Honey is a sweet natural sugar that tastes ever so delicious when topped on fruit, cakes and meat. Famed chef Gordon Ramsay shared his top-notch recipe for honeycomb cake that pairs beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you are hoping to satisfy a sweet tooth, then the honeycomb cake will feel satisfying. In fact, every bite will be ever so moreish and you may want to help yourself to a second serving.
Here’s how to recreate Gordon Ramsay’s honeycomb cake – but make sure you have a candy thermometer to hand before getting started.
Ingredients
Honeycomb toffee:
- 400g sugar
- 164g light corn syrup
- 50g honey
- 56ml water
- 8ml vanilla
- 20g baking soda, sifted
- Flaky salt, for garnish
Honeycomb cake:
- 200g granulated sugar
- 235ml hot water
- 160g bread flour
- 3g baking powder
- 5g baking soda
- 125g sweetened condensed milk
- 60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Five eggs
- Two teaspoons vanilla extract
Honey Whipped Cream:
- Half a cup heavy cream, cold
- One tablespoon honey
- Tiny pinch of kosher salt
Make the honeycomb toffee
Line a 9x9inch baking dish with parchment paper. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, honey and water. Stir to combine.
Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot (or have an instant-read thermometer ready). Let the mixture boil until it reaches 150C (should take around five minutes).
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and baking soda. Quickly whisk for about five seconds to combine. Carefully transfer the mix into the prepared baking dish, then lightly sprinkle all over with flaky salt. Leave the pan, undisturbed, to cool completely and set, which takes about two hours.
Once set, peel the parchment paper off the toffee and crack it between your hands to break into bite-size pieces, reserving any of the small bits that break off as well.
Make the honeycomb cake
Prepare an ice bath. Place the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Shake the pot to spread the sugar then do not touch it, and let the sugar melt and caramelise. (May take up to 15 minutes.)
Once all sugar has dissolved and is an amber colour, add half of the hot water and stir to combine. Add the rest of the water and stir to combine. Transfer to a bowl and place that bowl in the ice bath to chill quickly.
In a medium bowl, combine pastry flour, baking powder and soda, then set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla extract. Add in condensed milk and whisk to combine. Sift in the flour mixture, then whisk until smooth, followed by the melted butter.
Pour in the chilled sugar syrup and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl, then cover and let it sit at room temperature for one hour.
Once the hour is almost up, preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line an eight-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease both the parchment and sides of the pan; set aside.
When the batter has rested, whisk briefly again to combine and pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly in the center, and the top has domed and is a dark golden brown colour.
A cake tester or toothpick should come out clean. Cool the cake completely before inverting the pan to remove.
Make the honey whipped cream
While tha cake is cooling, place all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, no more than two hours.
Once the cake has cooled, slice into wedges and serve, topping with a dollop of honey whipped cream and a smattering of the toffee crumbles. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days.
