Honey Nut Bundt

January's Clandestine Cake Club theme was 'There's no place like home'. The emphasis was making use of the fantastic produce we have in the area, and supporting our local shops and suppliers whilst we were at it. I love Thyme Deli in Horwich, and so went on an expedition to find something splendid for my cake. I had no idea what I was going to make, but wanted to be guided by what they had to offer.

I found some wonderful local honey, which even had the name and address of the producer on the sticker! I loved the fact that I knew exactly where it came from, and that there's a chap called Richard keeping bees and making honey in Bolton. I decided to call my cake club offering a BL3 Bundt®, because that's where it came from!

I took my 'test' cake into work this week, and it went down really well! Some of my friends have gone as far as to say that this is their favourite so far! It's really very simple, and creates a beautifully thick and moist cake. You need to put some welly into cutting it, but I assure you that it has a fantastic texture. They honey gives a natural almost floral sweetness and moisture, whilst the addition of a scattering of nuts accentuates the flavours.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 225g unsalted butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 350g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 200ml greek yogurt (I used one with honey in it)
• 50ml good quality honey
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (use extract if you don't have this)

For the topping (optional)

• Icing sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• Warm water
• 2 tbsp hazelnuts
• TIP: you can always dredge with icing sugar if you don't fancy the topping.

Method:

For the Cake

1. Grease and flour a regular sized bundt tin (2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch). 
2. Soften the butter and then cream in the sugar in stages.
3. Add the eggs one at a time on a slow setting so it doesn't curdle - if it does, add a table spoon of the flour.
4. Mix in the vanilla paste.
5. Add all the remaining dry ingredients to a large bowl.
6. Measure the yogurt and honey in a jug. It's easier to add the yogurt first so the honey doesn't stick to the sides. Give it a quick mix.
7. Sift in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the liquid. Repeat until all the flour and liquid is used up. Fold it in gently...
8. Give the whole thing a quick mix for about 10 seconds or until well combined.
9. Spoon the mix into the prepared tin.
10. Bake at gas 3/160 C for about an hour and 15 minutes. 
11. It should be shrinking from the sides and a skewer should come out clean.
12. Note: this recipe doesn't seem to shrink from the sides quite as much as others do. You're looking at it being free from the side of the tin, although there may not be a gap.

For the topping (optional)

1. In a medium sized bowl (cereal sized), melt the honey in the microwave until runny. 
2. Add about 3 tbsp of warm water and mix well.
3. Fill the bowl up with icing sugar. I don't give exact measurements here as it's not an exact science! 
4. Mix like the clappers with a spatula. 
5. Note: You're looking for a thick but runny icing.
6. If it's very thick, add a few drops of water at a time to thin it out.
7. If it's very runny, add icing sugar until its the right consistency.
8. Pour over the entire cake. Don't feel you have to be neat! I do it in zig zags for maximum coverage.
9. Whilst the icing is running all over your cake, put the hazelnuts in a plastic bag and beat the hell out of them with a rolling pin.
10. Sprinkle over your finished cake.

I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends did!

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page. 

Please see my Creative Commons Copyright information for more details. Thank you.

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