Honey Loaf Cake

We’re delighted this month to be able to welcome Rebecca Health from Hestia Patisserie in Norwich, as a contributor to the magazine. We feel very lucky to have her on board and our sure you’ll all just love this delicious Honey Loaf Cake.

Spring has sprung and with the new blooms making their way skyward comes the busy buzzing of Honeybees! This simple tea cake is inspired by my love of honey, the nectar of the Gods, a product which you can always buy locally supporting the small businesses around you. Each type of honey has its own distinct characteristic, whether it be floral, fruit or nutty, so there can be lots of slight variations to the flavour of this loaf.

Ingredients

155g butter, at room temperature

155g caster sugar

1 egg

4 egg yolks

120g double cream

½ tsp vanilla extract

170g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

85 g honey, warmed and mixed with 2 tbsp water to make a syrup

Method

 Preheat your oven to 180C fan and thoroughly grease one 1LB loaf tin with oil or butter. Cut a piece of almost as wide as the loaf tin is long with overhanging wings to help lift the cake out after it is baked.

 Cream together the butter and sugar.

 Gradually add the eggs, one at a time and mix until emulsified and glossy.

 Add the double cream and vanilla and mix until combined (using a whisk and gently folding may help mix this quicker!)

 Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and stir together before adding to the loaf batter and mix until just combined.

 Pour into your prepared loaf tin, the batter will be quite thick so gently spread it into the corners of your tin with the back of a spoon. Bake in the centre of your oven for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and a test skewer comes out clean.

 As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven, spike the top of the cake to make a few holes and liberally brush over the honey syrup. Allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before removing and placing on to wire racks.

 You can either leave the loaf plain or decorate it however you wish! I chose to make a simple lemon juice and icing sugar icing and edible flowers to help celebrate the springtime.

Recipe by Rebecca Heath

Rebecca Health trained as a professional chef at culinary college before working at high-end restaurants and hotels across London. As her career progressed she moved on to work in Michelin starred restaurants in Nottingham, Copenhagen before settling in Norwich where she now runs Hestia Patisserie.