Honey Cake

Every year at the Jewish High Holidays I bake honey cakes. Over the years the number of cakes I need to bake has dwindled as people on that side of my family have died off. At the peak of my honey-cake baking in the early 90's I probably did about seventeen. Last year, it had dwindled to three, including ours. The funny thing is, honey cakes are like Christmas card lists-just when you get them down to ten or fifteen, new people get added to the list and before you know it, you're back to buying a large box of cards rather than a few handmade ones. I suppose the funny part is that the new recipients aren't Jewish, but honey cake seems to have ecumenical appeal. They're popular in our inter-faith family anyway.

The one person who has been a constant on the honey cake list for the last couple decades is my friend Evelyn. Aside from the few years when she decided to pack up and move to Israel (and subsequently, move back to New England) I've sent a honey cake to her at Rosh Hashanah. I've been doing this for close to twenty years and I'm not about to stop now. I used to bake beautiful round, raisin challahs as well, but this year, time just got away from me. Still, who wouldn't be happy to open a box of honey cake, a jar of mulled honey and assorted jams and jellies? A few of the cookies from the previous post, and it makes for a lovely start to the New Year.

The recipe I've always used is really more of a fruitcake than a honey cake. Full of chopped apples, raisins and crystalised ginger it gets an extra kick from Calvados or brandy or some years, both. Everyone likes it and it lasts forever. I've also been making it forever-so I tried something new and arguably more traditional.

A honey cake is really just a spice cake with honey and strong coffee in the batter. They are usually on the plain side. The recipe I settled on using is somewhere between the two. While it does not use booze or fruit, it has egg whites beaten separately and folded into the batter to create a lighter, less "quick-bread" like cake. Unlike most quick breads, it did not split as horribly on top as most do (it did some) and it came out of the pan perfectly clean. I'd go as far as calling it beautiful. The recipe did not call for it, but I topped it with slivered almonds, which I did my best not to touch (allergic, though almonds were never as lethal to me as cashews and pistachios). For our family, we'll omit the nuts.

The house smells wonderful from the scent of cloves and honey baking. Honey cakes (much like fruitcakes) improve upon storing which makes them perfect for shipping long distances. They are also wonderful sliced and toasted on a baking sheet in the oven and served with cream cheese and an additional dribble of honey. I had a neighbour years ago that would let part of it go stale and then make a sort of bread pudding out of it, but I always thought that was overkill. My husband likes to use a slice as a base for ice cream, and I've been known to drown a slice in Golden Syrup for breakfast. This recipe makes one large loaf or two standard sized bread loaf pans. The recipe suggested 90 minutes, but mine was done in an hour, so depending on the sized pan, I'd start checking at 45 minutes. It is done when dark brown and a tester comes out clean.

If you prefer a honey cake with apples and raisins, try THIS one, which is also delicious.

Adapted from, A Taste Of Tradition by, Ruth Sirkis, 1971 (She's sort of the Israeli Delia Smith who taught a generation how to cook).

You Will Need:

4 eggs, separated

¾ cup sugar

1-cup honey (12 oz.)

1/3 cup salad oil (I used Canola)

3 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground clove

½ teaspoon ground allspice

3 teaspoons instant coffee

1-cup hot water

Slivered or sliced almonds to top, if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease either two regular sized, or one large loaf pan lightly and set aside.

Prepare the coffee in the hot water and set aside to cool.

Separate the eggs with the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in a medium sized bowl (copper is best if you have one). Beat the yolks and sugar until creamy and light. Add the oil and then the honey beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Sift the flour and measure again. Combine with salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture alternating with the coffee. Do not over mix-use a wooden spoon and mix just until blended.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and peaks will hold. Fold egg whites into mixture 1/3 at a time until combined. Do this carefully and with a light touch.

Pour into the prepared pans, top with almonds, and bake until dark and a toothpick comes out clean. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the pan size. Keep an eye on it. I baked mine atop a baking sheet-just in case of overflow.

Cool five minutes in pan, then completely on a rack. Wrap tightly when cool and store a few days before serving.