A soft, buttery, golden cake topped with fluffy, white whipped frosting simply has to be named after a cloud. And this beauty definitely lives up to her name! This is one of the most ethereal cakes you’ll ever make. There’s an elegant simplicity about this cake, but the flavors and textures are outstanding.
This yellow cake recipe is a treasure. It’s wonderful on it’s own, fresh from the oven. It’s best served at room temperature on the day it’s baked. The cake by itself stays soft if left covered at room temperature, even for a day or two, which is unusual for a butter cake. The whipped frosting should be refrigerated, but will be more easily spreadable if it sits out for a bit. To make the cake ahead, I like to make the sponge the night before, cover and store it at room temperature, then I make the frosting the next day, right before serving.
Honey Cloud Cake
Ingredients
Honey Butter Glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tablespoon (21g) honey
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) orange juice
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 pinch fine sea salt or to taste
Honey Cake
- 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (42g) honey
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (59ml) whole milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (57g) sour cream, room temperature
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 oz (85g) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (355ml) cold heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Honey Butter Glaze
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the honey, orange juice, powdered sugar and salt until smooth and well blended. Add additional salt to taste if desired.
Honey Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Add the honey and beat until well blended. Mix in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together until well blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture into the batter in 2 additions, followed by half of the milk mixture after each addition. Beat just until smooth and combined. Do not over mix.
- Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack. Brush the warm cake with Honey Butter Glaze.
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth and lump-free. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract. On medium speed, gradually beat in the heavy cream. Turn the speed up to high and continue whipping until medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
I am baking this ahead of time on Friday night, then making the frosting on Saturday. Do you still add the glaze when you leave it out over night?
Hi Catherine, add the glaze to the warm, freshly baked cake.