Rye and Almond Honey Cake #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

A hearty, spicy, nutty cake that smells wonderful while it’s baking and tastes meltingly delicious. The rye flour deepens the flavors and gives you strength to face the cold days ahead.

Rye and Almond Honey Cake

(adapted from Norwegian Baking Through the Seasons by Nevada Berg)

 

Ingredients for the cake

2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup runny honey (if your honey isn’t runny, warm it in the microwave)

Zest of 1 orange

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 1/4 cups rye flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup ground almonds

Ingredients for the syrup

Juice of 1 orange

3 tablespoons runny honey

 

Directions for the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating in each egg before adding the next.

Add honey, orange zest, and ginger and beat until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together rye flour, all-purpose flower, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Stir in almonds.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. 

Poke holes all over the top of the still warm cake with a skewer or chop stick (this will let the syrup work its way into the cake).

Directions for the syrup

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and honey. Brush it on the warm cake while it’s cooling in the pan. Let the cake cool, transfer to a plate, and serve.

Look for Molly's mysteries wherever books are sold and in your public library.

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.