Create a Buzz With This Sticky Honey Peanut Cake From ‘A Chef’s Life’
While winter offers its own delectable array of in-season produce, from bright citrus to hearty root vegetables, the cold weather months can certainly be a trickier time in the kitchen. “When November turns to December, that list of ingredients really starts to dwindle,” Chef Vivian Howard says in the promo for the next episode of A Chef’s Life.
To compensate for this lack of fresh ingredients, Howard, who is a restaurant owner in North Carolina, turns to one classic ingredient to pick up the slack — honey. “We go through about a gallon of honey every week,” Howard says of her reliance on the sweet stuff.
In this episode of A Chef’s Life, Howard visits a variety of chefs around the city of Durham to scope out the best honey-infused dishes. At one stop she requests the infamous honey hush puppies — nicknamed the “hush honey” — and is blown away. Another local favorite is the Sticky Honey Peanut Cake from Scratch Bakery, which you can find the recipe for below.
Check out your local PBS listings to find out when A Chef’s Life airs in your area.
Photos courtesy of A Chef’s Life
Sticky Honey Peanut Cake
Recipe by: Phoebe Lawless - Scratch Bakery, Durham, NC
Makes 1 9” cake
For Cake:
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups fine biscuit/cake crumbs
1 ½ cups finely ground roasted peanuts
½ cup white sugar
½ cup honey
¼ cup canola oil
3 eggs
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
For Syrup:
¾ cup honey
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup apple cider
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375
Generously butter a 9” cake pan and reserve
In a small bowl combine salt, cinnamon, biscuit/cake crumbs and peanuts and reserve
In a large mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients for cake and whisk until very smooth and eggs are aerated
Pour into prepared pan and bake until cake just pulls away from sides and tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes
Meanwhile, combine syrup ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and cook on medium heat until thick, about 12 minutes. Reserve.
Allow cake to cool 10 minutes. Using a skewer or small straw, poke holes in cake.
Lightly brush with warm syrup, using it all. Allow to cool another 10-15 minutes
Before inverting to remove from pan.
This cake can be served warm or room temp, excellent with whipped cream, ice cream, or a light custard sauce. Garnish with rough chopped roasted peanuts.
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