Honey Cake

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Honey Cake is a treat for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, where honey really shines, with a moist crumb and crisp caramelized edges. It's so easy to make and incredibly delicious!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: honey cake rosh hashanah, Jewish honey cake, rosh hashanah recipes

Servings: slices

Ingredients

1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup brewed coffee (room temperature)
2 & 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey (plus 1 tablespoon for drizzling over the batter)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the two longer sides.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Then add in the egg, vanilla, coffee, orange juice, vegetable oil, and 1/3 cup honey; whisk until just incorporated and smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon honey.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is set and springs back to the touch, and a tester in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
Let cool 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, then lift out and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Slice and serve. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!

Video

Notes

Add in some warm spices. I intentionally omit spices from this cake, since I want the honey to be the predominant flavor and not have each bite taste like a spice cake. But you can certainly add some in! I recommend 1 teaspoon cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon each allspice, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.

Add in some diced apple. Stir in a cup of finely diced, peeled apple to the batter.

Non coffee drinkers. The bitterness of coffee provides a nice balance of the sweet honey, but you can substitute an equal amount with tea, milk, or even water, if preferred (all of which will alter the taste, obviously, and you might need to adjust the cooking time.) Note that if you use milk, the recipe will not be kosher pareve (neither meat nor dairy).

Nutrition