This toasted pine nut honey cake is an easy, one-bowl snack cake packed with warm flavors. Use good quality honey for maximum deliciousness!

A million, billion things have happened these past few weeks. We got engaged! My mom got a puppy! (follow her here) We moved to London! We found an apartment! I made a cake!

To be honest, it’s been hectic. While we’d packed up most of our stuff before leaving California, Orlando sneakily proposed to me (well, sneakily for me, not for him) and we drained our phone batteries for days and days talking to friends and family everywhere. But I loved it! Our departure from California was underwhelming since we couldn’t see anyone properly with the pandemic. All these convos gave me some of the closure I was searching for. I finally had my goodbye-America-cry, and with six pieces of luggage and all the PPE, off we went.

Since we won’t have the rest of our stuff until we move into our apartment, I still only have maybe a fifth of my usual pastry gear. It’s forced me to rethink everything I know about pastry. If I don’t have my KitchenAid, can I really make anything good? What’s the point if I can’t use my brushes, spatulas, tart molds, four different types of flour, etc etc etc?

But pastry is my passion, and I have to remember that I don’t need fancy stuff to make a delicious dessert. I already have the knowledge and skills I need to create things wherever I am (that said, I will still be v v excited to have all my stuff soon).

I made this toasted pine nut honey cake during our first week in London, using whatever groceries I could order (mandatory q-tine meant no going to stores ourselves). Buttery Pine nuts complement the cake without overpowering it like other nuts do. Toasting them balances the cake’s sweetness. Honey keeps the cake moist and warm. And almond flour stabilizes the cake so it doesn’t get soggy. With one bowl and a quick toast on the stove, this cake is perfect.

I can’t wait to move into our apartment and start building the life we set out to do all these months ago. But I’m also grateful to cook and bake with whatever I have—good food doesn’t have to be complicated!

Recipe notes:

Use good quality honey! It’s the main sweetener for this cake and the flavor will come through.
Toast your nuts forreal. I see people all the time barely letting their nuts touch the pan…don’t be like them. The pine nuts should have a little char on them—see my photo for reference.
We’ve been heating up slices and eating them with ice cream. It’s the best!

Toasted Pine Nut Honey Cake

Created by Shikha on February 17, 2021

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Prep Time: 15m
Cook Time: 15m
Total Time: 30m

Yield: 1 9" cake

Ingredients

For cake:

120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
120 grams (1 cup) almond flour or almond meal
50 grams (1/4 cup) brown sugar
3 grams (3/4 tsp) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
85 grams (1/4 cup) honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
60 grams (1/4 cup) whole milk

For pine nut topping:

100 grams (1.25 cups) pine nuts
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8" or 9" cake pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all cake ingredients and whisk throughly until batter is evenly combined and there are almost no dry bits of flour anywhere.
Pour into prepared cake pan and pop it into the oven. Set a timer for 12 minutes and start making the topping while cake is baking.
Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast until they are fragrant and browned, which should take 5-7 minutes. Stir them occasionally.
Pour pine nuts into a small bowl and set aside.
Using the same saucepan, add honey, water, butter, and cream, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring so everything is evenly combined.
Remove from heat and stir in the pine nuts.
At this point, the cake should be ready or almost ready—the top should be golden brown, it smells fragrant, and a toothpick will come out clean. If this isn't the case, bake for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Once cake is done, let is sit on the counter for 5-7 minutes. Then use a toothpick or a knife to poke holes all over the surface of the cake. It will look weird but it's okay!
Pour the pine nut mixture all over the cake—it will look like a lot of extra liquid but dont 'worry, the cake will soak it up. Use a spatula to evenly spread the pine nuts over the cake.
Let cake cool for an additional 5-10 minutes before serving. Wrap and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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Toasted Pine Nut Honey Cake

Ingredients

For cake:

For pine nut topping:

Instructions

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