Chocolate Honey Cake with Whisky Sauce

This chocolate cake was created to be baked in a honeycomb pan, which makes the cake look adorable AND creates a situation in which each little piece of cake can absorb as much whisky sauce as possible.

The cake is a variation of this almond honey cake, also baked in a honeycomb pan, and smothered in either whisky sauce or honey glaze.

Just like this simple one layer chocolate almond cake, it's the kind of casual, yet elegant cake that's just as perfect for afternoon snacking as it is for a dinner party.

Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe:

• Semi-sweet chocolate that's at least 60% cacao. You can use chocolate that's up to 85% cacao if you want to push the limits on the dark chocolate flavor of this cake.
• Salted butter. In addition to ¾ teaspoon of salt, I like to use salted butter in this cake. Salt brings out the flavor of chocolate and balances out the sweetness from the honey can brown sugar. But, feel free to use unsalted butter if you are sensitive to salt.
• Extra virgin olive oil. Using a bit of olive oil in this cake adds a new layer of flavor and also helps keep the cake moist and tender for several days.
• All-purpose flour.
• Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder. Natural cocoa powder works better in this cake than dutch process cocoa powder. Dutch process cocoa powder has been treated to make it less acidic. In this recipe, we need the acid in natural cocoa powder to react with baking soda which will help the cake rise while it bakes.
• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Baking soda is an alkaline compound that produces carbon dioxide gas when combined with an acid. Those bubbles of carbon dioxide become trapped in cake batter while it bakes, causing it to rise.
• Salt. Salt brings out the flavor of other ingredients and is just as important in sweet foods as it is in savory foods.
• 4 large eggs + 1 egg yolk. That extra egg yolk increases this cake's richness.
• Honey! Along with chocolate, honey is the star of this show.
• Brown sugar. Unlike this recipe for Honey Almond Cake which is an all-honey recipe, this chocolate honey cake is sweetened with honey AND brown sugar. The flavor of brown sugar amplifies the chocolate in this cake. Brown sugar also keeps the cake's texture super soft and moist.
• Sour cream. Sour cream adds moisture without thinning the batter for this cake, which gives the cake a soft, tender crumb.
• Vanilla extract. Vanilla makes chocolate taste even better.
• Whisky Sauce! The warm, buttery flavor of whisky sauce goes exceptionally well with the rich chocolate flavor of this honey cake. But, if you'd rather, the recipe includes instructions for honey sauce, which is also absolutely delicious on this cake.

How to Make Chocolate Honey Cake

#1. The first thing you want to do when making this recipe is to prepare your honeycomb pan.

Spray each little honeycomb cavity of the pan with non-stick spray or use a pastry brush to coat the inside of each cavity with melted butter.

Then, use a flour sifter or fine mesh strainer to sprinkle a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder into the pan. Shake the pan, and tap on the sides of the pan to distribute the cocoa powder.

You want to make sure the bottom and sides of each honeycomb cavity has a light coating of cocoa powder. This will help keep the cake from sticking to the pan.

#2. Melt the chocolate with the butter and oil.

It's very important to melt chocolate and butter using very low heat. Chocolate can seize up or burn easiy if it's overcooked. There are two easy methods for melting chocolate: in the microwave or over a double boiler (bain-marie).

To melt chocolate in the microwave: Add the chocolate, butter, and oil to a microwave safe bowl and heat it at 50% power, 1 minute at a time. After each minute, remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir. Keep stirring until the chocolate is about 90% melted then stir until it is 100% melted.

To melt chocolate in a double boiler (bain-marie): Place the chocolate, butter and oil in a heat safe bowl. Find a saucepan that is small enough to allow the bowl to rest on the edges of the saucepan without allowing the bowl to touch the bottom of the pan.

Add enough water to the saucepan so that it comes close to the bottom of the bowl without actually touching the bowl. Set the pan over medium heat, topping it with the bowl of chocolate. Heat, stirring the chocolate constantly, until it's abotu 90% melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and keep stirring until the chocolate is completely melted.

Allow the chocolate and butter mixture to cool to room temperature. It should feel barely warm to the touch.

#3. Combine the dry ingredients.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Set the bowl aside for a moment.

#4. Mix the cake batter.

Use a wire whisk to beat the eggs into the melted butter and chocolate. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition until the mixture is smooth.

Then, add the dry ingredients to the batter and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until the ingredients are blended and the batter is smooth.

#5. Bake the cake!

Pour the batter in the honeycomb pan, distributing it evenly between all the honeycomb cavities. Place the pan in the center of an oven that's been heated to 325° F and bake for about 35 minutes.

How do you know when this cake is done baking? Stick a toothpick into one of the center honeycomb cavities and pull it out. If you don't see any evidence of raw batter on the toothpick, the cake is done baking

#6. Let the cake cool.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then place a wire rack over the top of the pan and quickly flip the cake over to release it from the pan to the wire rack.

Let the cake cool completely before topping with whisky sauce

#7. Cover the cake in whisky sauce.

Once cool, pour whisky sauce over the cake, coating it completely.

Pro tip! The texture of this chocolate honey cake is meant to soak up the sauce! After pouring some sauce over the cake, go back over it a time or two to ensure plenty of whisky sauce has soaked into each piece.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of extra virgin olive oil: Use vegetable oil or canola oil
• Instead of sour cream: Use plain, unsweetened yogurt (preferably full fat)
• Instead of salted butter: Use unsalted butter in this recipe if you're sensitive to salt.
• Instead of whisky sauce: Top this chocolate honey cake with honey glaze. The recipe for honey glaze is in the recipe card below.
• Instead of semi-sweet chocolate: If you want a less sweet and more intense chocolate flavor, use bittersweet chocolate that's up to 85% cacao.

Baking a Chocolate Cake in a Honeycomb Pan

My husband and I are full-time travelers, living in a 5th wheel RV. I spend a large portion of my days creating recipes in a relatively small, 42 square foot kitchen.

I tell you that to stress the fact that I don't have a lot of space for a large collection of specialty baking pans. 

And yet, this Nordic Ware Honeycomb Pull-Apart Pan is one that I will always make room for. I absolutely love it.

The pan is fantastic for brownies and corn bread because each little piece bakes up with a soft middle and slightly crispy edges. Also, there is no slicing and serving required. Just break off a piece or two as you like.

The best thing about baking Chocolate Honey Cake in a honeycomb pan is that the honeycomb pan creates 19 small little cakes. Each honeycomb is its own compartment, so every pull-apart piece becomes its own self-contained little cake.

The advantage here is that each little piece has both a top and 5 sides from which to absorb a delicious sauce or glaze.

How to Store Chocolate Honey Cake

This cake will keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days. Cover the cake in whisky sauce (or honey glaze) before storing. The sauce will help keep the cake fresh and moist.

Make sure to keep the cake well-covered, either in a container with an airtight lid, or with a layer or two of plastic wrap.

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