This is a delightfully sweet honey lemon cake with a tender crumb, topped in a delicious glaze. Make this cake in any pan – try our adorable miniature cakes shaped like beehives, or in a muffin tin or bundt pan!
Are you in the mood for a deliciously unique dessert? Then, look no further than this honey lemon cake recipe!
Bursting with citrusy flavor, the combination of sweet honey and tangy lemon makes these little lemon desserts the perfect treat for any occasion.
Impress guests at a dinner party or indulge in one of your favorite treats – this recipe will surely be a hit. If your guests are not fans of lemon, you can try one of my other unique treats like my Giant Donut Cake or Funfetti Cookie Cake.
So, preheat your oven and get ready to savor the goodness of fresh lemons and sweet honey in every bite!
Why You’ll Love this Honey Lemon Cake
- Light and Tangy – This recipe combines honey and lemon to create a light and tangy flavor!
- Crowd-Pleaser – These little cakes are sure to become a fan favorite!
- Easy – This recipe is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients!
You can’t skip this two ingredient honey lemonade recipe – it’s so refreshing! You can see more of this table setting here.
Shopping List
- Unsalted Butter
- White Granulated Sugar
- Honey
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Powdered Sugar
- Lemon Juice
Substitutions and Variations
- Salted or unsalted butter will work in this cake recipe – just eliminate the additional salt if you use salted butter. Learn how to soften butter here.
- To replace the butter with oil, you’ll use 3/4 of oil per amount of butter for the best result. For example, the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter. So, you would use 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of oil.
- For the Lemon Glaze, you can learn how to make powdered sugar here, if you don’t have any on hand.
Tips
- Beating Butter – Beat in the sugar until it’s light and fluffy. The fat (butter) and sugar hold air bubbles to create a fine texture and leaven the cake.
- Bake Time – Time can vary from oven to oven, so use the toothpick test to determine the optimal baking time for your oven.
- Top with our whipped honey instead of a glaze.
Serving Suggestions
Top with berries, and serve with any of your favorite glazes, whipped creams or ice creams.
Tools
- Mixer (You can also mix by hand)
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Baking Spray (My favorite for intricate pans!)
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Muffin or beehive cake pan for baking the cakes
How to Store
- Room Temperature – To prevent it from drying out, store (cooled) in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate – Wrap with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze – Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag to prevent any freezer odor from seeping in. Bring to room temperature to enjoy.
Reheat
- Warm a serving of this honey lemon cake in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. It serves beautifully with a cup of warm and cozy tea, or iced tea in the summer!
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow the cakes to cool in the pan at room temperature for 10 minutes, then remove them and let them cool completely on a wire rack set over a sheet pan.
For most pound cake recipes, you can easily bake in a loaf pan, bundt pan, or mini bundtlet pans. Just adjust your bake time depending on the depth and size of your pans.
More Honey Inspiration
Honey Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 eggs
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉. Grease tin (cakelet pan) and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat butter, sugar and honey. Add eggs.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Gradually fold into in to wet mixture.
- Fill tins 3/4 full and bake 17 minutes.
- Cool 15 minutes. Invert onto plates.
Lemon Glaze
- In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
Julie’s Tips
- Beating Butter – Beat in the sugar until it’s light and fluffy. The fat (butter) and sugar hold air bubbles to create a fine texture and leaven the cake.
- Bake Time – Time can vary from oven to oven, so use the toothpick test to determine the optimal baking time for your oven.
- Top with our whipped honey instead of a glaze.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Explore More
How to Make
- Prep – Preheat oven and grease tin or pan.
- Make Batter – In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter, sugar, and honey. Add eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Bake – Pour or spoon batter into beehive or muffin tins until 3/4 full and bake in your preheated oven. They’re done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Make the Glaze – Combine butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Pour over the tops of the cakes after cooling.
I love sweets, especially lemon sweets!
Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy
Thanks so much!!!
No problem! Have a beautiful weekend!
I added two tablespoons of sour cream and some water and it was superb! Thank you!
Hi Julie,
I love the tablecloth and placemat. Beautiful pictures!!! Where can I can purchase those?
Thanks,
Indiana
Thank you! The white table cloth? It’s been discontinued, but you can find the place mats at Kohl’s. Enjoy!
Can you just come to my house and bake for me!? I know I say this everytime, but everything you post always looks so yummy! I only wish it would turn out that way for me!
You are so sweet! I’m sure you’re selling yourself short…this recipe couldn’t be easier. Enjoy!
Hi Julie,
The cake looks delicious. I love the table cloth and placemat. Where can I shop for those? Everything looks beautiful. Thanks.