Honey Orange Layer Cake

Name: Honey Orange Layer Cake
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 stick (½ cup / 113 g) unsalted butter; 7 tablespoons honey (150 g); 3 large eggs; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; Pinch of salt; About 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more if needed); 16 oz (450 g) mascarpone cheese; 2 cups heavy whipping cream; 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk; 1–2 tablespoons honey (or to taste); Zest of 1 orange; Crumbs from one baked cake layer

Soft honey layers filled with light orange mascarpone cream — melt-in-your-mouth after an overnight chill.

Serves

10–12

Time

2 hrs + overnight chill

One of my favorite cakes! This soft honey cake is filled with a light orange mascarpone cream that's not overly sweet. It's simple to make, melts in your mouth after chilling overnight, and tastes even better the next day.

Instructions

Make the Honey Dough

1
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and honey.
2
Heat over medium-low, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
3
Lower the heat and add the eggs one at a time, whisking constantly so they don't scramble.
4
Add the baking soda and keep whisking — the mixture will become light, bubbly, and expand.
5
Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly (it's easiest to work with while still warm).
6
Add the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, and mix until a soft dough forms.

Bake the Layers

1
Divide the dough into 7–8 equal portions.
2
Roll each piece into a thin circle — I like using a cake ring to cut even circles.
3
Place each layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 5–7 minutes, until lightly golden.
5
Cool completely, saving one layer to crush into fine crumbs for decorating.

Make the Orange Cream

1
Add the mascarpone, heavy cream, condensed milk, honey, and orange zest to a large bowl.
2
Beat until thick, smooth, and fluffy.

Assemble & Chill

1
Place one cake layer inside a cake ring or springform ring.
2
Spread an even layer of cream and repeat with the remaining layers.
3
Finish with cream on top and around the sides, then sprinkle with the crushed cake crumbs.
4
Refrigerate overnight so the honey layers soften and absorb the cream.
5
The next day, remove the ring and serve.

Toti’s Tips

✓Whisk the eggs in one at a time over low heat while making the honey dough, since adding them too fast or over high heat can scramble them.
✓Work with the honey dough while it's still warm, since it firms up and gets harder to mix smoothly once it cools completely.
✓Roll the layers thin, since thin layers soak up more of the orange cream overnight and give you that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture instead of a dry, cakey bite.
✓Save one baked layer to crush into crumbs, since those crumbs are what coat the outside of the cake for a finished, bakery-style look.
✓A cake ring keeps the layers stacked straight and even while you build the cake, which is much harder to do freehand with delicate honey layers.
✓Don't skip the overnight chill, since that resting time is what lets the firm honey layers absorb moisture from the cream and turn soft.
✓The cake tastes even better the next day, so if you can, make it a full day ahead of when you plan to serve it.