I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love the type of cake, like this deliciously moist Honey Cake, where you throw all the ingredients into one large bowl, doesn’t matter what order you add them, just add-mix-pour. It’s even better when the little beauty turns out to look like this!
The story behind my Honey Cake
I first made this gluten free Honey Cake back in 2014. It was for a friends daughter so that she could come over and have a cake t eat along with the other children. Freya is diagnosed with FPIES and could not eat wheat or dairy at the time (among many other foods), so I needed to find a cake recipe that was dairy free. My daughter Bethany had already been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease at the time so baking gluten free was no biggie. I remembered a recipe a friend had scribbled down for me at an NCT jumble sale a year or so before and with a few tweaks my honey cake was born.
Can you make this Honey Cake egg free?
Since 2015 my recipe has been tweaked again so that can eat it too. After finding out that I am unable to tolerate dairy or eggs I’ve had to change up a few of my recipes so that I can still eat them but also, importantly that the family don’t notice the fact that my baking has become eggless too. I’m pleased to report that this Eggless Honey Cake is not compromised in flavour or texture if you make it egg free – in fact, just to prove a point the cake in the images is my latest bake that’s gluten free, dairy free and egg free too.
To make the Gluten Free Honey Cake egg free too, simply use 100ml sunflower oil instead of the 250ml in the recipe below and exchange the 2 eggs for 2 ‘flax eggs’
How to make a flax egg
to make 1 flax egg you need the following ingredients:
– 1tbsp ground flax seed
– 3tbsp water
– 1tsp psyllium husk (optional but does add elasticity to baking)
simply add all ingredients to a glass and stir before measuring out the other recipe ingredients, by the time you come to use your ‘egg’ mixture it will have thickened to a frog-spawn consistency (thicker if you added psyllium husk)
Then just add to your baking as you would an egg. For 2 eggs double the ingredients but note that recipes that require more than two eggs may fail due to lack of support in the structure.
Can you make a Vegan version of Honey Cake?
In a word; Yes! I’ve already pointed out you can make the cake eggless but last year I came across this brand of vegan honey in a local Budgen’s store. I have since found that the Plant Based Artisan make several types of vegan honey which are perfect for use everyday as a sweetener or to use in baking. Click on the image or below to follow links to Amazon where you can see the whole range and if you make a purchase I get a couple of pennies at no expense to you.
A simple one bowl recipe for this beautifully moist Honey Cake. Take note: it is a very sloppy mixture…trust me, it'll be fine. This recipe makes two 2lb gluten free Honey Cakes or use a roasting tin and cut into squares
- 2 large eggs or flax eggs
- 125 g caster sugar
- 250 ml oil I used sunflower (if making eggless version reduce to 100ml)
- 250 ml honey or a vegan alternative
- 250 ml water
- 400 g gluten free self raising flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ginger
If making a flax egg mix make this now and set aside until ready to add with other ingredients.
Grease and line two 2lb loaf tins/large roasting tin, or halve mixture and use one 2lb tin.
Preheat oven to 150°C/300F/Gas 2
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl, combine with a whisk
- The mixture will be very wet and sloppy, a bit like a thin custard, don’t worry, have faith and continue!
- Pour the mixture into the tins and pop in the oven for 45-55 mins (60-75 mins if baking as one large bake)
- Once cooled this cake is super moist and spongy, but, as with all ginger cakes, the taste will deepen and improve with age so this can also be a keeper!
If making two honey cakes using two 2b loaf tins you can either gift the second or freeze it and defrost for 24hrs before cutting. I recommend freezing in a tupperware container, if you wrap the cake remember to unwrap before defrosting otherwise you’ll damage the appearance of the cake ‘crust’.
Other one bowl cake recipes
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Hi, I have had a disaster with the honey cake recipe, it is just gloppy on the inside but looked good on the outside, it was in the oven for 60mins. I wondered if you had any advice. I used the flax egg option. I would like to send you a picture. Also I have done your apple & cinnamon cake but that came out ok but had a rubbery texture which I wasn’t keen on. Your beetroot brownie cake however is brilliant and I bake almost every week. I am new to gluten, egg and dairy free baking and am finding it very difficult to have success with cakes. :(
Oh Michelle, I’m so sorry you’ve had trouble with two of my recipes. For the apple and cinnamon one I wonder what flour you used? I can’t think why it would have a gritty texture. I use Doves Freee or Sainsbury’s own brand gluten free flours.
Regarding the honey cake. I just worked out that if you halve the servings from 16 slices (2 loaves) to 8 slices (one loaf) the Eggleston method doesn’t automatically change too….
In the brackets it says use 100ml oil if making eggless version but the method text doesn’t change automatically so if only making one loaf then you need to use 50ml oil.
I wonder if you used 125ml which would account for the texture you ended up with. It certainly seems to be the oil that’s the issue in the photo’s you sent.
I’m so sorry about this. Please let me know if I’ve got this right and I will highlight this better in the recipe….going to make it myself again today just to satisfy myself that this is the issue…would hate to think that this recipe is letting people down.
Have a lovely remainder to the weekend and please don’t let this put you off baking gluten free…we all have disaster days…I still do when recipe developing.
Rebecca x
Not tried the recipe yet but my diet is also sugar free. Is there anyway I can make this without the caster sugar?
Absolutely Maarya. You can simply omit the sugar (it will make very little difference to the structure of the cake) the cake mixture may be a little thicker but that’s all. Of course if you still wish for the bake to be sweet in taste I would increase the honey or whatever unrefined sugar you like by another 50g. Adding a pinch of salt will also make the bake rounder and sweeter in taste. Let me know how you get on. Rebecca x
Hello, looking forward to making this for my gluten sensitive daughter’s “bee” birthday. But I’m not familiar with gluten free self raising flour in the US. How do I adapt that with regular gluten free flour?
Hi there Jessica, thank you for commenting and I’m thrilled you’ve chose this delicious recipe for your daughters “bee” birthday. When using a US all purpose flour I would recommend adding 2 level teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Enjoy! Rebecca xx
Delicious cake, just gone GF and had some old honey that needed using up so this was perfect and will definitely so it again! Useful that it’s dairy free too as this is becoming increasingly common among my family and friends.
This makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside….not that you’ve gone GF (thought I’d just clarify that!) It gets better with age, have any leftovers with custard (DF Birds make-your-own) and that’s TOTAL comfort food xx
Is this wheat free?
If yes where can I get hold of some?
Thankyou
Yes all my recipes are wheat free, gluten free and many are now egg and dairy free as I cannot tolerate these (my daughter is the Coeliac) if you are new to baking wheat free this is a great recipe to start with as it’s super moist and gets better with age so don;t feel you have to eat it all within a day of baking.
it would be very helpful if you included American measurements/ equivalents to ml and grams. American recipes use cups for liquid ingredients and also cups for ingredients like flour and sugar. Thank you!
Your right to point this out Lori, for some reason this recipe didn’t have the conversion function set. Sadly none of my UK recipes convert nicely into rounded cup sizes but you get the idea from the settings added!
Have you ever tried making this with Golden Syrup instead of honey?
Yes I have actually when I’d started making it but realised I’d run out of honey, same results just a slightly different flavour – more toffee-like
That cake looks so soft and moist, absolutely delectable! So simple to make, too, which in itself is brilliant. Great job, Rebecca!
Really interested in knowing what is vegan honey
Feeling quite inspired to make this tomorrow but egg free too, won’t be vegan though I’m afraid due to the necessary honey!
How is this “gluten free”.
Good evening Ida…it’s made with gluten free self raising flour and all the other ingredients are naturally gluten free.