A couple of centuries ago when we were newly married, we returned from our honeymoon, and a few days later celebrated Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year).
One of the iconic foods during this season is honey cake and Gail baked her first one for us.
It was great, but not quite like my mother’s.
As we headed to my parents’ house for dinner, I said “Oh good, some real Downsview honey cake.”
It was almost our last Rosh Hashanah.
(Gail’s cakes are much lighter than my Mom’s. I later learned that my Mom’s cakes were always so heavy because she made several for friends and family, and one invariably fell down in the middle because it didn’t bake quite right. That’s the one she kept for us because after all, she couldn’t give THAT one away.)
So why am I telling you this?
- It’s Rosh Hashana this week (if you’re reading this in 2022!) and we’ve already devoured one honey cake.
- My Mom passed away in 2010, about 3 weeks before Rosh Hashana that year, so she’s always on my mind more this time of year.
- Last year I took a picture of one of Gail’s cakes and uploaded it to Facebook – and all sorts of people said “Honey cake? What’s that?” and I asked Gail for the recipe.
It took her a while to write it down. Hers is a handwritten copy from one of her mother’s cookbooks that’s been revised several times over the years (and I suspect that my mother-in-law’s version was based on someone else’s handwritten scribbles that was passed on for a couple of generations. Gail tells me that it’s nearly the same as the one my Mom wrote down for her, too, but that the ginger is an addition from my Mom).
Since we both grew up in Downsview I call this “the classic Downsview honey cake”.
It’s delicious. And we can go through 3 or 4 of them (or more) this time of year.
Gail adds “Read all the instructions all the way through before starting!”
Ingredients
4 eggs
2-4 tea bags (whatever type of tea you prefer)
2 c. sugar (scant)
¾ c. oil
¾ c. honey
3 c. white flour (can use part whole wheat, but no more than 1 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp salt (optional)
1 c. strong tea or coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to: 325°F
Prepare a 12-inch Bundt pan (sprayed with cooking oil) or 9- x 13-inch cake pan (sprayed with cooking oil, or lined with parchment paper)
Use a stand or hand mixer, if you have one (can also use a food processor, but leave the pusher out, so as much air as possible gets incorporated into the cake batter).
Combine in a pyrex measuring cup:
1 c. strong tea or coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
(Gail puts in two to four tea bags, adds boiling water and lets it steep while doing the next step, but adds “don’t let the tea bags sit there for more than 30 minutes or so”.)
Prepare the dry ingredients
In a bowl, stir together:
3 c. white flour (can use part whole wheat, but no more than 1 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon zest (optional — can probably use more if you prefer a stronger lemon flavour, but don’t use so much that the lemon is overpowering; if you don’t have lemon zest, don’t worry about leaving it out, as the cake will be just fine)
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
(You can decrease, increase, or even omit some of the spices according to your preference — if increasing, don’t increase so much that the taste is overpowering. Unlike the lemon zest, which isn’t essential for this cake, the spices, in addition to the honey, are what make this cake the wonderful delight that it is!)
¼ tsp salt (optional)
In large bowl of mixer, combine:
4 eggs
2 c. sugar (scant)
Add (while mixer is running):
¾ c. oil
¾ c. honey
When done mixing the above, add 1 tsp baking soda to the tea and vanilla (don’t add the baking soda to the tea/vanilla too far in advance, as the baking soda will lose too much of its “fizz” and the cake might not rise properly — a couple of minutes or so in advance is OK, but not much more than that)
With the mixer running, alternately add flour mixture and tea/baking soda mixture to egg/sugar/honey/oil mixture in the mixing bowl, scraping down sides of bowl as you work. Do not overmix (just mix until all dry ingredients have been completely incorporated).
Transfer batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake at 325°F for 90 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 or 15 minutes. Loosen edges; remove from pan and let cake cool on rack.
Enjoy.
Shana tovah! (Happy New Year) and may we all have a happy, healthy and sweet New Year!
PS Honey cake is great together with a nice cuppa!
PPS I also discovered last year the pumpkin spice has no pumpkin in it (who knew? Not me) – but that it’s dang close to the spice mixture that’s in this cake. So if you really want to, you can call it “Pumpkin Spice Honey Cake”. Just not in my house, though.
