Moist Honey Tea Cake Loaf

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4.97 from 55 votes

This honey tea cake is moist, dense and perfect for an afternoon treat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Total Time1 10

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, tea time

Cuisine: british, French

Servings: slices

Author: Chahinez Tabet Aoul

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 large egg at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
11 tbsp butter at room temperature
1/4 cup honey warmed up
2 tbsp hot water for the honey

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour or line an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Set aside.
4 large egg yolks, 1 large egg, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugar and mix about 20 seconds.
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cup sugar
Add the softened butter and half of the egg mixture. Beat on medium-low for 3 minutes, then increase to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more. The batter should look thick and airy.
11 tbsp butter
Lower the speed, add the remaining egg mixture, and mix gently about 2 minutes, just until combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake 45 to 52 minutes.
The loaf is done when the center reads 190 to 195F, the top springs back instead of holding a dent, and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. It will be deeply golden. See the notes before you panic about the color.
During the last 5 minutes of baking, stir the honey and hot water together in a small cup until smooth.
1/4 cup honey, 2 tbsp hot water
Brush the syrup over the top the moment the pan comes out of the oven. No brush is fine, just drizzle it.
Cool 20 minutes in the pan. Run a spatula around the edges, turn the loaf out, and cool 20 minutes more on a wire rack before slicing.

Video

Notes

Read this before you bake. I retested this loaf in September 2026 and the original bake time was too short. It bakes 45 to 52 minutes, not 35. If you made this years ago and got a sunken or gummy center, that was the bake time and not you.

It is supposed to get dark. This loaf browns hard and the top will go deeper golden than you expect. That is not burnt. Unless it is actually black, keep going. There is so much butter, heavy cream and egg yolk in this batter that it cannot dry out the way a leaner loaf would, and the honey syrup you brush on the second it leaves the oven softens the top right back up.

If the color still worries you, tent a piece of foil loosely over the top for the last 10 to 15 minutes. Tear the foil and have it ready before you open the door, then work fast. A long open oven door drops the temperature and a half baked loaf will sink on you.

Bake to temperature, not to the clock. The center reads about 190 to 195F when it is done, and the top springs back instead of holding a dent. You can also check by inserting a sharp knife down the center of the cake and if it comes out with no crumbs, you're good to go!

Brush the syrup while it is hot. Stir 4 tablespoons of honey into 2 tablespoon of hot water and brush it on the moment the pan leaves the oven. A hot crumb pulls it in. A cooled one lets it sit on top and turn sticky.

Room temperature ingredients, weighed flour. Cold cream or cold eggs will seize the butter and you lose the emulsion. A packed cup of flour is the single most common reason any loaf turns out dry. Gram weights are above.

Mini loaves. This batter fills two 5 inch mini pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes and start checking at 20. Brush both with syrup as soon as they come out.

Storing it. Wrapped at room temperature it is good for 4 days. It also keeps in the fridge, but cold firms the butter, so microwave a slice for 10 to 15 seconds before eating and the crumb comes right back.

Nutrition