Cinnamon chocolate cake is intensely chocolatey with a hint of spice. This fudgy cake pairs so well with the piquant, mellow sweetness that is salted honey buttercream. This layer cake is hard to resist any time of year but the spice and the honey frosting are so perfectly in tune with the cooler months.
My salted honey hot chocolate and cinnamon hot chocolate would both go perfectly with this cake.
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I am a sucker for a layer cake. Especially when it involves chocolate and buttercream. So to celebrate my birthday a few weeks ago I baked this cinnamon chocolate cake with salted honey buttercream (gasp).
It’s been on the cards for a while and I think I’ve shown remarkable restraint right through January by waiting for February to roll around along with a good excuse to bake it.
In need of a more traditional chocolate cake? Try my classic chocolate cream cake or my child-friendly drinking chocolate cake.
And if you are looking for other interesting toppings for cakes, browse my collection of buttercream recipes.
What is Salted Honey Buttercream?
Quite simply, this honey frosting is a rich and delicious buttercream that has been flavoured with both honey and sea salt.
I always use a deep, amber coloured honey and pound the sea salt to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar so it blends into the frosting evenly and without adding a grainy texture to it.
Without a doubt this honey frosting is the finest buttercream I’ve ever made. Sweet it most definitely is. But it’s also mellow thanks to the honey. And there’s a slight twang of saltiness to give it a savoury edge.
Bundled up with the chocolate and cinnamon spice, honey buttercream is a grown-up topping that is sure to please in this chocolate cinnamon cake recipe.
How to Make Cinnamon Chocolate Cake
The actual cinnamon chocolate cake teams it’s headline flavours with dark muscovado sugar and buttermilk. The result is a dark, soft and fudgy cake with an intense chocolate flavour and a hint of warming spice. It’s rather like a pound cake but a little fudgier.
This cake pairs with the salty-sweet honey buttercream perfectly. It’s also easy to make.
- Grease and line 3 x 6-inch baking tins with baking parchment and preheat the oven
- Put the chocolate into a small heatproof bowl and gently melt the chocolate in the microwave (or over a bain-marie). Set aside
- Weigh the flour, cocoa, baking powder & cinnamon into a bowl
- In another bowl cream the butter and sugar together using electric beaters until fluffy and paler in colour.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time
- Sieve half of the flour mixture into the batter and blend, stir in the buttermilk, milk and vanilla extract and then sieve in the remaining flour and mix until just combined
- Take a heaped tablespoon of the cake batter and quickly mix it into the melted chocolate then quickly blend this mixture back into the rest of the cake batter
- Divide the batter between the cake tins & bake
- Let the cake cool in the tins for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Peel off the baking parchment from the bottom of each sponge cake and let cool completely
How to Make Honey Buttercream
It’s very easy to make this honey frosting too:
- Use a pestle and mortar to crush the sea salt to a powder
- Using electric beaters whip the butter and icing sugar together – add the icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time
- Beat in the honey, followed by ½ of the powdered salt
- Taste – add more powdered salt to suit tastes
Tip: it is essential to add the salt a little at a time, tasting after each addition until you reach a level of saltiness you are happy with. Use my salt quantity as a guide only – you may prefer more, less or none at all:
Once the cakes are completely cool, sandwich the layers together with the buttercream.
Top tip
Muscovado sugar has an annoying tendency to harden and form lumps when stored. Make sure to remove any clumps of sugar before baking commences. If you leave those lumps in your cake will be prone to sugary holes (but it will still taste great).
This chocolate cake with cinnamon topped with salted honey buttercream is a marvellous option for winter. The flavours are homely, comforting and deeply enticing. Cut yourself a slice and snuggle up under a cosy blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book.
More chocolate cakes
If you’ve enjoyed this cinnamon chocolate cake you might like some of my other chocolate cakes. I’ve got quick a few in my collection of cake recipes. Here are a few:
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Cinnamon Chocolate Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream
Equipment
- This Cake uses 3 x 6-inch cake tins (see notes for 8-inch cake)
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 180 g/ ¾ cup butter – softened
- 180 g/ 1 cup dark muscovado sugar (lump free – see tips in main text)
- 180 g/ 1 ½ cups plain (all purpose) flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 eggs
- 6 tablespoon buttermilk
- 3 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 g/ 1 cup dark chocolate – roughly chopped (I used 65% cocoa solids)
For the Buttercream
- 300 g butter/ 1 ⅓ cup butter – softened
- 240 g / 2 ⅛ cup icing (confectionary) sugar – sieved
- 3 tablespoon runny honey
- ¼ teaspoon seasalt
Decoration
- Ground cinnamon
- Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Instructions
- Grease and line 3 x 6 inch baking tins with baking parchment
- Preheat oven 175C/ 325F/ GM3
- Weigh the flour, cocoa, baking powder & cinnamon into a bowl
- Put the chocolate into a small heatproof bowl and gently melt the chocolate in the microwave (or over a bain-marie) and set aside
- In another bowl cream the butter and sugar together using electric beaters until fluffy and paler in colour
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time
- Sieve half of the flour mixture into the batter and blend
- Add the buttermilk, milk and vanilla extract and mix
- Sieve in the remaining flour and mix until just combined
- Take a heaped tablespoon of the cake batter and quickly mix it into the melted chocolate then quickly blend this mixture back into the rest of the cake batter
- Divide the batter between the 3 cake tins, level slightly and bake for 22-25 minutes until the sponge springs back when lightly pressed or a skewer comes out clean
- Let cool in the tins for 2 minutes, then remove from the tins, peel off the baking parchment from the bottom of each sponge cake and let cool completely on a wire rack
Make the buttercream
- Use a pestle and mortar to crush the sea salt to a powder
- Using electric beaters whip the butter and icing sugar together – add the icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time
- Beat in the honey, followed by ½ of the powdered salt
- Taste – add a little more powdered salt to suit tastes
Assemble the cake
- Lay one chocolate sponge cake onto a board and spread ¼ of the icing on top
- Place another layer of cake carefully on top of the layer of icing and top with another ¼ of the icing, spread it out and top with the final layer of cake
- Spread another ¼ icing on top of the cake and use the remaining icing to pipe rosettes on the top of the cake
- Dust with a little ground cinnamon and decorate with cinnamon sticks if desired
Crystal Green
This looks stunning!! It would be perfect to use this cake at some elegant event.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Jane Saunders
A pleasure Crystal.
Michelle - Giraffes Can Bake
This cake is so gorgeous, and that salted honey buttercream is just calling my name!
Jane Saunders
Thanks Michelle. I can hear the buttercream calling you – you’d better get baking
Gail
Where to you buy muscovado sugar ?
Also not clear on the chocolate is it the chocolate you use to make candy please specify. Would love to try this.
Jane Saunders
Hi Gail. Muscovado sugar should be avaiable from the supermarket. And the chocolate is regular dark chocolate not cooking/ candy making chocolate (mine is 65% cocoa solids)
Gail
Ty
Jennie Durren
This sounds amazing right now – it’s cold again after being quite warm here for a while! The second photo, of the buttercream in a bowl, is perfection. Completely gorgeous.
Jane Saunders
Ah Jennie, thankyou so much. You have made my day with your comment – thanks for taking the time to write.
Karen
I’m not able to get that particular sugar ,,, can you sub it out for dark brown sugar?
Jane Saunders
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried it with any other sugar. I chose dark muscovado to enhance the colour, flavour and fudgy nature of the cake. I’d guess that substituting in soft brown sugar would work but the colour, flavour and texture will change slightly.
Veena Azmanov
Oh sounds so yum.. Love cinnamon and chocolate combination. this would be bliss.
Jane Saunders
Thanks Veena
Matthew Cetta
OMG That cake looks sinful!
Jane Saunders
Just a teeny-tiny bit naughty 😉
Kristen
my gawd! this looks really good!
Jane Saunders
Thanks Kristen
debi at Life Currents
What a lovely & flavorful spice cake. And the pictures are so pretty. Maybe I’ll ask for this cake for my birthday!
Jane Saunders
Thanks so much Debi – hope somebody bakes it for you.
Erren
Too stunning for words, some brilliant flavours and I bet it tastes like heaven!
Jane Saunders
Thankyou Erren – heaven indeed 😉