Miod.Co If you’ve been to either of our shops, you might have had the pleasure of meeting Jackson. And as good as he is at enticing you to fill your bag with honey, rest assured it’s not an empty recommendation, as he tends to add a jar or two to his own bag at the end of the day to satisfy his penchant for baking.
This week’s creation: Buckwheat Honey Loaf with Honeyberry Cream Cheese Frosting and Forest Honey Honeycomb. And while he says it’s an easy to moderate baking level, the rest of us are a little sceptical. But give it a go and let us know.
The recipe makes two loaves, which makes it perfect for indulging or sharing. We won’t judge.
The cake comes together in three stages: the loaf, the frosting and the honeycomb. The loaf itself is deep, earthy and delicious enough to stand alone without the frosting or honeycomb, though the full trio is truly spectacular.
| Difficulty | Time | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to moderate | 1.5 hours (Prepare Honeyberry Infused Honey 72 hours before baking) | 12 |
Ingredients
Buckwheat Honey Loaf:
- 300g Buckwheat Honey
- 300g unsalted butter
- 300g light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 450g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional but recommended)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200ml milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
Honeyberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 300g full-fat cream cheese
- 150g unsalted butter (softened)
- 60–80g honeyberry infused honey (see below)
- Pinch of salt
- (Optional) 1/2–1 tsp honeyberry powder for colour
Forest Honeycomb
- 200g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp Forest Honey (≈ 40g)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Method
1. Honeyberry Infused Honey
Let’s start with the honeyberry infusion. Take freeze-dried honeyberries and ideally a runny, light-coloured honey—Jackson’s choice: Acacia Honey—and combine them in a small container. Leave it for at least 72 hours to fuse; though, the longer the better.
Once that’s done, it’s time to get baking!
2. Buckwheat Honey Loaf
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan and line two 2lb loaf tins with loaf liners.
In a saucepan, gently heat the butter, brown sugar and Buckwheat Honey. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 5–10 minutes.
Whisk in the eggs (one at a time), vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Add to the wet mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide between the two tins and bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely. No shortcuts! Frosting melts on a warm cake.
3. Honeyberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Start by preparing the cream cheese. Stir it in a bowl for a creamy texture. If it looks watery, blot with kitchen roll or drain in a sieve for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and mix until just combined.
Stir in the honeyberry infused honey and salt. Mix until smooth.
Top tip: Chill it for 20–30 minutes before topping the cake for a firmer spread.
4. Forest Honeycomb
Line a tray with baking parchment.
In a large saucepan, heat the sugar, Forest Honey and water until melted. Bring to a boil and cook until deep golden (150–155°C if using a thermometer).
Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the bicarbonate of soda.
Pour onto the parchment and leave to cool completely.
5. Assembly
Once everything is ready and cooled, layer the loaves with frosting.
Break the honeycomb into shards and decorate the cake. Drizzle with the honeyberry infusion, if you wish.
Top tip: Let the frosting set on the cake for 30 minutes before decorating to help it hold its shape.
If you made one and enjoyed it – let us know and send us your and pictures at hello@edinburghhoney.co.uk or tag us on instagram
