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Mary Berry Honey Cake Recipe

Mary Berry Honey Cake Recipe

Mary Berry's honey cake is a fragrant, golden, deeply moist loaf cake made with runny honey — warming, elegant and completely wonderful.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12 Slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 340
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Honey Cake:
  • 300 g good quality runny honey
  • 150 g unsalted butter cubed
  • 150 g soft light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs beaten, room temperature
  • 300 g plain flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 150 ml hot strong black tea — cooled
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed orange
  • Honey Glaze:
  • 3 tbsp good quality runny honey warmed
  • Optional:
  • Flaked almonds scattered over the top before baking

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with parchment overhang.
  2. Melt honey, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat — stir until dissolved. Cool 10 minutes.
  3. Whisk beaten eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange zest into cooled honey mixture. Add cooled black tea — stir.
  4. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and all spices directly into wet ingredients. Whisk gently until smooth. Batter will be quite liquid — do not add more flour.
  5. Pour into tin. Scatter flaked almonds if using. Bake 55–65 minutes until skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely after 40 minutes if darkening too quickly.
  6. Immediately brush warm honey generously over the entire top surface. Cool completely in tin. Lift out using parchment.

Notes

The type of honey matters — wildflower or orange blossom gives a vivid, specific floral character.
Black tea gives depth that plain water cannot replicate — a traditional ingredient in honey cake.
The liquid batter is correct — do not add more flour. The honey gives a moist, dense crumb.
Bake at a lower temperature — honey and brown sugar accelerate browning. Check by skewer not colour.
Apply honey glaze while warm — absorbed slightly and gives fragrance, moisture, and gloss.
Improves over 3–4 days. Keeps up to 1 week. Freezes for 3 months.
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