Honey cake – a Recipe for Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is approaching fast so why don’t you make a delicious honey cake!
Known in Hebrew as ‘ugat dvash’, or ‘lekach’ in Yiddish, honey cake is one of the symbolically significant foods traditionally eaten at Rosh Hashanah in the hope of ensuring a sweet New Year.
There is no one definitive honey cake recipe, as different communities have their own traditions. However, this moist, well-flavoured cake is always based on honey. Nuts – chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, pistachios or pine nuts – add texture, and apples – diced, grated, as juice or purée – are often considered essential (since apples are dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah). This honey cake is a moist and flavoursome dessert, packed with textures of apples and nuts, making it a delicious Rosh Hashanah bake.
Here, the flavouring is strong coffee, but other bakers use rum or brandy and/or lemon and orange zest. It is vital to bake this cake several days in advance, since the flavours develop as it matures.
Easy
Makes 1 medium loaf cake cut into 16 pieces
Ingredients
| · 275g | plain flour |
| · 1 tsp | ground cinnamon |
| · 1 tsp | ground ginger |
| · 1 tsp | ground mixed spice |
| · 1 tsp | baking powder |
| · ½ tsp | bicarbonate of soda |
| · 2 | medium free-range eggs, at room temperature |
| · 150g | dark muscovado sugar |
| · 250g | runny honey |
| · 125ml | good-quality vegetable or sunflower oil |
| · 125ml | hot coffee (made with 2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in boiling water) |
| · 100g | walnut pieces |
What you need
You will need a 900g loaf tin, about 26 x 12.5 x 7.5cm, greased with butter (or non-dairy spread) and lined with greaseproof paper.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Remove a tablespoon of the weighed flour and set aside. Sift the rest of the flour into a bowl with the cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- In another bowl, large enough to hold all the ingredients, whisk the eggs with the sugar until well blended. Whisk in the honey, followed by the oil and then the coffee. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a thick, smooth batter. Toss the chopped nuts in the reserved flour then stir into the cake mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then carefully remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap in foil and keep for at least 3 days (some bakers insist on a week) before cutting.
- Chag sameach and enjoy your honey cake!