A subtly sweet cake with earthy, floral notes alongside bright and sunny lemon flavors. Blanketed in a sweet and glossy, honey kissed glaze. This Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake exudes elegant charm.
Recipe Video
Jump to:
This spring my inner groovy, vintage goddess is having a moment and it'd be a shame to not allow her to flow freely. I've shed my closet of all skinny jeans and slender heels in favor of flowing floral fabrics, wide legged pants and cute as can be clogs.
This Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake showcases style & sophistication
I've partnered up with Bob's Red Mill, a company I deeply respect and admire, to create a series of recipes and recipe videos. I want the videos to be special, honest and brimming with character. The recipe for this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake came out of a longing to showcase my style and heart, and translate that directly into a recipe. Check out my Nectarines and Crème Pink Peppercorn Honey Cake for another fun and fancy cake recipe.
Did you know I studied Interior Design in college? I've always had an obsession with design, color, texture and shape. So, when I laid eyes on this Crown Bundt Cake Pan
by Nordic Ware, the designer in me saw the lines of the Pacific Science Center built for the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle.
Then, when I first baked a cake in this pan and revealed the warm mahogany colored bundt, I saw the swooping architectural lines of the 1962 Broyhill Brasilia furniture line. A collection I've pined over for years.
Coincidentally, the Brasilia line was first introduced at the 1962 World's Fair, in the Seattle Science Center. How's that for full circle?
More bright & citrusy cake recipes
I'm here for research, design, testing and detail
My point is, details and design matter to me. I refuse to crank out work just to keep up with trends. I research, test, retest and create. Then I write and edit. I put love and thought into everything I make. Most of all, I fully experience (and appreciate) the struggle within the journey it takes to produce quality work.
It isn't easy but it's my way. And I feel good about it.
A cake inspired by a retro bundt pan
This Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake was inspired by the retro shape of the bundt pan
, and that style is carried through in the flavors of the recipe and the styling of the images and video. I was compelled to let my inner flower child take over and direct this project.
I imagined myself in that field of wildflowers, much like the earthy and floral chamomile tea flowers
I used to infuse this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake. Flowers need sunshine, so I brightened up the recipe with lots of sunny lemon in both the cake and the glaze. And what would the 60s be without free-love? I added in a sticky kiss of sweetness with a slow drip of locally sourced honey
.
Details are what make this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake memorable
The fresh-picked chamomile flowers were hand-foraged from my own backyard and used to adorn the Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake with flower power. The recipe defined the props, the styling and even the outfit I wore while filming the recipe video. Details are what make this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake memorable. Details matter to me.
Quality Ingredients = Quality Results
Quality ingredients are a very important detail and knowing that I was using trusted products helped me let loose. For this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake, I used a tried and true combination of quality ingredients to to bake up an airy, tender and flavorful cake. There are a few key ingredients that give this lemon bundt cake it's character and charm.
- Bob's Red Mill Pastry Flour creates an airy and tender crumb. The fine grind of the pastry flour translates to a more delicate and desirable cake texture. You can absolutely use all purpose flour but the pastry flour makes the cake all the more tender.
- Chamomile tea is steeped in milk to flavor this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake. So using a quality tea, that's fresh and hasn't been in the pantry for years is key. Loose leaf has a more pronounced floral flavor, so I prefer that. But it's ok to use bagged tea too.
- Fresh lemons give this cake it's bright and citrusy flavor. You just can't beat the freshness of lemon zest and lemon juice working together in a recipe.
- Honey gives the cake a naturally sweet depth. A good quality, richly toned honey will come through in both the cake and the glaze.
Steep the chamomile tea in milk and honey
The chamomile tea steeps in the milk and honey. Imbuing the light floral flavor into the mixture. Which, in turn, will scent the entire cake with soft, flowery, honey sweetness. It's a small thing with a big impact.
Bundt pans are one of my favorite magic tricks because they do all of the hard work for me
This Heritage Crown Bundt
has never failed me. You just mix together the ingredients and pour them into an intricately designed, well-buttered and floured pan, then throw it in the oven. In less than an hour, you flip it on to a plate to reveal the most swoon-worthy sculpted cake you've ever laid your third eye on.
Poke channels in the bundt cake for the syrup to flow in and fill the cake with flavor and moistness
After the Lemon Chamomile Honey Cake bakes, it gets one more layer of flavor. This additional step fills the whole cake with floral lemony flavor and keeps it moist throughout. It's a simple and significant step.
- First, use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the bottom. This creates little channels that run through the cake for the lemon chamomile honey syrup.
- Then, pour the lemon chamomile honey syrup over the bottom of the cake, it runs down the channels and fills the cake with moisture and sweet, floral flavor.
- Next, allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then gently flip and plop it out onto a serving plate so the glazed side is on the bottom. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides with the remaining glaze.
- To finish, for a show-stopping cake, adorn the cake with freshly picked chamomile flowers. Obviously this is optional but it really adds to the ambiance!
The flavors in this Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake are subtle, soft and satisfying
The floral notes
, bright citrus and a mellow sweetness from the honey
combine in a delicate and dreamy cake. I hope this cake encourages you to embrace your inner flower child and slow down. Find yourself in a flowing sundress, frolicking barefoot through a field of wildflowers and blissfully picnicking under the warm spring sunshine, sharing a slice of Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake with someone you love.
This post was made is in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Follow Bob’s Red Mill on Facebook and Instagram, or check out bobsredmill.com to shop their impressive lineup of whole grains and much more.
Thank you for supporting me and the brands that I love to share!
Recipe
PrintRecipe
Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
This Lemon Chamomile Honey Bundt Cake is a subtly sweet cake with earthy, floral notes alongside bright and sunny lemon flavors. Blanketed is a sweet and glossy, honey kissed glaze.
Ingredients
LEMON CHAMOMILE HONEY CAKE
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup loose leaf chamomile tea
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 cups fine pastry flour or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 medium lemons, zested & juiced
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
LEMON CHAMOMILE HONEY GLAZE
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup loose leaf chamomile tea
- ¼ cup lemon juice, from lemons used in cake
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
LEMON CHAMOMILE HONEY CAKE
- Prepare a 10 cup bundt pan by brushing the inside (into all of the nooks and crannies) with melted butter and a pastry brush, then lightly dust the buttered pan with an even layer of pastry flour.
- Combine the milk, loose leaf chamomile tea and honey together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer for 5-ish minutes, then remove from heat and allow the tea to steep in the milk as it cools.
- Once cooled, strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer and whisk half of the fresh squeezed lemon juice, about 4 tablespoons.
- Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Sift together the pastry flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Add lemon zest and whisk together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes, stopping to frequently scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer on a low speed, blend in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the cooled, steeped milk mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Fold in the last flour addition until the mix is just combined, it's ok if some floury bits remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth with a spatula. Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes, carefully rotating the cake halfway through the bake time.
LEMON CHAMOMILE HONEY GLAZE
- Combine sugar, water, honey, lemon juice and loose leaf chamomile tea in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool. Strain syrup into a liquid measuring cup.
- With the cake still in the pan, use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the bottom of the cake, creating small channels down into the cake. Slowly, pour ¾ of the glaze over the bottom of the cake, letting it flow down the channels, reserving the remaining glaze.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then gently flip and plop it out onto a serving plate so the glazed part is on the bottom. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides with the remaining glaze. If the glaze has thickened too much to brush, re-warm it over low heat.
- For a show-stopping cake, decorate with freshly picked chamomile flowers. Slice and serve with whipped cream.
Notes
A 10 cup bundt pan works best for this recipe.
If you can't find loose leaf chamomile tea, you can substitute with about 6 chamomile tea bags.
Bob's Red Mill brand Fine Pastry Flour creates the perfect tender cake texture in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
Kelly says
This is perfect for spring Becky Sue. Great video!
beckysue says
Thank you, Kelly! So glad you enjoyed the video and the recipe. 😀
Sabrina says
Beautiful cake! Love the flavor combination!
beckysue says
Thank you, Sabrina! It's the perfect spring cake, isn't it? xoxo