Orange Ginger Honey Cakes

Honey Cakes flavored with orange, ginger, and brown butter are moist without becoming dense. Many cakes sweetened with honey can become heavy or overly saturated, but these mini ginger loaves are perfectly soft. I suggest eating them warm with a butter spread!

WHAT IS BROWNED BUTTER?

Brown butter is made by cooking unsalted butter until the milk solids turn a medium brown color. This process cooks out any of the water in the butter resulting in a rich nutty or toasty flavor. A great technique for adding more depth to your baked goods.

To make brown butter (also called beurre noisette), simply place your butter in a light colored skillet so you can see the color change and cook on medium heat. First the butter will start to foam as it melts, then it will slowly change from a golden hue to a darker more toasty brown color. It should start to give off a nutty aroma as it browns.

Remove your brown butter from the heat and put in heat safe bowl to let it cool. Make sure not to overcook your butter to a dark brown almost black.

CAN I BAKE THIS HONEY CAKE RECIPE IN A LOAF PAN?

In short, yes you can convert this recipe to one large banana bread size loaf by using a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan. The only change will be the baking time. Increase your baking time to 40-45 minutes and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out dry with only a few small crumbs, your honey cake is baked.

TIPS FOR ORANGE GINGER HONEY CAKES:

• Make sure to use brown butter for a nice nutty flavor addition.
• Use fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh orange zest.
• Use local honey to help build you immunity.
• Place your mini cake pans on a cookie sheet in the oven.
• Use four 6 inch mini loaf pans. Try these mini loaf pans.
• Halfway through baking, lightly cover your row of cake pans with a sheet of aluminum foil. This will prevent the tops from over browning. The moist cake batter takes a but longer to fully bake through the center.
• Check each cake with a toothpick for crumbs to conclude completely bakes through.
• Let your cakes cool before removing from pans.
• Serve with butter spread or mix additional brown butter and honey for a drizzle!

HOW TO STORE HONEY CAKES?

• Once cooled these honey cakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week. Make sure to keep in a cool location to prevent humidity causing mold on moist goods.
• Alternatively you can wrap each cake individually in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
• To freeze honey cakes, wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and or place in an air tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months of freshness. Allow cakes to thaw to room temperature before serving.