"Hobbit Day" Sweet Treat: Gluten-Free Orange Cranberry HOBBIT Honey Cakes

Yes, I make fun treats for "Hobbit Day", though this year I did so on September 23rd, since the Autumn Equinox fell on the 23rd. It's a lot easier as celebrations go than, say, traveling. For dinner we made a Chicken Corn Chowder with carrots, zuccini and potatoes to round out all the Hobbit favorites. Of course, we had fresh, hot bread with butter and hard cider to complete the meal (maybe I'll try making homemade gluten-free bread next).
But you don't want to know about that, do you? You want to hear about the dessert.

More like sweet bread or loafs, this twice baked cake is great for dessert or second breakfast! This first round came out a little underdone with 12 + 12 minuntes of baking.

Well, I kept hearing about these honey cakes, and finally I tried to make them this year. Yes, I used a cake mix as my base; don't judge. Sometimes those of us who don't have all day to cook use short cuts, especially when wheat or gluten consumption is an issue.

Someday I'll purchase Xanthun Gum and make the mix myself.

Originally, I looked up Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Recipes to see what they had available. The gluten-free carrot cake recipe is one my husband and I have attempted before, but it tasted more like a spice cake than a true carrot cake. However, I found another recipe from Kitchen Overlord for Beorn's Honey Cakes in honor of Hobbit Week. This is the basis for my adapted recipe. You'll notice the Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix covers flour, baking powder, and salt in the original recipe. Also, since I had craisins already, I switched the dried fruit to cranberries instead of blueberries.

A very versatile household staple.

With that choice, I decided to go with orange zest instead of the original lemon. I also included 2 teaspoons of vanilla as recommended in the carrot cake recipe, and added 8 ounces of sour cream to ensure the cake would be moist. For the milk, I used vanilla almond milk instead. You may also notice I increased the walnuts to 1/2 cup, but that's just because chopped walnuts come in 1/2 cup bags.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange “Hobbit” Honey Cakes

-       1 Box Gluten-Free Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix

-       ½ cup room temp butter

-       ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

-       ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

-       2 teaspoons Vanilla

-       Zest of 1 medium Orange

-       ¾ cup of milk or milk alterative

-       1 egg

-       8oz. Sour Cream

-       ¾ cup honey + ¼ honey reserved (a 12oz. bottle will just barely make do)

-       ½ cup chopped walnuts

-       ½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400º

Mix butter and cake mix until crumbly, then add orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make sure it is all well mixed.

In another bowl, beat milk, egg, vanilla, sour cream, and ¾ cup honey until a sloppy mess. Pour that into crumbly cake blend and mix until batter is just barely free of lumps. Fold in dried cranberries and walnuts.

Generous butter, and as evenly spread as possible

Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter into well-greased muffins tins. You’ll want to use a generous amount of butter instead of liners in order to achieve a nice, crispy crust.For the first baking, leave them in a 400 º oven for 12 minutes.

Fill muffin tin 2/3rds full

Take the cakes out of the oven. If you insert a toothpick in the middle, a little batter may still stick. That’s all right. If it spurts out when you press on the top, put them back in for another 2-4 minutes. *I would suggest the full 16 minutes, unless you like your baked good a little underdone.

If you used enough butter, the cakes should slide right out of the muffin tin. Arrange them 1inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Generously drizzle the rest of your honey on top of your cakes. It helps to heat your honey in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to thin it out. Use enough to coat the top and drip down the sides. This creates a nice crispy glaze on your honey cakes.

Let the honey cakes sit for at least 5 minutes so the honey can soak in.

Drizzle honey, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Put the baking sheet back in the oven for 10-12minutes, or until the tops are a deep golden honey brown. *I would suggest the full 12 minutes.

With the honey absorbed and baked into the cake, the final product looks more like a muffin than a cake. But don't let that fool you. It's mighty sweet, and particularly tasty with a little whipped cream!

Hope y'all enjoy this Hobbit-inspired fall treat!

*~K~*

Honey on the cookie sheet will be a little sticky to clean.

Cleaning warning: With the honey dripping down the sides, you will have burnt honey on your cookie sheet. Best to let that stuff soak.