Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake

Name: Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 cups (435 g) low FODMAP gluten-free flour, (such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour, plus extra); 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; (use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet); 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ cup (113 g; 1 stick) unsalted butter, (cut into pieces); 1 cup 198 g sugar; 1 cup (240 ml) strong brewed black tea, (at room temperature or slightly warm); ¾ cup (180 ml) light corn syrup; ½ cup (107 g) firmly packed light brown sugar; ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, (such as canola, rice bran or safflower); ⅓ cup (75 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice, (at room temperature); ¼ cup (60 ml) honey; 3 large eggs, (at room temperature); 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; Confectioners’ sugar

Our Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake is a simple, “plain” cake, perfect alongside a cup of your favorite hot beverage. Lovely for Rosh Hashanah, too. Speaking of hot beverages, there is black tea in the batter, which lends moisture and flavor. The honey is in a small amount, and the rest of the liquid sweetener is light corn syrup, which is low FODMAP (and not the same as high fructose corn syrup).

main image of Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake on cooling rack, dusted with confectioners' sugar — Try our Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah or anytime you want a moist, simple cake.

FODMAP IT!™

This recipe is based upon one I found online; it was ripe for a low FODMAP re-do.

I tweaked the preparation technique and made it low FODMAP by substituting a good amount of light corn syrup for the full 1 cup (240 ml) of honey that the original recipe called for. Honey has such a strong flavor, that it still shines through, even though you will only use ¼ cup (60 ml).

You could use maple syrup instead of corn syrup, but then the cake becomes more of a maple syrup cake, flavor-wise. Nothing wrong with that, but my intention was to make a “honey” cake for Rosh Hashanah, so I wanted the honey flavor to be prominent.

low FODMAP Honey Cake cooling on rack — Take time to prep your pan well and it will unmold beautifully.

Is Honey Low FODMAP?

Honey is typically thought of as a high FODMAP food, because the serving size is so low. However, there is a small low FODMAP serving size, which is used to great advantage in this recipe where we extend the honey flavor with the very neutral flavored light corn syrup.

Check out our article High FODMAP Foods With Low FODMAP Serving Sizes. and our article Is Honey Low FODMAP?

Do Different Honeys Contain Different FODMAP Amounts?

Monash University has lab tested clover honey as well as a more nonspecific honey, the latter of which has twice the serving size of the former. 1 teaspoon, or 7 g, of honey is considered low FODMAP (½ teaspoon (3 g) for clover honey is low FODMAP).

There is some very interesting science about the different ratios of glucose to fructose in various types of honey, which we will be exploring more intensely soon. When a food has more glucose than fructose – such as in white granulated sugar – it is low FODMAP. When fructose is in excess of glucose, the food flips to high FODMAP. Learn more by reading about monosaccharides. It will be fascinating to learn which honeys have higher glucose/lower fructose content.

Thank you to one of our Low FODMAP for Foodies Facebook group super-users, Aleksandar Zvorinji, who sent me a whole bunch of scientific papers to read on honey. If you love to cook, come join our group! We talk about all kinds of nerdy food stuff like this.

Serving Sizes Count

Of course, remember, whenever you are calculating FODMAP load in a recipe you have to look at the amount per serving, not in the entire recipe. This is why a recipe is not a low FODMAP recipe without a serving size!

low FODMAP honey cake on white plate; whole cake in background

Honey Cake Variations

I absolutely love this cake. It is incredibly moist, and the crumb texture is divine. I have made it a few different ways that I would like to share.

You could use black coffee instead of tea (but know the coffee flavor is then very pronounced and mutes the honey).
I have made this cake with mild flavored olive oil.
You can also use water and no tea or coffee at all.
Add some orange zest, or even lemon zest.
Use half cinnamon and half ground ginger.
A dash of cloves is nice, too.
Add ½ cup (83 g) dark raisins.
Add ½ cup (50 g) walnut or pecan halves, chopped
Serve toasted for breakfast.
Bake in two 9-inch (23 cm) loaf pans, instead of the ring pan.
Why not try a few berries alongside?

low FODMAP honey cake on white plate_ — This cake is fantastic with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or without.

Making Low FODMAP Honey Cake

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously coat the inside of a 12 cup (2.8 L) decorative ring pan with nonstick spray, then sprinkle with the extra flour, coating all the interior surfaces; tap out any excess. Set aside.

dry ingredients for low FODMAP Honey Cake

In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 cups (435 g) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; make a well in the center and set aside.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe large mixing bowl, then whisk in the sugar, tea, corn syrup, brown sugar, oil, orange juice, honey, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined.

wet ingredients for low FODMAP Honey Cake

Add the wet mixture to the dry flour mixture, whisking very well until there are no lumps. It will be a fairly thin batter. Pour into prepared pan, which might look only half-full. Don’t worry! It rises beautifully.

low FODMAP Honey Cake batter in pan — The batter is thin, but bakes up to a beautiful texture.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes, then unmold and cool completely.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar right before serving. Cake will last 4 days at room temperature under a cake dome.

dusting low FODMAP honey cake with confectioers' sugar

FODMAP Information

All recipes are based upon Monash University & FODMAP Friendly science at time of initial publication.

Black Tea: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested black tea for FODMAPs. Monash says that a Green Light low FODMAP portion is 180 ml (¾ cup) when “brewed strongly” and made from “1 teabag”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at “1 bag” or 1.88 g.
Butter: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested butter. Monash states that a low FODMAP Green Light portion is 1 tablespoon or 19 g and also states that “butter is high in fat and does not contain carbohydrates (FODMAPs)”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at 1 tablespoon or 19 g. Both recommended serving sizes are presented as part of healthy eating guidelines, not as maximum FODMAP serving size. Fat can affect guy motility and trigger IBS symptoms in some people. Eat to your tolerance.
Eggs: Eggs are high in protein and do not contain carbohydrates, according to Monash University.
Honey: Honey has been lab tested by both FODMAP Friendly and Monash University. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Fail” at 2 teaspoons (15 g). Monash says that while clover honey specifically is only low FODMAP at ½ teaspoon (3 g), they state that honey is low FODMAP in 1 teaspoon (7 g) amounts.
Oil: All pure oils are fats and contain no carbohydrates, therefore they contain no FODMAPs.
Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is ¼ cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.

Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. Foods will be retested from time to time; in the case of raw ingredients, such as fruits and vegetables, results may vary. All lab tested results are valid and represent a snapshot in time. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.

overhead of low FODMAP honey cake on white plate with gold fork — Our Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake is incredibly moist.

4.13 from 8 votes

Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake

Our Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Honey Cake is a simple, “plain” cake, perfect alongside a cup of your favorite hot beverage. Lovely for Rosh Hashanah, too. Speaking of hot beverages, there is black tea in the batter, which lends moisture and flavor. The honey is in a small amount, and the rest of the liquid sweetener is light corn syrup, which is low FODMAP (and not the same as high fructose corn syrup).

Makes: 16 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

3 cups (435 g) low FODMAP gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour, plus extra
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (113 g; 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup 198 g sugar
1 cup (240 ml) strong brewed black tea, at room temperature or slightly warm
¾ cup (180 ml) light corn syrup
½ cup (107 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, such as canola, rice bran or safflower
⅓ cup (75 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) honey
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation:

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously coat the inside of a 12 cup (2.8 L) decorative ring pan with nonstick spray, then sprinkle with the extra flour, coating all the interior surfaces; tap out any excess. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 cups (435 g) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; make a well in the center and set aside.
Melt the butter in a microwave safe large mixing bowl, then whisk in the sugar, tea, corn syrup, brown sugar, oil, orange juice, honey, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined.
Add the wet mixture to the dry flour mixture, whisking very well until there are no lumps. It will be a fairly thin batter. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes, then unmold and cool completely.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar right before serving. Cake will last 4 days at room temperature under a cake dome.