Honey Drenched Cake

I love honey!  Honey has been proclaimed beneficial in so many ways, it keeps for a very long time, and is a great substitute for sugar...they say.  I don't care what they say.  I love honey!  It tastes like nothing else, a kind of perfection all on it's own, and sometimes I get such a strong craving for it, you'll find me giving crackers a nice stripe of it and eating them over the counter. 

So, I have had this idea in my head, I want to make a honey-flavored cake.  Sounds simple, right?  Of course it is, but when it came to finding the right recipe out there...ugh, that is what took me so long.  But, I've found a good one now, that makes a fine honey drenched sponge cake in one decadent layer.  Oh...it's good!!!

The website that provided the recipe is:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/tea-scented-sponge-cake-with-a-honey-tea-glaze-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 3 tea bags
• 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons boiling water
• 3/4 cup flour
• 4 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, in all
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup whipped cream
• 1 mint sprig
• Powdered sugar

Directions

"Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the boiling water with the 3 tea bags and let steep for 20 minutes.  Strain, reserve and let cool. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan. In a mixing bowl combine the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar and whisk until thick and pale in color. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon of the tea concentrate, and the vanilla. Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating for 20- 30 seconds. Incorporate 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg mixture. Then add 1/4 of the flour mixture, fold it in. Repeat the process, folding in the whites and flour until the last batch of flour is incorporated. Then fold in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Allow the cake to cool slightly before unmolding. Make the glaze: In a small sauce pan, combine the honey, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of the tea concentrate. Slowly begin heating this mixture to completely mix, stirring frequently. Set aside Remove the cake from the oven and turn onto a platter. Using a pastry brush, baste the entire surface of the cake . Use all of the glaze. Allow to sit 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Garnish each wedge with a dollop of whipped cream, a mint sprig, and powdered sugar."

And I'm surprised with the results, I have to admit.  I don't usually look (seriously) at recipes on the food network, although I know they are popular and have a following.  I'm not a big fan of Emeril, just because I feel that his recipes tend to use more ingredients than are really needed for the flavor you are after, and they also seem to be more complicated than they should be or need to be. 

Overall this was a good recipe, the only changes I made were to leave out whipped cream and the mint sprig (it is definitely sweet enough w/o whipped cream, and a mint sprig?  Come on.  Guess I'll just run out to the herb garden and pinch a few-not).  I substituted regular margarine for the butter, and used chamomile tea bags.  I didn't find it was necessary to heat the glaze, it seems to dissipate evenly just by stirring with a whisk.  One other tip--don't bother trying to get some of the glaze on the bottom of the cake, it will just make it stick to the plate.  It is very good refrigerated, and even better the next day. 

Yes, I recommend it!  It's good eating!