With Mother’s Day fast approaching (Sunday, 10 March) it’s time to show the mother figure in your life how much you care. What better way than to bake something delicious with wholesome, tasty ingredients like pure, organic honey from Honey Heaven.
Sourced from artisan beekeepers located in the pristine, unspoilt Hungarian countryside, the Honey Heaven organic range boasts some incredible flavours, boosted by the addition of health-giving herbs, spices and botanicals, not to mention other bee-made goodies such as Honey Dew, pollen and propolis.
Most honey found in the supermarkets is pasteurized, a process which destroys many of the beneficial nutrients. In contrast, organic honey is packed full of healthy compounds including amino acids, antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
Honey is the perfect natural sweetener for desserts and cakes, so use this delicious, sweet gift from the greatest matriarch of them all, Mother Nature, to treat your mum this Mother’s Day by making her one of these delicious bakes:
Ginger and Honey Cake
This cake is super easy but looks dramatic enough for a special occasion. Flavoured and sweetened by Honey Heaven’s Ginger Honey and with icing made exceptional by a tablespoon of Acacia Honey, your mum will be in seventh heaven!
Ingredients
For the cake
2 tbs of Honey Heaven Ginger honey
1 large egg
150g self-raising flower
100g salted butter
100g sugar (our preference is golden caster sugar)
1 tbs of mixed spice
½ tbs of ground ginger
For the icing
60g icing sugar
1 tbs of Honey Heaven Organic Natural Hungarian Acacia Honey
Splash of milk to mix the icing
Method
1. Before you start, heat your oven to 180c/160c or gas mark 4.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until it has a creamy consistency.
3. While whisking, add two tablespoons of Honey Heaven UK Ginger Honey , egg, milk, ground ginger, mixed spices and then fold in the flour.
4. Either butter the baking tin or use a case to line it, then pour the cake mixture into the tin.
5. Place into the oven for around 45mins checking to ensure the cake is cooked before you remove it. This can be done by inserting a knife or skewer into the cake’s centre and ensuring it comes out clean.
6. Wait for the cake to cool, then mix the icing sugar and honey and add splashes of milk until the icing is at the consistency you want.
7. Once iced dribble some of the Honey Heaven Organic Natural Acacia Honey over the cake.
8. Serve and enjoy.
Thyme and Lemon Honey Bundt Cake
The gorgeous lemon and thyme paired with Honey Heaven Organic Honeydew Honey in this Bundt cake are a mouthful of early summer! Impactful on the eye and on the tongue.
Ingredients:
Two fresh lemons (unwaxed)
Fresh thyme leaves (small bunch)
250ml greek yoghurt
450g plain flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
200g soft unsalted butter
240ml or one cup of Honey Heaven Organic Unprocessed Honeydew Honey
3 large eggs
120 to 240 grams of icing sugar (depending on how much icing you like)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160c
2. Prep your Bundt tin by coating the inside with soft butter and sprinkling with plain flour.
3. Zest the two lemons and place to one side. Then squeeze both the lemons and leave the juice to one side.
4. Place the soft butter into a freestanding mixer or a large bowl and mix until creamy. Add the thyme leaves (about 4 teaspoons) and once creamed, add the grated lemon zest. Mix.
5. Add the Honey Heaven Organic Unprocessed Honeydew Honey and mix.
6. Add the eggs one by one while still mixing.
7. Add the Greek yoghurt and mix until combined.
8. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until combined.
9. Add the lemon juice and mix until combined.
10. Pour the mixture into the prepared Bundt tin; lightly tap the tin to remove as many air bubbles as possible.
11. Place into oven. After 50 minutes, check if the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer or knife into the centre of the sponge. If the instrument is coated in any wet mixture, return to the oven for 10 mins more, then check again.
12. Once cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.
13. Mix the icing sugar with water and drizzle over the Bundt cake. For an extra special touch, add fresh Thyme leaves.
Amor Honey Flapjack
Everyone loves a flapjack, but this recipe takes it to another level thanks to the Organic Amor Honey that serves to help sweeten and moisten the porridge oats for a delicious, chewy bite.
Ingredients:
2 tbs of Honey Heaven Organic Amor Honey
250g jumbo porridge oats
110g coconut sugar
125g non salted butter
You can add any of the below ingredients to bring some extra nutrition to the flapjacks
2 Bananas mashed together
3 tbs of chia seeds
3 tbs of ground almonds
The Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
2. Melt the butter
3. Mix the melted butter and Honey Heaven Organic Amor Honey together in a large mixing bowl
4. Add the oats, butter and coconut sugar and mix until blended together
5. Butter your baking tin
6. Empty the mixture into the baking tin flatted out evenly
7. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 mins
Organic Cinnamon Honey and Banana Cake
What a mouthwatering combo – cinnamon honey and banana! This cake is simple to make and guaranteed to put a smile of your mum’s face.
Ingredients:
Two tablespoons of Honey Heaven Organic Cinnamon Honey
Two Bananas mashed together
Three Eggs
200g unsalted butter
200g coconut sugar (or any sugar you prefer)
200g self-raising flour
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
2. Make sure the butter is at room temp
3. Blend the butter and coconut sugar together in the mixer until well blended
4. Keep the mixer on and add the three eggs one by one
5. Add the two tablespoons of Honey Heaven Organic Cinnamon Honey
6. Peel the bananas and mash together in a bowl then add to the mix
7. Add the flour, spoon by spoon
8. Make sure you line your baking loaf tin with baker paper
9. Once everything is mixed together pour the mixture into a baking loaf tin
10. Place in the oven and bake for 45 to 60 mins, insert a skewer into the cake, when the skewer comes out clean the cake is ready
Cinnamon Honey Oat Cookies
For a tasty alternative to flapjack, these cinnamon honey oat cookies are bursting with flavour and are the perfect snack for adults and kids. Great to take on a family walk to keep you going before settling down for a hearty Mother’s Day meal!
Ingredients:
90g dried apricots chopped
70g raisins
100g unsalted butter (soft and at room temperature)
2 eggs
2 generous tablespoons of Honey Heaven Cinnamon Honey
160g porridge oats
80g self-raising flower
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Chop the dried apricot and put to one side
3. Cream the butter in a bowl until smooth and mix in the honey.
4. Add the two eggs and beat along with the vanilla essence.
5. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
6. Place some baking paper on a baking tray
7. Bring the dough together and pull ball shapes off to mould into cookie shapes.
8. Depending on how big your cookies are, bake in the oven for 11 to 15 mins, checking regularly.
9. Once cooked, leave on a baking sheet for a few minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool.
Remember, they are best served still warm!
Cinnamon Baklava
This honey-soaked variation on a Turkish classic makes a sensational centre piece and is guaranteed to impress the guest of honour! The hint of cinnamon from the Honey Heaven Organic Cinnamon Honey is sublime.
Ingredients:
Cinnamon honey syrup
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of water
1 1/4 cups of cinnamon honey
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 tsp of salt
Nut filling
200g of pistachios
200g of walnuts
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1/8 tsp of salt
Layering
2 packs of filo pastry
2 sticks of melted butter
Method:
1. Put all your honey syrup ingredients in a pot and bring to boil at low temperature. When everything is well combined turn the heat off and set aside
2. Put your nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times to get small bits of nuts (not dust).
Add sugar and salt to your nuts and set aside the mixture
3. Cut your layers to the size of the baking mould you will use. We used a circular one.
4. To assemble, be sure you keep around 10 filo layers for the bottom and the top, and around 6-8 for the middle.
5. Layer one filo sheet and cover in butter (use a brush to make it even and cover all the edges), cover with another filo sheet.
6. Repeat until you reach 8-10 layers to the base. (Do not put butter in the last filo sheet)
7. Add half of your nut mix evenly, cover with a filo sheet without pressing too hard. Continue layering filo-butter until you reach 6.
8. Add the other half of your nut mixture and repeat the layering with the final 10 sheets. Press with your hands or with the base of a jug or a measuring cup (whatever you think might help you).
9. Spread butter on the top
10. Make your cuts: 4 quarters, then split each in half and then do two diagonals to one side, and then to the other. Or simply cut into squares.
11. Bake at 180C for 40 mins
12. Take out of the oven and pour your syrup over the top, brush gently, add some pistachios and allow to rest a few hours
So, celebrate the mother figure in your life with one of Mother Nature’s finest gifts – honey!
To find out more about the Honey Heaven range and to buy, visit www.honeyheaven.co.uk
