Recipe for Honey Cake.

Last Updated on September 1, 2023

Honey Cake – A Traditional Favorite for Rosh Hashanah

Hebrew: עוגת דבש

I like honey cake to be moist and remain so even a few days after baking — it should only last that long! I love the aromas emanating from the oven during baking, and even more so, I love a slice of honey cake with my early morning coffee topped with a layer of soft butter.

For an added dimension of flavor, I add 5 ml of ground ginger and nutmeg to the batter.

Make two cake loaves and freeze one of them for breaking the fast on Yom Kippur

• Apples with everything on Rosh Hashanah
• Herbs & spices of the Israeli kitchen
• Hebrew, English and transliterated baking terms

You’ll need

• 2 Tbsp. instant coffee dissolved into 3/4 cup hot water (I’ve also used tea instead of coffee)   Kippur.
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup honey (can substitute golden syrup if available, or silan – date syrup)
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
3. Dissolve coffee into water. Set aside to cool. If you are using tea use one tea bag steeped in hot water and allowed to cool.
4. Using an electric mixer, mix oil, eggs, applesauce, brown sugar and honey.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
6. Alternating, add flour mixture and coffee to the egg mixture in the bowl.
7. Mix well.
8. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.