I want a hamburger.
with cheese and pickles and too much ketchup.
And chocolate milk.
This is not that… but this is still good.
Why would I crank up my oven and make a spice cake in the middle of summer? I dunno.
Why would I make this cake when what I really want is a giant hamburger and chocolate milk? I dunno.
Why haven’t I gotten my stupid shaggy hair cut yet? Don’t know.
What the heck is going on with Frank on The Bachelorette and why did he have to go all the way to Tahiti to drop bombs? I do not know.
Why the deep V? Why?
We’re going to get to the bottom of this Bachelorette thing. We’re going to talk about it. I really have a few things I need to get off my chest.
Seriously.
This spice cake with beer and honey is from a book called Booze Cakes. Pretty self explanatory, right? It’s a pretty cute book from two Los Angeles based ladies. If you have a sweet tooth for things like Jello Shot Cakes, or if you were just dying to find a way to get tequila into your cakes… this is totally the book for you.
This spice cake is pretty interesting. It’s got a heartwarming combination of spices, and a super moist crumb. This cake stays moist for daaaaays. The recipe called for granulated sugar, brown sugar aaaand honey. That’s a lot of sugar. Even after cutting back on the sugar I thought it was dang sweet. You might be able to cut back on the sugar just a touch more.
Can you taste the beer? Just barely… and it’s not really beer-y. The hoppy beer is a great compliment to the spice and honey. It really rounds everything out.
Can you replace the beer with anything not beer like? No… It’s a Honey and Beeeeer Cake. Just go with it.
If beer offends you, how about Honey Whole Wheat Pound Cake? Super yum. Trust.
With barely sweetened cream and salty roasted nuts, I say this cake is pretty swell.
If you have a mega sweet tooth, Cream Cheese Frosting would set this cake over the top!
Honey and Beer Spice Cake
adapted from Booze Cakes
makes one 9×13-inch cake
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (next time I’ll use a combination of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon all-spice
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup honey
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) pale ale beer or honey beer
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×13-inch (don’t use anything smaller, seriously) pan and set aside.
I a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugars, spices and lemon zest. Mixture may look crumbly, but mix for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.
Beat in the lemon juice and honey.
Add the flour mixture and beer. Alternating. First add a third of the flour mixture, mix. Add half of the beer, mix. Add the second third of flour, the rest of the beer. Mix. Then finally add the last third of the flour. Beat the batter on high speed for 30 seconds. The batter will be loose and smooth.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the upper third of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Serve with barely sweetened whipped cream and salty roasted nuts. This cake would also be pretty delicious with a cream cheese frosting.
94 Responses
This cake looks delicious! I’ve been on a hunt for a honey cake recipe that can be made in multiple layers for a tall celebration cake. Does anyone who has made this recipe have an recommendations on whether or not this cake would have the right texture and structure for stacking?
Good question! I think this cake will be too soft for stacking.
Might try this this week using Sharps Atlantic Pale Ale – my new favourite liquid.
hi I`m in the uk a 9x13inch cake sounds like an odd size is it a large loaf tin???
ooooh, love the idea of the lemony kick in this… just popped this in the oven in big muffin cases for my hubbies birthday today!…. using his own home brew ;D
Hi! Just wanted to pop in and let you know that this cake is currently cooling on my kitchen counter, filling my whole apartment with delicious scents! I am making it for a family member’s birthday (a Texan who swears by spice cake, I guess?) but spice cake was brand new to me! I split it into 2 8″ rounds and baked it for 30 minutes at 350. Looks like they came out beautifully, can’t wait to taste tomorrow. Thanks for this!
Just made this for my dad for Father’s Day – it’s so good, and so interesting! I cut the white and brown sugars by a quarter cup each and I think it’s plenty sweet. But not too sweet to frost – I love frosting!
I also used a Double-Wide IPA for my beer…I really love good beer so that was important to me. I don’t know about you but I love the hoppiness of IPAs, I think it’s great in the cake!
Hi Joy!
I love your site, so much fun to read!
I wanted to ask if I could feature this recipe on CraftBeer.com? CraftBeer.com is the consumer facing website of the Brewers Association (the national trade association for craft beer). Along with educating users about craft beer we also work to share craft beers amazing ability to pair with food and its usability in the kitchen.??
I would create a recipe post similar to this one: https://www.craftbeer.com/pages/beer-and-food/recipes/recipes-list/show?title=lambic-beer-sorbetto and would include a bio/photo and link to Joy the Baker. Please let me know if this would be possible. THANKS!
Go for it!
This was absolutely fantastic… and the best part is that there is so much of it. Six of us only got through half of it, can’t wait to dig into it tomorrow as soon as I wake up! I’d like to try it with all sorts of different beers. Used Flying Dog Belgian style IPA… wonder what a stout might do, mm mmmm.
dear joy,
i think you are my soulmate. anytime i need something especially naughty to make (which is pretty much all the time), i know where to go. thank you for writing this amazing blog!
love,
mckinley your soulmate.
I made this for dinner yesterday afternoon and holy fuck it was so good! I think I only ever want to bake with booze now….
I didn’t have all of the ingredients. I didn’t have a lemon so I added 1 t. orange oil and instead of honey I used maple syrup. For the beer I used an alaskan IPA. It was yummy all the same! Great recipe! My daughter and I ate some for breakfast this morning.
This looks delish! I agree with you about Frank. . . he made me SO mad too this season. I just wrote a blog post about my thoughts on the finale. I’d love it if you’d come follow my blog too! I’ve been following yours for awhile and I love it!!!
Joy, Joy, Joy, oh Joy! I just had a hunk of beer cake for dinner with barely whipped cream, roasted hazelnuts, and vibrant raspberries as sides. Thank you for supplying single girls everywhere with such a delicious meal!
the cake is baking as i type…smells so good. really enjoy your blog!
that looks delicious !
i adore your blog; you have the best recipes
I only have Lager, will that work? this looks so yummy!!
Thanks for posting! Not normally a spice cake fan, but was inspired to make this. Had to sub the 9×13 for a bundt pan and the pale ale for a hefeweizen, but the cake came out awesome.
This was a fun and easy cake to make and very very good! I did it for the conversation value and it definitely got the attention. Everyone loved it! The people in the office who don’t like desserts had to try it simply because of the “beer in the title.” I didn’t realize until I had already started that all I had was Coors Light so I went with it. I went with the Buttercream Frosting from your site and it was a hit here. I have had 3 people ask for the recipe. Thanks for a fun one!
I made this Saturday night. It was great.
I didn’t know it made such a big cake,so I gave some to my friends across the street. I don’t think it needs any iceing,it’s great plain.
I love you site and your storys.
Thanks for doing it.
Love,
Catherine
Beer + cake? Yes, please!
You are funny!! Thanks for the laugh:)
Joy,
Does your recipe reflect the reduced amount of sugar? I reduced it slightly, and found the cake to be not sweet at all, and could have actually been a touch sweeter. And I don’t like things too sweet. But I still LOVE it, and the notes that the beer contributes.
Thanks !!
the recipe as i wrote it above reflects my sugar reduction changes. sorry for the confusion!
Thank you Joy. The cake is still disappearing, so my take on the recipe couldn’t have been too far off!!!
Travel safely,
Ellen
This post sprang up in my bloglines at just the right time, as tonight we’re off to our weekly dinner with my parents and I always make dessert. Plus, we had a few boutique wheat beers that didn’t really hit the spot as a drink.
It’s baking right now and smells DEVINE!!!
I used 2 cups plain flour and 1 3/4 cups wholemeal, which I tend to do because I like the chewyness. I also used 3/4 cup honey rather than the full cup because it was taking too long to come out of the squeezy thing. I used Yellow Box honey, which may be something we only have here, but it’s a nicer flaour than regular honey.
What else? I used a 9×9 square pan because that’s what we had, and I made 6 fairy cakes out of the leftover batter. Then, I went onto the book depository site and ordered a copy of the book for myself and one for my old drinking pal who lives in the UK now.
Thanks Joy!
This looks so tasty. Beer in cake is my friend.
wow! very interesting ingredient…beer in a cake! I love it! Spice cakes are the best! Yesterday I made applesauce stack cake with cinnamon whipped cream for my mother in laws birthday…..holy cow!! it was the best cake ever! Everyone totally gobbled it up and raved about it. I was thinking…since you are Joy the Baker, you might like to try this recipe! I found it on Country Living website. Here is the link. https://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/stacked-applesauce-cake-3478
It shows the top of the cake without the whipped cream, but there was plenty enough to spread it on top too. It made the cake look all the more beautiful. It was a show stopper. I will be featuring it on my blog either today or tomorrow.
Oooh wow this sounds different, I bet it was so tasty!! Yummy yum!!
Joy,
I made this cake tonight, and it was a hit. I skipped the white sugar entirely (just used the brown and honey for sweetener) and used half white flour/half white whole wheat flour. Then I put a cream cheese/vanilla/honey frosting on top. My dad made an “eeew” face when i said that I was making “beer spice cake,” but I saw him taking seconds just a few minutes ago. . . (also, all of the younger brothers that live in my house had both 1sts. and 2nds. and possibly 3rds.)
oooooh! *drools* This looks delicious! gonna make it for sure! xxx
I am TOTALLY with you on the deep V… it’s not okay.
Moist cakes are best and so are spice cakes. That is how I know this cake is a winner!
Now I’m a burger queen, but I would take this over a burger any day! Yum!
Cool– too bad my parents won’t let me eat or drink anything that contains alcohol (Not that I’d want to be a 14-year-old alcoholic…) Have you tried using white whole wheat flour? It’s just like whole wheat flour, but doesn’t have the strong taste or color, and isn’t as dense.
this cake sound interesting, must be yummy too
So good and yet so far… yes, it’s 40°C here, all damp and sticky, I’ll try the cake later on in the season, maybe september, my favourite month!
XXX
this sounds incredibly delicious. i hate beer but i definitely would love this.
This cake sounds wonderful and I may even turn the oven on for it– if not, it’ll be the first one I make when the weather turns cooler!
As for Frank, well, he’s just a basket-case who acts like he’s about 16 with his first crush. Personally, I’m wondering why the heck is he still around?!
I really can;t handle the idea of turning on the ove right now, but this loos SO good. I have never baked with beer… I have got to try it! The weather man says Sunday will be cooler… cake on Sunday!
I’m pretty much ok with Ali being into Frank because, as much as he freaks me out with his whining and poor fashion sense, I can’t stand her either and think they deserve each other. And I’m moving to Cape Cod to marry Chris. Or his dad. I wish we could watch the Bachelorette together, Joy. I swear, we’d be BFFs in real life!
I would learn how to bake,joy..I would..so I could bake these magical things. I wouldn’t care if they go straight down to my hips.
The Peach Kitchen
peach and things
blowing peachkisses
I sell that book in my boutique! I can’t tell you how many times i’ve flipped through it drooling! This cake has caught my eye several times – i”m gonna HAVE to try it nowww! : )
That book, it had me at Jello Shot Cake. I wish I were lying.
I cannot believe a cookbook called Booze Cakes exists and I do not own it. Must. Remedy. Immediately.
And yowza, this cake looks good!
That should be cake in the oveN, not over. Maybe I should make comments BEFORE having the Tequila. ;)
As I am reading this, I have an apple spice snack cake in the over…hmmm. And I seriously need a hair cut, and can’t remember to make the appt! I don’t, however, watch Bachelorette – I know, I seem to be in the minority there. The Booze Cakes book sounds great, anything I can put Tequila in is a plus. The Honey Whole Wheat Pound Cake is also going on my list of things to make (eventually) – thanks for the great post!
I will definitely be making this, albeit a version only sweetened by honey. I think that will solve the sweetness problem, too! I’ll probably halve the amount of sweetener in this. I’ll blog it and like to you, as always. :)
Sounds tasty =)
One of these days you have to give us a list of the cookbooks that you own…I’m curious.
Oh, and I too dislike v-neck Frank :/
Some things in life are inexplicable. You are brave for turning on your oven though. Very brave. Now share cake!
The Booze Cakes books is published by Chronicle Books – who just happens to be having a 35% off sale + free shipping on their web site today. Promo code FRIENDS. Here’s the link to the Booze Cakes book:
https://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,8632/path,1-8-45/title,Booze-Cakes/
They also publish a ton of other awesome books, like the Tartine book & one on cupcakes that I used often (it’s the one with the pink cover).
Bake on, my friends.
I love those dishes they are so pretty!!! What are they? I am a dish fanatic.
I hate spoilers. They ruin the fun. But I watch them anyway because I just have to know!
Frank really needs to rethink the deep V. Trendy, maybe. Sexy, NO WAY.
I got all fancy with Mango Buttercream frosting. Not that it would be great with beer and spice cake, but it’s so delicious, I want to put it on everything. Mostly my tongue.
Oh Frank. That shirt. Awful. And a trip to Tahiti knowing what you did? Schmuck.
Ah well- It’s all choreographed anyhow. I mean really? There are hardly any ‘success stories’ so the promise of love isn’t really compelling reason to go on the show. Just to get noticed.
And yet…I can’t stop watching. Sigh.
The cake looks great too!
i definitely like a boozy cake. or a boozy anything.
i’m assuming you didn’t know frank’s pants during the home visit? the back pockets, were, hmmm. extremely well adorned, the likes of which i haven’t seen since the jordache’s i wore in 1981. and i’m a lady.
Don’t get me started on The Bachellorete. Really. Especially since apparently I can’t even spell the word…This cake book looks awesome. Will have to check it out. Basically two of my favorite things (booze + cake) combined, so it certainly can’t be bad. And cream cheese frosting to boot. Awesome. Have a great weekend, Joy!
I’d love to have a copy of that book *wishlist* The cake looks delicious.
“The hoppy beer is a great compliment to the spice and honey. ” music to my ears
I want this cookbook!
Perhaps a beer cake is the appropriate lead into a serious Frank analysis. I think you’re on to something with the v necks. Maybe a Frank look book would reveal something.
I’m partial to team Roberto, you have to love a man that will dance with you anywhere. Plus, being a good dancer translates to other things. However, Chris has the whole Cape Cop thing going for him and he is a genuine person with an amazing fam.
Did you know you can order a Bachelorette calendar? Just saw it on the ABC website. The weatherman in a speedo… terrifying.
WTF is wrong with Frank? I kinda like Chris anyway because he’s sorta dorky/cute/hot. We’ll see.
And I love this cake…
Heck, I put booze in dang near everything else I make, so why haven’t I thought of putting it in cakes (other than rum cake) yet?! I must get this book. I even have a soon-to-be-former-coworker (not because he’s leaving, but because I’m getting promoted) who is all about booze and baked goods, and I’m thinking that his pregnant wife might appreciate a slice of this cake, since she’s been booze-free for 8 months now. Therefore, I must. Buy. NOW.
First off, I can definitely get behind a cake like this. Secondly, I second your thoughts on Frank. He’s creeping me out. And that deep v shirt, I almost thought I saw that it was a tank under his sweater. Not sure how I feel about that. Wait, I do know-YUCK! Ugh…frank.
I want that book. Awesome, and the cake looks divine.
Yeah, the Frank deal. What’s up with that? I think the dude’s got mega issues. My theory: He was obviously into Ali but he couldn’t take the possibility of not being The Chosen One. So he went back to a sure thing instead, his ex. Which actually is a little ironic because I theorized that Ali was driven by the exact same fear – I’ll reject you (with some lame ass excuse) before you can reject me.
Either way, I think she’s dodging a bullet with run-by-his-emotions Frank – not to mention she dodged a freaking nuclear warhead with Crazy Jake.
I can’t believe I just attempted to psychoanalyze these people. I love smut TV, what can I say. Guilty pleasures: Nothin’ wrong with that.
So the fact that you watch the Bachelorette tells me that I’m just a little more obsessed. Is that wrong? It’s sad how much I look forward to that ridiculous show. This cake looks so moist and delish, love the idea of beer in it. xxSAS
Booze cakes sounds right up my alley (but why limit yourself at cakes?) This would go perfectly with the honey rum ice cream I made last weekend (well, semifreddo, really, due to the 1/4 cup of rum in it.)
You are a brave woman baking in the heat. I can barely convince myself to make dinner…
frank has creeped me out from the beginning!!! and yeah, what’s with the deep V-neck tees? sorry dude, not attractive…
Your rant about Frank made my day. Also interested in the book! Thanks for making me smile. :)
Sounds delicious. I will definitely try this cake. And also look for the book. A lil alcohol in desserts never hurt :)
Ooo, I think serving it with whipped creme fraiche may be a good compromise between the whipped cream and cream cheese frosting. Sounds delicious!
As soon as it cools off a bit I am going to make these into cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!
I know you posted this a long time ago but did you ever make these into cupcakes? If so, how did they hold up? I’m thinking maybe a little less egg would help.
No I haven’t yet. My husband and I own a micro brewery and we have a wheat beer called Allergeez and it’s got flavors of honey, and camomile and I was going to use that and probably two eggs and see how it goes!
Yes! Dipping the hamburger in the ketchup is the BEST!!! Nice cake. I am going to try it this weekend.
I’ve given up on Frank and moved on to the chaos that is the Big Brother household. This cake looks like it would smell delicious. Does that even make sense?
um #1: I’m ketchups hugest fan. So the fact you said you liked your burger drenched makes me feel not-so-alone. I also dip.
um and #2: done. this is being baked tomorrow. BAM!
Definitely try a chocolate cake with guinness – it’s super moist.
I may have to buy that book. I need kahlua recipes. When are YOU putting out a cookbook?
*love*
I just got that book! I have yet to actually bake anything from it, but I’m veeeery intrigued. Especially since I’m going to be making a wedding cake for a couple I feel might be into that kind of thing. Go booze!
There’s something about booze in cakes that always makes them come out super moist. Moister than a cake with lots of oil
Ohh, god this sounds amazing. I think I’d cut back on the sugar waaaaaay more than you did. Sounds soo good :D
Wei-Wei
I’m from Chicago, and am personally offended by Frank. Frank gives the Windy City a bad name. Hmph.
I love that this cake only requires 1 stick of butter! I mean, the tons of eggs negates this, but at the end of the day, how many butter wrappers are left on my counter is a direct measure of my happiness (less is better). Also, I am a whore for allspice, so this is a must-make.
Glad you’re up and runnin’ again.
P.S. Don’t try to cut your own hair. Just don’t. I feel like you might be thinking about it ;)
Booze cakes!! I love the idea of this!
Basically I’m sold on anything that has booze… put it in cake form and I’m in heaven.
I made champagne brownies a few days ago. Another boozed up baked good!
I need that cookbook! Booze cakes?! Awesome.
PS. I will be making this with cream cheese icing for brunch on Saturday. Yummers.
No but seriously – what is the deal with Frank? The suspense is killing us!!! Also, we love the name of this cookbook…it’s just the best. And we would tooootally add the cream cheese frosting to this…because it’s delicious.
I would love to try it with cream cheese frosting. That is a fab idea. And if you really want to know about Frank…have you ever read Reality Steve’s blog? ;)