This gluten-free honey cake recipe is moist and bursting with honey flavor, with a perfect crumb and a gorgeous candied walnuts topping. This perfect Rosh Hashanah dessert is going to lead to a sweet year to come.
Guaranteed to be the best Rosh Hashanah cake recipe you've ever tried, these gluten-free honey cakes are going to ruin all other honey cakes for you!
Bake these as mini bundt cakes for individual serving, in mini loaf pans to give as gifts, or as a whole loaf pan or bundt pan.
This was inspired by my other gluten-free honey apple cake recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing apple and beet salad.
Jump to:
- This gluten-free honey cake recipe is moist and bursting with honey flavor, with a perfect crumb and a gorgeous candied walnuts topping. This perfect Rosh Hashanah dessert is going to lead to a sweet year to come.
- A Rosh Hashana Honey Cake for a Sweet Year
- Why do we eat honey cakes for Rosh Hashanah?
- What makes this the best gluten-free honey cake recipe?
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- Step-by-step Instructions
- Storage
- Tips for baking this easy gluten free honey cakes:
- Adaptations & substitutions
- Rosh Hashana Dessert Variations
- When to serve gluten free honey cake?
- FAQ
- Pin for Later!
- Recipe
A Rosh Hashana Honey Cake for a Sweet Year
My first experience with honey cake as a Rosh Hashana dessert came as a child in Israel. Specifically, it started with an Osem House Cake.
Now, not to offend anyone over at Osem who may be reading this blog, but this cake gave a whole new definition to 'dry'. It crumbled open a single bite, with the dry bits clinging to the roof of your mouth and clogging your throat. The flavor profile could only be described as 'dense' and 'artificially sweet'. Any attempt to eat it without a copious amount of tea or coffee would result in a choking hazard.
In short, it was enough to put me off honey cakes for years.
It was only when I tried a honey cake passed through the generations in the family of a Montreal-based friend (Hi, Rochelle!) that I realized what honey cakes should taste like: moist, fluffy, flavorful, rich and deeply scented.
Like a hug from your favorite grandmother or a long sojourn in a comfortable, worn out armchair, a good honey cake should transport you to simpler times.
And of course, a good Rosh Hashana honey cake should serve as the opening for a sweet Jewish new year.
Why do we eat honey cakes for Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year, and one the High Holidays - the most important dates in the Jewish calendar.
It is thought that if you eat sweet foods - chief among them apples and honey - on Rosh Hashana, the year to follow is guaranteed to be a sweet one!
Over the years, honey cake has evolved to be the symbol of the ultimate sweet Jewish new year, and the ultimate Rosh Hashana dessert. Each family tends to have their own Rosh Hashana honey recipe, passed down from mother to son.
And now, this easy gluten free Rosh Hashana honey cake recipe has become our family's favorite Rosh Hashana dessert - as well as any family who tries it!
For more Rosh Hashana recipes:
What makes this the best gluten-free honey cake recipe?
This gluten-free honey cake recipe can be made as a Rosh Hashanah dessert or just because - but in either case, it's definitely going to be the best gluten free honey cake you'll ever try!
Why do I say that? Because this cake is:
- Moist with a capital M - with plenty of honey, coffee or tea and eggs, there is not an ounce of dryness here
- Gluten-free and lactose free
- Made with almond flour - so it has a great crumb
- Easy - requiring only two bowls!
- Quick - it takes about 10 minutes to prep the cake itself, and the glaze and walnuts can be made while the cake bakes
- Can be made into mini honey cakes or served as a whole loaf cake or bundt cake
- Endlessly customizable - check out my adaptations section below!
- Can be made in advance
If you love gluten free cake as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my yummy Gluten Free Cake Recipes!
Can I bake this Rosh Hashana honey cake recipe in a loaf pan or bundt pan?
Yes, you can! The recipe as written makes 12 mini bundt cakes, or 4 6-inch loaf cakes.
To bake it in a loaf pan, use one large banana-bread sized 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. I use this loaf pan, though you can also use this decorative Nordicware loaf pan for a special treat. Use the quantities stated in this honey cake recipe, and increase the baking time to 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
To bake it in a bundt pan, use a pan like the one I have. Increase the recipe quantities by 1.5 times, and bake the cake for 40-60 minutes, testing it for doneness with a toothpick.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need to make my ultimate gluten free Rosh Hashana dessert. You can make the gluten-free honey cake recipe on its own, top it with a honey glaze, or go the whole way and make the candied walnuts and honey glaze all together.
For honey cakes:
- honey - use 100% gluten free honey to avoid any gluten contamination. If you are vegan, you can also use maple syrup or agave syrup in this gluten free cake.
- coffee or tea - this provides the cake with its characteristic moist structure. Don't skip!
- eggs - you can make this into an egg free honey cake by using JUST Eggs, or your favorite vegan egg replacer.
- brown sugar - brown sugar, which is white sugar mixed with molasses, adds even more moistness to this delicious cake. You can use brown sugar replacement or event coconut sugar here, but the cake won't be as moist.
- butter, melted, or oil - unsalted butter is traditional, but I love making coconut oil honey cake or even browning my butter first to add even more flavor.
- almond flour - this is what helps give this gluten-free honey cake structure and moistness.
- gluten-free oat flour - you can use all-purpose flour or cassava flour to make this into a flourless honey cake.
- baking powder - gives this cake rise. Use 100% gluten free baking powder to avoid issues.
- baking soda - augments the baking powder. Needed due to the high water content in this cake.
- cinnamon - this deepens the flavor of the cake, but can be skipped.
- orange zest - I love adding citrus zest to my cakes. You can use lemon zest instead, or omit altogether.
- salt - salt helps accentuate the flavor of baked goods. You can skip it if needed.
For honey glaze:
- powdered sugar - this is a SWEET cake for Rosh Hashana, so there's even more sugar! You can use a powdered sugar replacement as well.
- orange juice or milk - this binds the powdered sugar. You can even use water.
For candied walnuts topping:
- butter - to sautee the walnuts. You can use coconut oil.
- walnuts, halved - walnuts go very well with honey cake, but you can use another nut if you prefer.
- honey - of course there's even more honey in a honey cake topping.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- 2 small or medium bowls
- Whisk, standing mixer or hand-held mixer
- Spatula
- 9 x 5-inch cake pan, 12 mini bundt cake pans, or 4 square 6-inch mini loaf pans
- Non-stick pan
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Step-by-step Instructions
You can make this Rosh Hashana dessert recipe as mini gluten-free honey cakes, or as one large flourless honey cake.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and prepare a 9 x 5-inch cake pan, 6 mini bundt cake pans, or 4 square 6-inch mini loaf pans. For easy removal, you can also insert parchment paper into the rectangular cake pans.
Prepare honey mixture and wet batter
In a bowl, stir together honey and coffee (or tea). Let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until well emulsified. Gradually add melted butter or oil. Whisk to combine (you can also do this in the bowl of a standing mixer).
Gradually whisk in cooled honey mixture.
Combine dry ingredients
In another bowl, combine dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, orange zest and salt.
Gradually and slowly whisk dry ingredients in with the wet until just combined (you can keep doing all this in a standing mixer).
Bake honey cakes
Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Transfer them onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 F until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean: 30 minutes for mini cakes, or 40 minutes for a rectangular cake.
Prepare glaze
While cakes are baking, prepare glaze: transfer powdered sugar to a bowl, and gradually add in the orange juice, whisking throughout until a thick, pourable glaze is achieved.
Prepare candied walnuts
Toast honey glazed nuts: in a large non-stick skillet set to medium heat, melt butter. Add honey and nuts. Mix well with a spatula. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour nuts onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet or large platter, and let cool.
When cakes have come out of the oven, let them cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cookie drying rack, and let cool fully.
Glaze Rosh Hashana honey cakes
Once cake are cool, pour glaze over cake. Top with honey-glazed walnuts. You can also decorate the cake with pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs or cranberries, as desired.
Storage
Leftover cake will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Can I make this honey cake ahead of time?
All the components (cake, glaze and candied walnuts) can also be prepared in advance and kept separately. The gluten free honey cake can be assembled in advance, but the longer the glaze sits, the less visible it'll become.
Tips for baking this easy gluten free honey cakes:
- Bake these as mini bundt cakes for a cute presentation! I used this silicone mini bundt cake mold for ease removal.
- If you prefer a smaller cake to give as a gift, try baking it in these mini loaf pans. I used 3, and had some batter leftover for a couple of muffins.
- Use fresh orange juice and orange zest for best results.
- If using milk, you can also use non-dairy milk of your choice.
- Ideally, do not substitute the honey or coffee used in the honey mixture. It helps the honey become more liquid and mix with the rest of the batter better. It also helps offset the sweetness of the honey.
- Decorate the cakes with pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs or even cranberries later in winter.
Adaptations & substitutions
This gluten free honey cake recipe is a naturally gluten-free lactose free honey cake . Try the following adaptations and substitutions to spice it up:
- You can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil or even brown butter (butter that you cook in a pan until it becomes nutty and brown) as the fat in this cake.
- Use 2 cups of all-purpose flour if making this cake for non-celiacs or people who don't have to eat gluten-free.
- For a vegan honey cake, substitute the eggs for JUST eggs, the honey for maple syrup or silan date syrup (I like the Just Date Syrup brand), and the butter for coconut oil or olive oil.
- You can substitute the honey for maple syrup for a paleo honey cake.
- For a flourless honey cake, substitute the oat flour for cassava flour.
Rosh Hashana Dessert Variations
Use the following tips for changing the flavor of these gluten free honey cakes:
- Gluten-free molasses cake - substitute the honey for molasses, and add ½ teaspoon of ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon each of cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
- Gluten free lemon honey cake - substitute the orange juice and zest with lemon juice and zest.
- Gluten free blood orange honey cake - substitute the orange zest and the juice in the glaze with blood orange juice and zest. This gives the glaze a rosy hue, like in this blood orange cake with polenta and rosemary.
- Gluten free olive oil and rosemary honey cake - this cakes adapts beautifully to a more herbaceous flavor profile. Substitute the butter for olive oil, and add 2 tablespoons of diced fresh rosemary to the batter. You can also decorate with fresh rosemary for a wintry, Christmas look.
When to serve gluten free honey cake?
Naturally, honey cakes are the perfect dessert to serve on Rosh Hashanah. But you can also serve this for tea anytime in the fall or winter - this cake simply lends itself to cooler temperatures!
See the web story on how to make the best honey cake here.
FAQ
You would need to sub the oat flour for a mixture of almond flour and coconut flour. However, my recommendation is to substitute the oat flour for cassava flour, which closely mimics the behavior of regular flour.
Yes, simply use 2 cups of all-purpose flour to make the best Rosh Hashana honey cake ever.
Yes - you can use individual pans or a large pan to bake the cake. See the recipe card for details!
You can use regular loaf pans for baking this gluten free honey cake as well. The cake will be even easier to get out!
Usually, yes. You want to look at the label and make sure it is made with 100% honey - and in that case, it is gluten free honey.
Avoid overmixing the batter - this is what makes gluten free bakes dense and hard.
When a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean!
Yes! You can make all the components ahead of time. However, as the glaze soaks into the cake when it has time to sit, I recommend assembling everything last minute.
In an airtight sealed container. Alternatively, you can also wrap it in plastic wrap.
First off, spray your bundt pan with baking oil, or grease it with butter. Then if you feel it's still stuck, use a spatula and jam it into the sides of the pan, then shimmying it to get the cake loose. If any pieces break off, don't sweat it and just push them on top of the cake.
Pin for Later!
Recipe
Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.
Gluten Free Honey Cake topped with honey-glazed walnuts
Equipment
- 2 small or medium bowls
- Whisk, standing mixer or hand-held mixer
- 9 x 5-inch cake pan, 6 mini bundt cake pans, or 4 square 6-inch mini loaf pans
Ingredients
For honey cakes:
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup coffee or tea
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter melted, oil, or coconut oil
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 ½ cup gluten-free oat flour or 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
For glaze and nut topping:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 teaspoon orange juice or milk or more, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and prepare a 9 x 5-inch cake pan, 6 mini bundt cake pans, or 4 square 6-inch mini loaf pans. For easy removal, you can also insert parchment paper into the rectangular cake pans.
- In a bowl, stir together honey and coffee (or tea). Let cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until well emulsified. Gradually add melted butter or oil. Whisk to combine (you can also do this in the bowl of a standing mixer).
- Gradually whisk in cooled honey mixture.
- In another bowl, combine dry ingredients: oat or all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, orange zest and salt. Gradually and slowly whisk dry ingredients in with the wet until just combined (you can keep doing all this in a standing mixer).
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Transfer them onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 F until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean: 20-30 minutes for mini cakes, 40 minutes for a loaf pan cake, or 50-60 for a bundt cake.
Make glaze
- While cakes are baking, prepare glaze: transfer powdered sugar to a bowl, and gradually add in the orange juice, whisking throughout until a thick, pourable glaze is achieved.
Make candied walnut topping
- Toast honey glazed nuts: in a large non-stick skillet set to medium heat, melt butter. Add honey and nuts. Mix well with a spatula. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour nuts onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet or large platter, and let cool.
- When cakes have come out of the oven, let them cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cookie drying rack, and let cool fully. Once cake are cool, pour frosting over cake. Top with honey-glazed walnuts.
- Leftover cake will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. All the components (cake, glaze and candied walnuts) can also be prepared in advance and kept separately.
Alene says
Delicious! Thank you! So moist and light too, I used blanched almond flour and oat flour and butter. I did add in 1/2 tsp of cardamom and allspice and skipped the orange zest because my husband is not fond of any zest! It worked very well in a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Loved the honeyed walnuts! A good sweet snack too. Easy peasy! I recently found you and love your recipes. I wish you a sweet and healthy new year!
kseniaprints says
That's wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed it and found a way to make it your own.
Megan Ellam says
These cakes look amazing! I will give them a try for sure!
kseniaprints says
You're going to love it!
Kayla DiMaggio says
This GF honey cake is so delicious! I love every bite!
kseniaprints says
We couldn't stop eating it! Made it 4 times in two weeks.
Colleen says
Thank goodness this honey cake is glute-free so that I can enjoy every bite. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
kseniaprints says
It's the same joy I feel when I find a GF recipe I like! You're going to love it.
Adriana says
What a work of art! I haven’t made honey cake but now I’m inspired ❤️
kseniaprints says
Oh this is seriously a breeze!
Sara LaFountain says
Delicious gluten free honey cake for any time of year! Loved sharing this with the family over Rosh Hashana!
kseniaprints says
I hope your family loved it as much as we do 🙂
Luke Ratford says
A fantastic gluten-free cake recipe with the perfect amount of sweetness, we love honey in our house and my wife absolutely loved this recipe 🙂
kseniaprints says
I am so glad your wife approved! A good honey cake is hard to find ;p
Jacqueline Debono says
I've never had honey cake but this looks beautiful. I'm always on the look out for nice gluten free cake recipes, definitely adding this to my to-make list!
kseniaprints says
You will seriously LOVE it!
Jenny says
What a wonderful recipe! Such a gorgeous honey cake, and looks delicious. Thank you for your post, I will definitely make this.
kseniaprints says
Can't wait to see how yours turns out!
Tristin says
I have got to try this cake in the mini bundt pans, absolutely beautiful. Can't wait to try it!
kseniaprints says
They're so cute!
Chenée says
I love honey in cakes and this one looks so perfect! Especially because it's gluten free! I can't wait to make it!
kseniaprints says
Hope it brings you as much joy as it did us 🙂
Julia says
You can't believe how excited I was to try this recipe. I had honey cake twice in my life, once it was homemade from a classmate who used her grandmother's recipe. It was nothing like I've ever tasted and this was very close!
kseniaprints says
Oh this makes me so, so happy!!!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
I love that you baked your honey cakes in mini bundt cake pans. They look adorable! I'm passing this recipe to two of my gluten-free friends.
kseniaprints says
Yay! It's honestly one of the best GF cakes I've ever made.
Laurie says
I am stymied by the pan choices here … it is always an issue for me. I have the 10-15 cup bundt pan (some sellers ominously call it a12 cup), which I worry would be too big for your 10 cup pan ingredients. I have toaster oven pans and 4 5.5 x 3.25 x 2.25 -inch mini pans. I have square pans in 5”-9” squares and rounds in 6”, 8”, 9” and 10”. My loaf pans are the size you recommend against in your reply to someone else. Is my best bet the 4 mini pans or just do the bundt and hope for the best (or increase the recipe) and do the bundt?
I find gf baking a challenge compared to my regular baking. Thank you for your help. This looks like a great recipe.
kseniaprints says
The 4 mini pans will leave you with extra; when I use the mini pans, I then bake the leftovers in muffin pans. It will be too little for your Bundt pan for sure; i think using the square or round cakes would likely use one 6 inch round and one square.
Michele says
These look great! I have been looking for a gluten-free recipe to use with my new Nordicware cakelet pans and these look perfect. If I wanted to make these into mini honey apple bundts, how would you suggest I incorporate apple?
kseniaprints says
I would dice the apple really finely and place it in the bottom! That way, it'll be at the top of the cake when you turn it over. If you're worried about the pan sticking, then mix the apples throughout. You shouldn't need more than 2 apples for this lot!
Larry says
Hi
I baked this today. It almost filled my Pyrex 8.6x4.5 loaf pan. It did not spill over the town but. The time the middle
Seemed don. The sides started to burn. I took it out of the pan some stuck to the pan. I ate that pie. It
Was fine. Also middle of cake sank. Any suggestions for the next time
kseniaprints says
Hi Larry! So to prevent sticking to the pan, you need to: 1) spray or drizzle the pan with cooking oil (spraying works better). You can also pat with GF flour if desired, or even lay out parchment paper if baking in a pan mole (I often do this to avoid any issues and take cakes out easily). But it sounds like the issue here may have been that your oven was too cold - do you have an oven thermometer? Unfortunately with baking, results can vary based on people’s ovens so it’s hard to prescribe one-size-fits-all temps and bake times… and I think in your case, the oven ran colder than the specified degrees (it’s very hard to know unless you have a thermometer!). Another reason GF cakes especially can collapse in the middle is baking in a pan that’s too small, which yours also sounds like it was (I recommend using a 9*5 loaf pan plus another one - this is more batter than a regular loaf pan usually takes). And finally, another reason for sinking in the middle could be overmixing, but I honestly think your issues were the pan size and potentially the oven temp. Hope you enjoy the flavor nonetheless!
Larry says
It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
wippy says
How do 6 mini cake pans equal 12 servings? You wouldn't cut them in
half and serve them like that.
kseniaprints says
The mini cake pans are NOT the muffin pans. If you make bundt-shaped cakes in a muffin tin, you will get over 12 muffins from this batter. But if you're using the small 4-inch rectangular cake pans, you will get 6.
Naomi says
This recipe looks great but I'm wondering if one can make this with gluten free all purpose flour like King Arthur measure for measure. We need to avoid oats in our family.
Thanks
kseniaprints says
Yes! Start with 1.5 cups and then add more if needed based on the texture. You may need to use an amount closer to the regular flour mix. Just don’t skip the almond flour!
Starr Belsky says
I assume the additional baking sheet is only needed if one's using the small/mini pans--but not if using a 9x5 pan, correct?
Robin says
Please be aware that many people do not eat nuts on Rosh Hashana. Therefore, i omitted the walnuts.
kseniaprints says
I'm sure you're going to love them without walnuts, too!
Mandy says
I am trying to make this for Rosh Hashana this week. My mixture of butter, eggs, coffee and honey did not emusilfy. When I added the coffee/honey, the butter/sugar/eggs mixture got clumpy and wouldn't mix in. Can you help? What did I do wrong? Thanks!
kseniaprints says
Hi Mandy, I replied via email, but here it is here too! My best guest to your clumping would be an issue with temperature. If your liquids were not all in the same temperature, maybe your eggs were from the fridge, or your liquid didn’t cool sufficiently, this would cause the clumping.
I suggest you take a step back and let things rest for maybe 10 minutes, coming to equal temperature. Do the best you can to mix it up without mixing, if that makes sense. Then proceed with the recipe as instructed. However, your liquid was so hot that it cooked the eggs, and you actually have little scrambled eggs in your mix, then you may have to start from scratch… But I hope it’s the former and your eggs were just not in room temperature
Keep me posted on how it goes and let me know if you have any more questions