Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

Honey cake is a Rosh Hashanah tradition, wishing you a “Sweet New Year”. This holiday honey cake is easy to make, beautiful and delicious to eat.

Unlike some of the more traditional recipes, I use coconut oil instead of margarine or vegetable oil. I find it produces a much more flavorful cake. Also I glaze my cake with an apricot glaze (this helps to ensure a moist cake) and garnish with sliced almonds (creating a beautiful looking cake).

 

This recipe was part of a recent Rosh Hashanah cooking class I taught at Great News Cooking School, the full menus was; Salmon and White Fish Gefilte Fish with Herb Sauce, Citrus Brined Roasted Chicken, Tzimmes (traditional sweet stew), Saffron Rice. All proceeds from the class where donated to Jewish Family Services Adoption Alliance Program. I will be teaching another class Jewish Holiday cooking class for Hanukkah (with proceeds donated to JFS) Monday, December 3 (from 6 to 9 pm) at Great News.

 

 

Honey Cake

Makes 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake

 

Non-stick baking spay (like bakers joy or the Trader Joes brand)

Cakes
2 ½ cups    All-purpose flour
2 tsp           Baking powder
½ tsp          Baking soda
½ tsp          Kosher salt
¼ tsp          Ground nutmeg
3 large        Eggs
1 cup          Sugar
1 ¼ cups    Liquid coconut oil
1 cup          Local honey of your choice (except buckwheat)
¼ cup         Dissolved instant espresso (following package instructions)
¼ cup         Orange juice
¼ cup         Amaretto
2 tsp           Orange zest
¼ tsp          Lemon zest

Glaze

¼ cup         Amaretto

¼ cup         Apricot preserves
3 tbsp         Water

Garnish
½ cup         Toasted sliced almonds (optional)

 

Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously spray a 10 inch bundt pan, including center tube, with baking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

In an electric mixer whisk eggs; slowing add in sugar. Whisking till almost completely incorporated. Then coconut oil, and follow with honey, espresso, orange juice, and Amaretto. Whisking until completely incorporated. Fold in orange and lemon lest by hand.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into pan and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.

Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack and cool completely.

For glaze:

Heat preserves, Amaretto and water in a small sauce pan over low heat until preserves are dissolved, about 3 minutes.

Let glaze stand, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, but still pourable.

Transfer cake to a cake plate and slowly pour the  glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with almonds.