Unlike other cakes, honey cake, which is traditionally served on the High Holy Days, stays fresh for more than a few days. Some say that a good honey cake is even better when it’s a few days old Chef Ben-Ami Bertini Shavit of Ben-Ami bakeries offers his recipe for a delicious honey cake with a few simple variations.
He says that using butter in the batter is best (but you can replace it with margarine if you want the cake to be parve).
Adding fruit and wine-soaked raisins gives the cake an extra dimension of taste and aroma.
CLASSIC HONEY CAKE ✔ 160 gr. (1 cup + 2 Tbsp.) flour
✔ 2 tsp. baking powder
✔ 1⁄3 tsp. salt
✔ 100 gr. butter or margarine
✔ 13⁄4 cups sugar
✔ 21⁄2 tsp. honey
✔ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
✔ 2 eggs
✔ 2⁄3 cup milk or water
Syrup:
✔ 5 Tbsp. water
✔ 1⁄3 cup sugar
✔ 11⁄2 Tbsp. honey
Heat the oven to 180º. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. In the mixer bowl, blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add honey and vanilla and keep mixing.
Turn the speed to low-medium and add 1 Tbsp. of the flour mixture. Keep the mixer working and add the eggs one at a time. Keep the mixer working and gradually add the flour and milk, alternating between them.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking form and bake about 30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted comes out dry.
Prepare the syrup: in a small pot. Bring the water, honey and sugar to a boil. Stir and remove from heat.
Take the cake when ready and pour the cooled syrup on the hot cake.
This cake will taste better after a day or two.
FRUITY HONEY CAKE You will need about 100 gr. of fresh or frozen berries.
Prepare the cake batter as in the above recipe. Pour 1⁄2 of the batter into a greased baking form and smooth the surface. Sprinkle 1⁄2 of the fruit on the batter. Pour the rest of the batter and top with the rest of the fruit.
Bake in a preheated 180º oven for 30 minutes or until done. Finish with the syrup, same as in the classic recipe.
INTOXICATING HONEY CAKE You will need 50 gr. raisins and 1⁄2 cup white wine.
Soak the raisins in wine for 30 minutes. Prepare the cake as in the classic recipe. Pour the raisins and wine in together with the milk/water.
ICED HONEY CAKE You will need 150 gr. cream cheese and 1 Tbsp. honey.
Prepare the classic honey cake. Mix the honey and cream cheese until smooth.
Ice the cake.
Recipes and photos, courtesy of Ben Ami Bakeries.