Greek Honey Cake is a light, flavor-packed dessert that skips all the fuss. Make this simple, sweet, and citrusy cake to feed a crowd!
I found Greek honey cake in search of easy desserts that aren't laden with butter or frosting. This recipe, which features an olive oil cake soaked with a honey, fresh citrus and pistachio syrup rather than frosting, is exactly the not-too-sweet dessert I was craving.
This cake recipe is inspired by desserts on the island of Aegina, where pistachios and honey from local beekeepers are aplenty. To be honest, I was ready to try this Greek honey cake the instant I saw that it involved pistachios–whether in a milk pudding or baklava I'll take any excuse to use creamy, slightly savory pistachios to elevate a sweet treat.
Aside from its incredible flavor, this yiayia-approved honey cake is also ideal for serving a crowd. The squares can easily feed 12 to 15 or so, and it’s adored by kids and adults alike. Plus, it's the kind of simple dessert recipe where you dump all the ingredients in one single bowl and mix!
Table of Contents
Greek Honey Cake Ingredients
With tangy Greek yogurt, sweet honey, fresh citrus, course semolina flour, and crunchy nuts, this cake has a delightful balance of flavors and textures. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Eggs: Hold the batter together.
- Citrus: You will need 2 lemons and 2 oranges. Both the zest and the juice are used, so opt for organic citrus and give them a good scrub. I like extra fragrant and sweet Meyer lemons if they’re available.
- Greek yogurt: Moistens the cake with a tangy flavor to balance the sweetness.
- Sweetener: Granulated sugar sweetens the batter, and honey soaks into the cooked cake, flavoring and sweetening it. A high-quality, pleasantly flavored honey is essential–I like our Greek Alfa honey.
- Flour: A combination of semolina and all-purpose give this cake a nice fluffy meets toothsome texture.
- Baking powder: Gives the cake a nice rise.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Lends a lot of flavor to the cake. Use a high-quality extra virgin variety that’s not too bitter–I like our Private Reserve Greek for this recipe.
- Nuts: Ground almonds flavor the dough and add crunch to the topping. Use unroasted, unsalted almonds (sometimes labeled “raw”). Pistachios add crunch, creaminess and a pop of color to the top.
How to Make Greek Honey Cake
Though this cake is delicious right away, it’s even better if you let it soak in all the flavor. Ideally, make this cake the night before you plan to serve. Here’s how it’s done:
Make the Cake
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil and dust with all purpose flour (shake the pan a little to get an even coating of flour).
- Make the cake batter. Place 5 large eggs, 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 2 cups of sugar, 5 tablespoons of ground almonds, the zest of one orange and one lemon, 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour, and 1 cup semolina flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ¾ cup olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or a whisk to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Bake and cool. Bake on the center rack until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake completely cool in the pan.
Flavor the Cake
- Make the honey syrup. Once the cake has cooled, toast the pistachios in a large dry non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Once they become fragrant, stir in the honey, orange juice, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and reduce until nice and syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. (Do NOT taste the hot syrup as it will burn your mouth).
- Soak the cake. Stab the cake all over with a small knife or a skewer to create holes. Pour the honey pistachio syrup all over the cake as evenly as possible. If you need to, use a spoon to distribute the pistachios across the top of the cake. Sprinkle on the shaved almonds, if using. For best results, allow the cake to soak with the syrup for a few hours.
- Serve. Cut the cake into 12 to 15 squares and serve.
What to Serve with Greek Honey Cake
Greek honey cake, like banana bread or Italian carrot cake, perfectly balances sweet and savory to make it welcome at any time of day. Serve for brunch or an afternoon snack with a cup of lemon ginger tea or coffee.
For dessert, serve this honey cake after a Greek-style feast. Start with ice-cold glasses of ouzo and mezze like Tirokafteri and Tzatziki with pita. Move on to traditional Greek salad and something simple like Greek sheet pan chicken. Finish with a sticky square of honey cake, perhaps with Carajillos (Spiked Coffee) on the side.
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Our Signature Private Reserve and Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Sourced Directly from Family Farms in Greece.
Greek Honey Cake with Orange and Pistachios
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt (I used fat-free plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons ground almonds
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup coarse semolina (or farina or Cream of Wheat)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- Handful of shaved almonds, for topping (optional)
For the Honey Pistachio Syrup
- 1 1 /4 cup shelled salted pistachios
- 1 ¼ cup quality runny honey
- Juice of 2 oranges
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with oil and dust with all purpose flour (shake the pan a little to get an even coating of flour).
- Make the cake batter. Place the eggs, yogurt, sugar, ground almonds, orange and lemon zest, AP and semolina flour, baking powder, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or a whisk to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Bake and cool. Bake on the center rack until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake completely cool in the pan.
- Make the honey syrup. Once the cake has cooled, toast the pistachios in a large dry non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Once they become fragrant, stir in the honey, orange juice, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and reduce until nice and syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. (Do NOT taste the hot syrup as it will burn your mouth).
- Soak the cake. Use a small knife or skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour the honey pistachio syrup all over the cake as evenly as possible. If you need to, use a spoon to distribute the pistachios across the top of the cake. Sprinkle on the shaved almonds, if using. For best results, allow the cake to soak with the syrup for a few hours.
- Serve. Cut the cake into 12 to 15 squares and serve.
Video
Notes
- You can by the almonds ground or grind whole almonds in a small food processor.
- The syrup needs to be hot when you pour it on the cooled cake so the cake will better absorb it.
- This cake is even better the next day when the flavors and the moisture have settled in.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
*This post has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
Hello,
Ground almonds? Can I use almond flour or almond meal? Can't wait to try it!
Hi, Nicole. Almond meal may work fine here, it's just not something we've tested. We don't recommend almond flour.
So far so good and it is smelling great but as of now, it is taking an extra 10 minutes to bake. The toothpick is still coming out with batter on it. Yes, I checked the temperature and yes, all measurements of ingredients were as directed.
Hi Suzy,
About to try making the Greek Honey Cake, how long does it last for? I would like to keep it for 5 to 7 days.
Thank you, your recipes are great,
Hello! We only recommend storing this in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Hope you enjoy it!!
I want to make this gluten free. Can I just leave out the semolina or is there a substitute? Thank you
Hi, Jasmine. We haven't tested this recipe with a gluten free alternative to the semolina, so it's hard to say. However, another reader has had success by replacing all the flours in the recipe (including the semolina) with gluten free flour blend, so it sounds like it's worth a try!
Is it necessary to mix everything all at once? Most cakes I bake start with combining the wet ingredients and the adding the dry ingredients. I am about to make this for a dinner party. For now, I'll follow the instructions you provided. It's easier than mixing in steps. I also love that it's mixed by hand. Would using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment change the result?
Has anyone tried halfing the sugar to 1 cup instead of 2? Im worried it may be too sweet
Hello,
The pistachios, do you use salted or unsalted?
Jane
Hi Jane - Devin here from the editorial team. Either will work but salted adds a nice balance and enhances the sweet and citrusy flavors. You can also add a pinch of salt to unsalted pistachios as you toast them if you'd like.
Hi Devin thanks for answering!
I used salted pistachios and the result was amazing.
The flavors of the cake too.. perfectly balanced!!
Warm greetings, Jane
Hello, your cake look very good. May i have more détails about the olive oil.
13/16 cups seems enormous.
How much olive oil in ml may we used please.
Thank you very much
Hi, Corinne. You would want to use approximately 192 ml of olive oil here. Enjoy!
Just made it and really fantastic... only thing it was a little too sweet for my taste. Wondering if I could use honey in the cake instead of refined sugar?
Hi, Angie! I think that could work! Another reader had success using 1 cup of honey in place of the 2 cups of sugar with success, so I think it's definitely worth a try!