orange blossom honey cake
April 17, 2014 § 78 Comments
A few weeks ago I posted a honey cake adorned with rosemary blossoms. Here is another honey cake for you to try, this time using orange blossom honey and adorning the cake with glazed cara cara oranges.
My son, he’s 16, is the only member of this family with a sweet tooth. This cake was for him and by judging his reaction you get an idea of the deliciousness. “Mmmm, this is the best cake I have ever tasted.” He took another bite and with a mouth full said, “This is my new favorite cake!” After a few more bites he stood up, went to the refrigerator, poured himself a glass of milk and said, “Dad, even if you are full you must try a slice of this cake!” Success.
Recipe by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, June 2011 issue.
Syrupy Oranges:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup orange blossom honey
- 3 tablespoons green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 small orange, thinly sliced
Cake:
- 1/2 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup semolina flour
- 1- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1- 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chopped unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted
Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Pierce hot cake all over with a metal skewer. Slowly drizzle 3/4 cup warm syrup all over. When syrup is absorbed, slowly pour 3/4 cup more syrup over. Reserve remaining syrup for serving. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around edge of pan to release cake. Remove pan sides. Arrange candied orange slices over. Sprinkle pistachios over. Cut into wedges and serve drizzled with more syrup.
It looks lovely !
Thank you… :)
One day I am going to be as good as a cook as you are! Well maybe half as good. Let’s be honest!
Hi! Now wait a minute…you are your worst critic! Let’s get the guys together and have dinner ok?
Scrumptious! I wish I could bake cakes without going into so much hyperventilation and grievance every single time….
but, I can always stop here and marvel at your productions instead! ;-)
Oh Sally, if you only knew! I share your anxiety. This was one of those moments were the stars aligned and I don’t think it had anything to do with me. It was the recipe. Bon Appétit was spot on. Most likely the first time I ever felt that bliss you hear about that comes from baking. :)
Lol…I love it!! I love our sons. They’re so good for us, aren’t they?
Such a beautiful cake. It makes me think of sunshine..a warm summer day.. even your photos are like aroma therapy..because I can smell the lovely citrus scent…and that is so calming…
What a wonderful post.. lovely recipe..
My favorite aroma therapy…oranges and cardamom. This has both! I mentioned in my last post about how gardening creates such a sense of calm. While making this I discovered baking to have that same effect. Usually when I bake I go from being anxious to angry. Because it never turns out right. :) No kidding! This was a foolproof recipe. Perhaps the aroma therapy helped in creating that calm too! xx
Stunning x
I have just tweeted your recipe on Twitter :-)
Hey! Thank you so much Dimple. So kind of you to spread the word. :)
What a lovely cake, your son sounds so fortunate to have a mom that likes to bake for him. Looks amazing!
Thank you Cheri. I finally realized if I don’t bake for him he is going to eat store bought cookies and candy. It’s working too! He is starting to develop a mature palate and desire homemade sweets over ding dongs and twinkles! :)
This is gorgeous – it looks like a perfect treat for spring! :)
Oh my cottage!
What a beautiful color. Not or mention some exotic combinations of ingredients in this recipe!
A keeper for sure! And ahem…please save a slice for whenever we meet ;).
Oh Sonal…I would bake you a whole cake if we were able to meet! :)
This is so beautiful. Citrus, cardamom and pistachios all with honey. Wow. I think I will try this one too. Just lovely.
Amanda, I think I was reading your post at the same time. I am very touched by your post today. You really captured the essence of cooking through your beautifully written prose. What a meal too!
I feel so lucky that you posted this right now because, not only does it seem to be a delicious recipe, but the syrupy oranges are JUST what I have been looking for in sooo many of my trial recipes where I need some citrus but not raw. Thank you! I think I am going to try it for a posset I am working on. I love the pistachio choice because of the color. Beautiful!
Oooo. Sounds lovely. I had a thought of how good these oranges might be with hot chocolate…
Such a lovely cake! Gorgeous in look and design, and I bet it will go great with a cup of tea. Your son’s reaction is so cute!
This really was a beautiful cake Ngan. It certainly didn’t take any decorating skills, thank goodness because I don’t have any at all! I have made cakes in the past that I would never in a million years post because they weren’t pretty! :)
Just beautiful! I’ve also made an upside-down orange polenta cake before, but a chocolate one, so I have to say, yours looks much much better! I love the sprinkling of pistachios and I bet the cardamom flavor in this tastes divine!
Just took a look and so surprised with the similarity. Different baking processes yet parallel in beauty. Chocolate, polenta and ground almonds all together in a cake sounds superb! Nice chatting with you today Allison!
Yes, the cakes are so similar, yet so different, like you said. Thanks for stopping by to take a look! Nice chatting with you, too. :)
It looks just like heaven! I am so going to make this glorious cake! A winner’s recipe for sure! x
You’ll love it Sophie. It is glorious! You will impress yourself…
Yummie, with cardamom…!
The cardamom was delightful. Certainly smells lovely to bake with. :)
Amazing looking! Bet it tastes amazing too!
Thank you Dave. I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you. :) You are, in my opinion, a master baker!
:) You as well!
seems glazed citrus is the next “it” ingredient–nicely played :-) I’m in! And your son is as well, which has to feel good on you end. Did you like?
I posted this recipe this morning Liz then spent a little time looking at some updated post from our fellow blogger friends and couldn’t believe all the recipes with oranges in it! It’s an orange kind of day isn’t it? Yes, I absolutely loved the cake. Sweet tooth or not it was wonderful. I especially enjoyed eating the glaze oranges all by themselves. Delicious!
The cardamom, honey and orange sound so lovely together, especially with the crunchy pistachios. All foods and flavors we love! Your son is a lucky boy, indeed. Beautiful and scrumptious, Seana.
Thank you! Isn’t it a lovely combination? I love the moistness..literally speaking! After piercing the cake a few dozen times you drizzle the syrup from the orange glaze over the cake and it seeps into the holes. A new baking technique to me…novice I am! I’m enjoying my new found fun….baking! :)
Awww, how sweet of your son! And he is right, we all need to have a slice of this cake!
We certainly do! :) A cake like no other…
I love honey cakes and this looks delicious.
Thank you Jovina. Honey cakes are lovely. I certainly like them over a rich frosted cake.
Another delicious cake Seana, and with orange, yum!
Isn’t it a lovely shade of orange? Well, orange is my favorite color…all the better tasting too.
What a pretty cake!
:) Thank you!
Fabulous looking cake…very envious….
…no need to be envious. You have countless wonderful things going on in your kitchen!
This looks so beautiful too. Love your son’s reaction!! Did Dad try it??
Thank you Selma…yes! He certainly did try it and honestly he ended up eating most of it! :) He called it a soulful cake….
This cake looks amazing and I’m a big fan of anything orange flavored! I can’t wait to make it :)
Hope you make it. I want everyone to try it! It’s one of those cakes that make you say WOW! when you take a bite.
Really beautiful! This cake is fresh and delicious, perfect for this season! Have a great Easter!!! :-)
Happy Easter to you Serena! And thank you for your nice comment about the orange cake.
Wow! this is such a beautiful looking cake & the flavors should be fantastic together!!
This is a wonderful cake. Not like any cake I have baked before or have even tasted! We really enjoyed the hint of cardamom. And the glazed oranges were so delicious…even the peel. Thank you for stopping by. :)
Absolutely love this! I would have been happy with just a honey cake – but to add oranges really takes it over the top! This sounds fantastic :)
Thank you Lisa. After I drizzled the honey glaze over the cake and before I put the oranges on top I had the thought I could just stop right there and it would be fantastic! The glazed oranges we delightful as well as the pistachios. Bon Appétit really succeeded with this cake! Have a great weekend…
This sounds scrumptious!!
Thank you! :)
Wow – so your son thinks this one is even better than the last one? I LOVED the last one. You’ve done a beautiful job here – such a beautiful cake and such a tempting introduction to it. Even the name is just so evocative, isn’t it? Absolutely lovely!
So interesting you mentioned the name! The Bon Appétit test kitchen certainly succeeded with this recipe, however, they named it Olive-Oil Cake with Candied Orange. For some reason it didn’t set well with me. Strangest thing too because I woke up in the middle of the night, the same night I made the cake, thinking the cake will be called orange blossom honey cake! Ha! Why oh why do I fill my subconscious with such matter?
Not only is this great tasting but the smell has got to be incredible! Dreaming of it now!
Aromatherapy indeed. Cardamom and oranges…I want to bottle it as a fragrance. And thank you Pamela for stopping by today! :)
Wow this sounds incredible! It’s also very beautiful.
Hello Suzanne! Thank you, and have a fine weekend. Hope Brooklyn is nice and sunny. Non-stop rain in our forecast…
What a beautiful, happy cake! I’ve been looking for a good honey cake recipe… I’m so excited to have found this one! Thanks Seana! :)
It’s a keeper recipe for sure! A wonderful honey cake, you’ll love it for both it simplicity to bake and the orange syrupy goodness. :)
that’s one gorgeous buoy!! Pinned it :)
Aww. Thank you for pinning! And for stopping by this morning…
This looks like such a lovely cake! I love orange in anything so this pretty much sounds perfect :)
Me too! I love orange in anything as well. These syrupy oranges were such a delight on this cake. And the cake bread itself was nicely drenched with the orange syrup. Pretty much flawless in my opinion. :)
This looks divine – what a lucky son you have! My husband will definitely be a fan of this one too.
Thank you. I’m still thinking about your pistachio cake you posted yesterday. I’d say – what a lucky husband you have! :) I noticed your dutch baby post too. Aren’t they just about the “funnest” thing to bake? I posted one several months ago too and just love how they puff up. It’s quite a show…
Such a gorgeous looking cake!
Citrus-glazed cake is such a favorite of mine. You’ve taken it to a whole new level, though, with a cake topped with “syrupy oranges.” I really wish I could bake. You live too far away for me to pop over for a piece. :)
This cake looks like exactly the kind of cake that my husband would adore, it looks so pretty too! :-D
I totally agree with your son (and all the others, of course): this cake looks and sounds so enticing, I am hungry. N.
I have a couple of oranges left over for a meal I recently prepared and this cake is going on my “must try” list.
This loos mouth watering– the oranges on top, beautiful!