We in one of those times when it’s not easy being Jewish and not always safe, either. And yet, the new Jewish year began on Friday evening. How do Jews get through times like this? Where it’s possible, food helps. This year I[‘m sharing my family’s most made honey cake recipes, in the hopes that the good and sweet year will spread. These recipes create much goodness and also much sweetness. They’re at their best cut into small pieces and enrobed in really good dark chocolate… but they’re never not good.
The recipes are mostly metric, being Australian.
I use the first recipe as a guide and change it considerably. I use real coffee instead of instant coffee and boiling water, for instance. This year I sued grapeseed oil, other years I might use a but oil. For one cake I used blood orange. And I added my homemade candied dekopon peel. For me, each and every eyar is different and I want the incoming year to be good and sweet and enver boring.
GRANDMABLACK’S JEWISH NEW YEAR HONEY CAKE (GILLIAN’S VERSION)
Ingredients:
500 g honey (or a bit less)
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 ½ cups SR flour
juice and rind of one orange (a nice big one – but you can replace some of the juice with brandy or other alcohol)
at least two heaped tbs. good, rich cooking chocolate (not too sweet)
1 dessertspoon instant coffee
approx. 1 cup oil (a salad oil is best, but not olive)
3-4 extra large eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
1 cup boiling water
about a cup of your favourite dried fruits and nuts (chopped)
1 tsp. of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and a taste of cloves (NOT 1 tsp. of each)
Method:
Beat eggs, sugar, oil and honey. Add orange rind and juice. Add spices. Sift both flours with soda. Add to liquids. Add chocolate, coffee, vanilla, fruit and nuts. Mix well. Add boiling water.
Pre-heat oven to 500°F. When you put the cake in, reduce heat to 350°F. After and hour, reduce heat again, to 300°F until the cake is done (normally another 15-20 minutes).
Cool on greaseproof paper. Store in an airtight tin, preferably in the fridge. The cake will keep for weeks this way – if you can keep greedy fingers away from it.
HONEY CAKE (THE OTHER GRANDMOTHER’S RECIPE)
Ingredients
1 lb honey
1 ¼ cups plain flour
1 small cup sugar
2 eggs
1 small cup oil or melted butter
1 tsp cocoa
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
a heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
Method
Melt the honey and sugar over a low flame. When the are cold, add the eggs (which should be well-beaten first – a form of domestic discipline), the oil and the remaining ingredients. Put the bicarbonate of soda in last.
Pour into a well-greased cake tin and bake in a moderate oven for 1 ½ hours.
Saved the page in recipes folder! I probably won’t be using coffee (I don’t like anything to taste like coffee that isn’t actually coffee) but I do have homemade candied orange peel so I might use that. Thank you for sharing!