A recipe for a Honey Almond Coffee Cake! A cross between bread and cake, this yeast-based coffee cake is topped with a sweet and buttery honey almond glaze.
This Honey Almond Coffee Cake is the perfect addition to a weekend brunch table or even an accompaniment to coffee or tea as an afternoon snack. The cake does have a couple of longer rise times, but it is mostly hands off and doesn’t require much extra prep work.
After activating the yeast and combining the ingredients to create the smooth, soft dough, allow it to rest at room temperature until doubled. This will take between 1-2 hours (closer to 2 for me). The dough is then transferred to a greased springform pan and allowed to rest again until puffed, about an hour, before baking.
I prepared the honey almond topping while the cake was resting for the second time. In a small saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, honey, and cream.
Bubble for about 5 minutes to thicken and fold in the sliced almonds with a pinch of salt. The topping is spread over the cake after it has baked for about 15 minutes (the top should be set) before continuing to cook until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The toasted almonds coated in the honey topping added such an incredible flavor to the cake with a crisp texture in every bite.
A Few Notes
The Honey Almond Coffee Cake is best eaten within a day. It will quickly start to dry with time.
If using a springform pan (recommended), place it on a baking sheet before putting into the oven. The topping may seep out of the sides.
When working with yeast, make sure the milk isn’t too hot. The best temperature feels slightly warm to touch (105-115˚F, 40-46˚C).
Short on time in the morning? The prepared dough can rise, covered, in the refrigerator overnight instead of 2 hours at room temperature.
In the morning, transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan and allow to come to room temperature/rise before baking.
Looking for more recipes with almonds?
Try my:
Honey Almond Coffee Cake Recipe
Adapted from Technicolor Kitchen
Honey Almond Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) milk lukewarm, 105-115˚F (40-46˚C)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 2 1/2- 3 cups (313-375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Honey Almond Topping:
- 1/3 cup (65 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) honey
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk. Stir to combine, then allow to sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, beat together the sugar and butter. Mix in 2 1/2 cups (313 grams) of the flour, salt, eggs, lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla extract, and the yeast with milk to create a smooth dough.
- If the mixture is too wet, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Gently knead the dough until soft and smooth, but it should still be loose. Be careful not to add too much flour.
- Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rest until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- Lightly grease a 10 inch (25 centimeter) springform pan with butter.
- Remove the risen dough from the bowl and place in the prepared springform pan. Gently press to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a lightly damp cloth or plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until puffed, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
To make the honey almond topping:
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, butter, and cream over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a bubble and stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Fold in the almonds and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Place springform pan on baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until the top is set, about 15 minutes.
- Spread evenly with warm almond topping and place back in the oven until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10-15 more minutes.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Lisa
Hi. I am native German, and we have a similar German traditional cake called “Bienenstich” (bee’s sting). The yeast dough topped with honey almonds is pretty much the same, the difference is that we cut the whole cake horizontally and fill It with cream or custard. An excellent treat!