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Nana Wanda Honey Cake

Honey Cake
This Honey Spiced Cake is also called Pão de Mel (Honey Bread) in Brazil and despite of being an European recipe is very popular there and frequently served filled with Dulce de Leche and completely coated in chocolate.

The texture is firm, something in between a cake and a bread and the spice flavor is quite pungent so it might not be everybody’s cup of tea - you can always adjust the spices quantities to your taste.

A funny fact about these little treats is that in Brazil, many women make them to sell in offices as a way to complement the family income.   Everybody knows one "Tia do Pão de Mel" (Very Freely translated: Honey Bread Lady).

Adding two eggs to the batter will make it more “cake like” but I advise you to stick to the original recipe first (another one of my grandmother's recipe by the way).

Enjoy it!

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Nana Wanda Honey Cake
Yields: About 16 generous Slices  | Time:  30min  | Cost:  $ | Difficulty: Easy 
Author: Nana Wanda

 Ingredients
For the Cake
  • 1 cup caster Sugar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 3 cups plain white flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
  • 1 tablespoon powdered Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon powdered cloves
  • ½ teaspoon grounded nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
  • 3 tablespoons softened butter,
For the Topping
  • 200g milk chocolate chopped
  • 30g of vegetable shortening (copha or crisco).
Instructions
For the Cake
  1. Pre heat the oven to 180C.
  2. Grease and sprinkle flour in a 33x23cm tin
  3. Dissolve the coffee in the warm milk.
  4. In a large bowl combine all ingredients: first sugar and butter then all the rest leaving the bi-carb to the end.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin
  6. Bake for around 30 min, to check whether the cake is done insert a skewer into the center and it should come out clean,
For the Topping
  1. Put the Chocolate in a glass bowl.
  2. Put the bowl in the microwave and leave it for 1 min.
  3. Remove the bowl from the microwave, add the vegetable shortening and stir.
  4. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds more.  Stir well and if there are still pieces not melted, put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds more, 
Assembling
  1. Once the cake is cool, cover it with the chocolate mixture. 
  2. Leave it to cool down and when the chocolate is set cut the cake in squares.
 

Rachel Elich

Rachel Elich is a globetrotting, computer engineer, project manager, designer, untamed cook extraordinaire who backpacks around the world. Along the way on adventures, Rachel has adopted and incorporated international influences into all aspects of her creative work endeavours.

4 comments:

  1. I came across your blog on the foodie blogroll! Your posts all look delicious!
    xo Marez
    http://cantcooksowhat.com

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  2. My mother tasted the French version of this cake at a gourmet store, and I've always wanted to make one since then! Yours looks great!

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    Replies

    1. It's pretty easy too :-) Let me know when you make it. x Rach

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