries sprinkled like confetti all over South India and especially in the cities of Karnataka, you would’ve noticed these dripping delicious honey cakes sitting pretty and inviting in the display case. They’re juicy, richly flavored from the condensed milk, jam and honey and all the wonderful things that you’d expect from a honey cake. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

This recipe tastes like Honey Cake from a proper Iyengar bakery and I’m amazed every time I make it, that I did it! It’s hard to believe that such a beautiful cake can be crafted from just 3 simple steps. Bake the cake (all you need is a whisk and 2 bowls). Make a honey syrup and pour over the cake. Glaze the cake with jam and sprinkle with dry coconut powder. That’s it!

Niv (my SIL) gave me this recipe and also told me that it’s foolproof and asked me to banish any doubts about pitfalls along the way. I’ve made it a few times since then and it’s has always delivered. Even a novice baker can nail this very easily. No fancy gadgets or techniques needed. It’s a must try!

INGREDIENTS

Dry Ingredients

1. All Purpose Flour – 2 1/2 cups
2. Baking Soda – 1 tsp
3. Baking Powder – 2 tsps

Wet Ingredients

1. Sunflower or Olive Oil – 1 cup
2. Condensed Milk – 400 ml (14 oz)
3. Sugar – 1/4 cup
4. Freshly squeezed orange juice – 1 cup (about 3 large oranges)
5. Orange zest – 1 tsp
6. Lemon Juice – 2 tsps
7. Vanilla Extract – 2 tsps

For the Honey Syrup

1. Sugar – 3 tbsp
2. Water – 3/4 cup
3. Honey – 1/4 cup

For the Jam glaze

1. Mixed Fruit Jam – 1 cup
2. Dry Coconut powder – 2 tbsp

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Prepare a 9 * 13 ” baking dish by first smearing some butter or oil all over the over and then dusting it off with flour. Line it with a baking sheet or parchment paper.
2. In a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together and keep aside.
3. Wash the orange and grate using a zester or grater to generate 1 tsp of Zest. Keep aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil into condensed milk until they come together and resemble a creamy mixture. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients mixture and mix well.
6. Pour evenly into the prepared dish and bake for 35mins or until such time as a skewer inserted comes out clean
7. Let cook the cake for 15 mins. The next step is optional but I always do this to ensure that cake comes out of the tin without sticking to it.
8. While the cake is resting, prepare the honey syrup. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves in the water. Turn off the gas. Add the honey and mix well. Cool for 10 mins or until it’s lukewarm
9. Run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a large plate or baking tray on top and flip the plan to demold the cake. Remove the baking sheet. You could leave the cake in the plate or invert the plate on to the baking dish.
10. Pour the honey syrup all over the cake.
11. In the same saucepan, heat the jam and whisk it until it becomes smooth and pourable. About a minute or 2 max.
12. Spread the jam over the cake. Sprinkle coconut powder. Slice and serve.

NOTES

1. This can also be made in two 8 * 8″ square tins.