Let’s play a game called Usta Wanna or… I Used to Want To.
I usta wanna be brave enough to go down the free fall water slide at the water park.
I usta wanna be a traffic cop… the kind that would dance in the street on occasion… the kind that I saw at the end of a slow evening news show sometime when I was about six. I actually still want to be one of those traffic cops. No joke.
I usta wanna take the swim test at overnight summer camp privately. Something about doing my life saving dog paddle in front of the entire girls camp made me nauseous.
I usta wanna design a postage stamp. This is the precious dream of a young girl whose parents both work at the post office.
Between the ages of 13 and 15, I usta wanna eat nothing but popcorn and orange juice. I dunno…. I never claimed to be reasonable.
I usta wanna completely negate whole wheat from my life. If I could have eaten Wonder Bread and ignored the whole wheat millet bread my parents bought as I was growing up… ooooh, how dreams would have come true. Because whole wheat seemed to be impossible to escape, it would seem that somewhere along the way I grew fond of it. For this reason, I bring you… Honey Whole Wheat Pound Cake.
Let’s talk about it.
Let’s talk about how lovely this pound cake is. It was nutty and full-flavored, without having an overwhelming whole wheat density. I used white whole wheat flour instead of regular whole wheat flour. If you can, use a good raw honey for this cake… something like Bee Raw or Ames Farm. The honey add a sweetness with character and depth, making the pound cake really delightful. I love this cake. It’s a definite go-to classic in my world.
Honey Whole Wheat Pound Cake
makes 1 9 x 5-inch loaf and 6 muffins
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tablespoons of butter), at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour the loaf pan and muffin tins.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip the butter, sugar and honey on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about one minute after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the dry mixture and buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pans. Smooth the top down and bake the cake for about hour and the muffins for about 20 to 25 minutes. The cake will be a lovely golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Marissa
Hi
I am a super fan love your stuff and always look forward to reading your Sunday’s posts. My question on this receipe is can I sub the butter for coconut oil? I ran out of butter and well there’s a curfew and I have all the ingredients except for the butter. And my second question is can I do half whole wheat flour and half cake flour? Want to get rid of stuff in my pantry.
look forward to your response
Sagarika
Believe it or not, I was looking for a whole wheat honey pound cake…and hey presto, I found it on my fav baking site. I have tried so many of your recipes and they all come out wonderful. The orange gingerbread one is almost a staple in my house. I just wanted to know, can I replace the sugar with honey completely? I seem to have a lotta honey on hand.
Thanks
Anne
Have you tried glazing this, and if so, what flavors of glazing would you recommend?
joythebaker
Maybe you could do a powdered sugar and vanilla glaze, keep it simple
Medina Azaldin
Hi, my flatmates are all allergic to eggs. what can i replace the eggs with??
joythebaker
Try a 1/4 cup of plain applesauce per egg in the recipe! Hope this helps!
Haley
Perpetually in search of a moist, rich honey cake for the Jewish New Year, I was THRILLED that this one fit the bill (I mean, with all that buttermilk and butter, I had high hopes). It came together easily with ingredients I had at home, and we’ve already polished off the muffins.
Two comments: One – I’d err on the side of slightly undercooked for moistness (perhaps because I’m scarred by too many dried-out honey cakes).
Two, the cake was delicious but really, really sweet. I’m not deducting points here – it is a honey cake – but I’d dial back the sugar a bit. I was surprised because other commenters said it wasn’t too sweet.
Allison D
I made this with oats and it was maybe the best batter I’veever tasted. And I’ve tasted a LOT of batter.
tina@theunprocess
wow, this is one popular recipe. i made it and adapted it a bit to include my beet juice pulp. it was heavenly and plenty moist. thanks for the inspiration; my newly adapted version can be seen up on the site (i give nod to you joy, but of course)
Priya
Argh I wish I had read your blog and not used the cookbook! I did what the previous person did. I thought it seemed full but I’ve never run into any problems (well, unless you count overeating!) with your recipes before So…. I went with it. Uh oh. Cake smelt ah-mazing but dripped everywhere. Wouldn’t have been so bad if the cake was ok BUT it started burning round the edges but too gooey in the middle. I though it was past saving aesthetically so left it. I took it out afte 65 minutes, v burnt in top and still a bit underdone once cut.
Joy, Ive made LOADS of your stuff and am a huge fan of yours. And this is the first thing.thats gone wrong. I’m gutted ( and quite frankly very surprised- your recipes are failsafe!)
Right, better go clean that oven!
Ann
Joy,
I made this cake this morning from your cookbook and had a problem with the batter running over the pan BIG-time! I took a chance and looked up the recipe on your blog and see that the recipes are a little different (no baking soda and 1/4 less teaspoon of salt in the online version) and you mention that it makes one 9×5-inch loaf plus six muffins. I’ll try your online version next time and save myself some oven cleaning!! ;-)
Anna
I made tiny little layered cakes from this: filled with Nutella-chocolate filling, covered with marzipan. It was wonderful and everybody loved it.
God,I hate to be a diabetic..:D
Michelle
Hey Joy,
I know this is a bit of a late comment, but in the directions, when you said to add the dry and buttermilk in three additions, did you mean three each of dry and milk or three in total? (as in dry-milk-dry)
the cake looks amazing, so excited to see how it is!
Tasty Veedu
Can i use olive oil instead of butter??
joythebaker
i’m afraid that would change the recipe pretty drastically.
Faith
I just made this and it is wonderful. Our little ones love it. Thanks for posting! I used brown sugar and added cinnamon; I also made my own buttermilk by combining freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2% milk. Great healthy recipe.
Kyle
Should the butter be cold or room temperature?
joythebaker
good question… room temperature!
Aparna
Wow! Came out very well.. thanks a lot!
Cookie and Kate
Oh my, this is exactly the pound cake I’ve been looking for! It just landed on my “must try” list for fall (too hot to turn on the oven if it doesn’t entail berries, cherries or peaches)!
Alex
Hey Joy–think I could bake this in a bundt pan, or would there not be enough batter to fill it nicely?
Michelle
So I added 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom, pinch of ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp. ground ginger, decreased the honey and voila! Chai Honey Wheat Bread. Joy, you’re an inspiration.
The Food Hunter
I’m loving this!! And I just got an awesome honey to try last night.
Aurora
Hey! So I really wanted to make this cake and I searched for the whole wheat pastry flour but could only find regular ww flour so I went ahead just to try it and it lead to even more of a “nutty” flavor, but I liked the serious crumb layer. The butter also made it nice and pound cake like. It took around 35 min to bake. I also did your cream of tartar trick for the buttermilk.
Eli
Hi, this recipe looks wonderful. Unfortunately, buttermilk is not common in where I’m from. What can I substitute it with? thanks!
Laura
You can use 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added let it sit for 5 mins and you can replace the buttermilk.
Missy
I am so happy I found this recipe! I needed a pound cake recipe for a topsy turvy cake and I was wondering how long to cook it in a 12 inch pan? I have never baked a pound cake in a pan that big before, well I have actually only baked a pound cake once before! :)
Thnak you!
Missy
Anne
This must be one of the best bread recipe I have ever read. The honey and whole wheat are ful of healthy vitamins. Pound cake and honey are great combination.
Denise
Wow! This is a great cake! Baked mine for 50 minutes, turned out wonderful and moist, with the same delicious nutty texture that Joy mentioned. It has a large crumb and a slight burnt sugar taste to me. Thanks Joy for a wonderful recipe!
Joseph's Grainery
can’t wait to try this! yumm! looking forward to sharing it with all of our whole wheat friends!
Rebecca
Looks so delicious! I shall make these as soon as humanly possible. Thanks for posting :)
Amber
The cake was moist and fresh even the next day! Thanks for the incredible recipe!
Cheers!
diana
I made this with 1 1/4 c. graham flour instead of all whole-wheat, and added some chopped walnuts…it was like a graham cracker in pound cake form!
Robin
Yummy! I saw just last week at the post office a kit that you can purchase to design your own postage stamps! How cool is that?!
Rose
Lovely cake! I used whole wheat pastry flour and it didn’t turn out quite as pretty as yours….I’ll try it with the white whole wheat flour (more structure?). I used star thistle honey, it had an excellent flavor.
bec nis
This was really tasty. I iced the muffins with a simple coffee icing (well, half way between an icing and a glaze really) and they were super delicious – great for morning/afternoon tea. I overcooked the cake a little, maybe keep an eye on it from 45 minutes on.
Mama JJ
Made it, ate it, loved it, wrote about it. Thanks!
Katherine
I love honey. L.O.V.E. This looks amazing. Thank you.
Caral
yum! I usually find cake too “sweet” for my taste – this one is absolutely marvelous, and my family loves it too! Thanks a BUNCH!
and I usta wanna be a Baptist nun. ( i was confuzzled).
;)
Vicki
Here’s the site:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/Meet_the_Food_Bloggers/
Vicki
Hey Joy,
Did ya know you’re in the Sunday London Times top food blogs? Is this new news or old news? At any rate, congrat’s!
Lauren
What a tasty looking cake, I love that it’s healthy (at it’s heart at least), it makes me feel like there’s no guilt in tasting it :)
Corrie Yadon
Joy, you are a genius! I made this for a snack this afternoon, and it is killing me having to wait! I ate 2 muffins and am craving another! Thanks!
Erin
Hi Joy! I LOVE your blog and can’t wait to make this! Do you think that the volume would work in a bundt pan? My grandma always made her pound cake in bundt pans, so they always taste extra-special when I bake them that way :)
Jess in MD
Hi Joy!
Just wondering if I could cut the butter in half & use applesauce instead. Would that still provide enough moisture? I’d love to cut down on some of the fat. Thanks a million!
Ashley
This is awesome. I love that it’s whole wheat.
Keri
Absolutely in LOVE with your new site (not to be outdone by your top notch baking skills), it’s fantastic!
Oh, and the bread’s not too shabby either.
Maria
I have never tried to make a whole wheat pound cake! Fabulous idea!
Nicole
Just wanted to let you know I made this last night, yummy! I’m bringing the big loaf to share at lunch since it’s our first early day at school.
Food Hunter
I’m always looking for new things to make with whole wheat. this is great. thanks
stephchows
mmm I bet the raw honey added the best flavor to this!
Melanie
I LOVE the new look! and I definitely did a “double take.” :D
Julia @ Mélanger
Joy, lovely cake. Love the alternative ingredients you’ve used.
Erin
This looks great. It’s going on my list of things to bake! I love finding YUMMY whole wheat recipes.
Susan
Well thank you for the lovely cheese and now I have a place to find sweet yum for when I have time to cook. Make that bake. La femme du frommage est tres tres fantastique et bella aussi.
Amanda Z
MMMMmmmm honey…can’t wait to try out this recipe. I really enjoy working with whole wheat pastry flour actually, so I am rather excited. Thanks for sharing Joy!!!
Heidi
I am going to love this recipe.
I usta wanna be Laurie Partridge and sing with “The Partridge Family”. You are probably too young to know them. Now I am a music teacher that loves to cook!!!!
Jen @ MaplenCornbread
I am running to my kitchen now to make this! Sweet sweet, Joy you have outdone yourself again! This is just perfection! I am happy to hear that you are now loving the nicer side of whole wheat :)
Simon
I usta wanna have a brand new pair of socks waiting for me every morning. Then I realized that only by having rough, old, faded socks for a little while do new socks become so dreamy.
Also, I agree, honey is the best. Especially ‘spun’.
Megan B.
I love baking with white whole wheat flour. I’m def. making this.
snooky doodle
wow this cake looks just as delicious as with white flour. even yummier. Have to try this one too.
Visit my new blog at http://snookysrecipedoodles.blogspot.com/
stacy
Sorry for the second post, but I just realized what these taste like as I polish off another piece… Nilla Waffers! Thanks again!
Amy
This looks great. Going to try it for my sons fifth birthday cake. He isn’t big on typical chocolate cakes or anything like that, but he does love honey.
Oh, and I usta wanna be a politician.
stacy
Hi Joy, new site looks great! Love the recipe index, I never knew I was missing out on so much “Joy”! Made this cake a little while ago and it turned out soooo good. Yum is all I can say. Thanks, this one’s going in rotation! Oh, my husband thanks you more.
heather
I am so excited to make this because my MIL has a fantastic recipe for pound cake that goes directly to my buttocks. And this one seems like the slightly healthier version of hers… Also, I grind my own wheat, so is there a way to turn that into white whole wheat flour? I should probably know the answer to that, but I don’t. And it’s ok if you don’t know either.
Also, I absolutely love your blog and have been reading for a while, but I’ve never commented before. Hi!
Nicole
Never has whole wheat looks so good!
The Duo Dishes
It’d be a fun one to try. Never used ww flour in a cake (or any sort of dessert) before. Perfect.
Lizzie
Ooo this looks so so good! I just got a jar of caramelized honey from my Farmers market and I’ve been itching to use it in a recipe for some kind of bread or quick-bread. This is just the ticket, I believe!
Irina @ PastryPal
The blog is lovely. Funny, I just bought this exact same jar of honey. Is that fate calling me to make this cake?
Sherry
Hey Joy! I am in love with your new site and this new cake! What do you suggest eating with it? I assume it must be just delicious on its own but do you add anything on it?
Thanks!
joythebaker
I think fresh fruit would be lovely!
Julie
This looks amazing! I’m always looking for ways to sub whole wheat in recipes and I’m looking forward to trying your recipe which does just that!
Yolanda
Wow. A whole wheat pancake. I didn’t know there was such a thing. I can just imagine how soothing this one is. (Love the site redesign.)
Mama JJ
This sounds truly delicious. I’m gonna make it.
Flutterby
Hey there! I’m a big fan of your website & I’ve been wanting to try your recipes but my dad’s diabetic & he just had a heart attack recently so mum won’t let me bake anything with sugar, butter or white flour in it. Sigh. Have you got any suggestions for me? Thanks! :)
Flutterby
joythebaker
no sugar, butter or white flour!? that’s a super tough one…. i should be able to come up with something… is any fat ok?
Anna
Usta wana to be bitten by a vampire so I could live forever. Got over the vampire thingy. Now I’m just a chef wannabe. Will definitely try this baby, it looks delish. Thanks Joy.
Casey
I love unexpected yummy things made with whole wheat. Thanks Joy!
katie
I usta wanna invent ice cream flavors
I usta wanna live ina tree house like the berenstein bears.
Looks yummy!
joythebaker
Berenstein Bears Eat Too Much Junk Food. Remember that one!? Best ever.
Shushmi
I used to wanna be a baker when I was abt 5. No joke! My grand plan was to become a baker and then to eat everything I made. Cleary this business plan was doomed to failure.
Luckily then I realised I dont actually have to become a Baker to bake cakes!
dragonfly pie
Oh! I love anything and everything whole wheat! I want to make this immediately and put vanilla ice cream on top.
Amy
Ah yes, I grew up with the mother that only bought whole wheat bread and bran flake cereal. I was SO envious of my friends that got Wonderbread and Captain Crunch.
…but then I grew up. And got wise. I still have a love affair with the “white” food, but I do try and incorporate whole wheat flour in my baking and pancakes.
And heck, this IS still cake. I bet it tastes awesome!!
Kristin
My little girl starts school next week and I’ve been thinking of what homemade treats to make as after-school snacks. This fits the bill perfectly!
Amelia
Wow- I am going to earn mega brownie points with my hubbie for cooking this! :)
I have a favour to ask… can you have a look at this:
http://www.azcookbook.com/zebra-cake/
And tell me how I can make it lower fat (without the oil!)? :)
I have lost 30lb and have 10lb to go! :) But I have a very sweet tooth and this looks amaaaaazing!!
I know you must get a trillion requests, but here’s to hoping!
Thanks!
joythebaker
That Zebra Cake you asked me to look at sure does have a lot of oil. Let me think on it and get back to you… ok? I’m thinking tofu? and a bit of almond oil? Yes… I’ll let you know.
Chris
This sounds perfect for brunch this saturday! Thank you.
If you still want to design a postage stamp, the post office has kits for about $20 that allow you to design and use your own stamps. They cost a little more than regular first class stamps, but if it’s a dream…
Thanks for another great recipe. Glad your party was a huge success!
joythebaker
ooooOOh Chris! I love your tip for making my own postage stamp. I seriously might just have to make this happen for myself!
Siobhán
Yum yum YUM! I am making this tonight. End of story. :)
I love the new blog design btw! :D
Nirvana
Delicious! Honey makes everything taste better!
joythebaker
fact.
Rebecca
This looks like just the thing to make today, as the weather has broken and the skies are grey. Delicious.
I usta wanna be detective Columbo when I grew up. No joke. A cigar-smoking male cop, that was my role model. Now I want to make jam and cakes for a living. Who’da thunk it!
morgana
I was just looking for some whole wheat cakes and I found this. And also honey!!! I love you. ;-)
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’ll bake it as soon as I can. (k)