Baking the Perfect Honey Cake

Did you know that honey is mentioned in the Bible 61 times? Its meaning is often associated with abundance and prosperity (as in Exodus 3:8 when God told Moses he would lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey).

Honey also represents God’s law and Word:

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” Psalms 19:9-10

And, again:

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalms 119:103

Both Ezekiel and John also describe visions in which they eat the scroll of God’s word, and it tastes as sweet as honey (Ezekiel 3:3 and Revelation 10:9-10).

Honey was also special in our home when I was growing up. My dad came from “the old country” and preferred to do things the old way. He brought home honey in honeycombs or creamed honey, and he and I would treasure the flavor as we added it to a piece of toast or our mugs of tea.

GettyImages | Dakuk

Now that I’m grown, I always have honey on hand. I recently bought local honey and it crystalized before I could use it. It was nearly impossible to get anything out of the bottle, but I didn’t want to throw it away.

I found a recipe for a honey cake. I adapted it (as I always do) and the result is this delicious cake. When I tasted it, my first thought was, “This tastes Biblical!” It was a weird thought, but it made me imagine what the delicacies from Bible times might have tasted like. There is no processed sugar in this recipe and the honey flavor comes through loud and clear. As I ate it, I felt a special kinship with those who used honey to not only sweeten their lives, but to describe important things in the Bible.
Give this cake a try and see if you agree.

HONEY CAKE

PC: Ann Kirsten

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup melted coconut oil
1 cup honey
½ cup milk
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Optional: raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, powdered sugar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9” x 13” pan with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the melted oil, honey, milk, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. (To easily measure honey, liquify it in the microwave for a few seconds and measure it in a greased measuring cup).
Add this liquid mixture to your dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Add raisins, nuts, or chocolate (or a combination of these) to your batter, if desired.
Spread into your prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Look up some honey scripture verses while you enjoy a piece of cake!