Can I Make The Honey Cake Without Eggs?

Asked by nanacook. Answered on 27th April 2023

Full question

I've been making Nigella's Honey Cake for years, and everybody loves it! But my daughter-in-law is now severely allergic to eggs and can't eat it (it's her favourite). Is it possible to make it without eggs, or is there something I can substitute? I've read about using ground flaxseed, but don't know if it'll work. I really hope you can help.

Honey Cake

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Honey Cake (from FEAST) is a moist and sticky spiced cake that is actually made with golden syrup rather than honey. Nigella serves the cake with an easy butterscotch sauce. The cake is made with eggs and unfortunately we can't recommend an alternative to eggs for this particular recipe.

However, we would suggest maybe trying Nigella's Luscious Vegan Gingerbread as an egg-free alternative. You could omit the grated fresh ginger to give a more gently spiced cake and maybe tweak the balance of spices to your daughter-in-law's tastes. You could also use 400g of golden syrup rather than a mixture of treacle and golden syrup if you want a cake that is slightly less intense. Regular whole or semi-skimmed milk can be used instead of oat milk if the cake doesn't need to be vegan. You can make the butterscotch sauce to go with this cake, though it is moister and slightly sweeter than the honey cake.