Lemon Balm Honey Cake
A moist, fragrant cake infused with lemon balm tea and wildflower honey—delicate, citrusy, and perfect with a cup of melisa.
This honey cake uses strongly brewed lemon balm tea right in the batter, giving the crumb a gentle herbal-citrus perfume that regular lemon can't replicate. It's subtle, soothing, and completely addictive.
Wildflower honey is the ideal sweetener here—it rounds out the tea's lemony brightness with floral depth, creating a cake that tastes like a sunny afternoon in a garden.
The texture is tender and moist, almost like a European tea cake. The secret is the tea replacing some of the liquid—it adds flavor without making the batter heavy.
Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and a sprig of fresh lemon balm, or drizzle with a simple honey-lemon glaze. It keeps beautifully for days, getting more fragrant as it sits.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup strongly brewed lemon balm tea, cooled
- 1/3 cup wildflower honey
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Fresh lemon balm leaves for garnish
How to make it
- 1Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
- 2Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in honey.
- 3Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- 4Add dry ingredients to wet in three additions, alternating with the brewed lemon balm tea. Mix until just combined.
- 5Fold in lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- 6Bake 30–35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
- 7Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh lemon balm leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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