There are some ingredients you buy that you immediately know you need to figure out a way to put them into a recipe. That was me with Trader Joe’s new Granola Butter. I bought a jar, tasted it, and basically couldn’t stop eating it. It’s made with oats and has this delicious maple-vanilla flavor that tastes like the best part of granola. A few spoons in and I realized, this would be amazing on honey cake.
So I started thinking about how to make a honey cake that highlights the granola idea. Instead of simply putting granola on top, I used ground oats and whole rolled oats right in the cake, giving it that tender crumb that I love in a good oat muffin. Then I topped it with a layer of the granola butter and finished it with a crunchy oat crumble.
The result is a honey cake that’s a little different from the traditional version—oaty, warmly spiced, creamy and crunchy all at once.
Granola Honey Cake
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup oat flour (see note)
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup neutral oil
½ cup honey
2 large eggs
⅔ cup strong coffee, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange zest, optional
For the Oat Crumble
½ cup reserved dry mixture from the cake
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons neutral oil
For the Topping
1 jar Trader Joe’s Granola Butter (may sub Lotus butter or any frosting!)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, oat flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Before adding any wet ingredients, remove ½ cup of the dry mixture and set it aside for the crumble.
To the reserved mixture, add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Mix with a fork or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12–16 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely. The crumble will crisp further as it cools.
To the remaining dry cake ingredients, add the oil, honey, eggs, coffee, vanilla and orange zest, if using. Whisk just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cool, spread Trader Joe’s Granola Butter generously over the top. Scatter the cooled oat crumble over the granola butter.
Cut into squares and serve.
NOTES:
For a similar creamy topping, use peanut butter or Lotus Biscoff cookie butter straight from the jar. You can also substitute your favorite frosting.
If you don’t have oat flour, simply blend old-fashioned rolled oats in a high-speed blender or food processor until finely ground. For the 3/4 cup you need for this recipe, blend about 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp old fashioned oats to make 3/4 cup flour.
Related Recipes:
Hawaij Honey Cake with Labneh Frosting – Busy in Brooklyn
Parsnip Honey Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting & Rainbow Carrot Chips – Busy in Brooklyn
World’s Best Honey Cake – Busy in Brooklyn