Honey Cake

September, 2013. Celebrating Rosh Hashana in Australia. I don’t have my regular honey cake recipe with me, and we don’t have a mixer in the apartment, so I thought to buy the “obligatory” honey cake for the holiday. But then I came across a recipe by Karin Goren on the internet, and decided to try it. I admit that I did make one change – something which I always claim should NEVER be done when trying a cake recipe for the first time – but I guess I don’t practice what I preach, and I substituted coffee for the tea in the recipe.

I am told that the cake came out excellent- moist and tasty. I personally have never liked honey cake, but it is Rosh Hashana, and, like every year, I feel the obligation to serve honey cake.

This cake is super easy to prepare, and this recipe makes two small cakes or one large one.

I made it in a double size loaf pan (if you have the regular size loaf pans, or a 9 or 10 inch (26 cm or 28 cm cake pan, use two pans, so that it doesn’t overflow.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup of canola oil
• 1 cup honey
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinammon
• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 Tablespoon of baking powder (in Israel this equals one little packet of baking powder)
• 1 cup of coffee (one cup of hot water mixed with one rounded teaspoon of coffee granules)
• an extra 1-2 Tablespoons honey for brushing on hot cake after baking

Preparation:

1. Grease baking pan or pans, and line with baking paper. Lightly grease the paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C (or about 320 degrees F).
3. In a bowl put one cup sugar.
4. Add the 3/4 cup canola oil.
5. Then add one cup of honey (always do it in this order – first the oil and then the honey, so that the honey doesn’t stick to the measuring cup, but slides out easily.
6. Then add the 3 eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon cinammon.
7. Mix all the above.
8. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 Tablespoon baking powder (or, in Israel, one little packet of baking powder. Mix till flour is incorporated in honey mixture. Stop mixing as soon as all the flour is incorporated into mixture.
9. Add 1 cup coffee, cooled. Mix until coffee is incorporated into mixture.
10. Pour into cake pan or pans, which have been greased and lined with baking paper, and greased again.
11. Bake at 150 C or 320 F for about 45-50 minutes, till cake is firm and is a deep golden brown color.
12. With spoon or baking brush, spread 1-2 Tablespoons honey on top of warm cake, for glaze.
13. Allow to cool. Then keep covered till serving. Better to make this cake a day in advance.