This moist honey cake, the traditional dessert for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), is packed with warm Autumn flavors, plus an apple cider glaze and chopped pecans add the finishing touch. Great for breakfast or with afternoon tea, you'll want to give this delicious Fall tea loaf a try!
Why this recipe works
- Honey cake is an easy quick bread recipe to make
- The flavor is sweet and redolent with warm Fall spices, while the texture is soft and moist with chopped pecans adding crunch
- An apple cider glaze and finely chopped pecans add the finishing touch
- Perfect to serve at Rosh Hashanah or for breakfast or with afternoon tea
You know it's Fall when you start seeing the words "Pumpkin Spice" applied to almost any foods imaginable. I love Autumn recipes that feature the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves (a lovely combo, typically found in bourbon).
In the Jewish tradition, this is also the time of year when we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Food is an obvious way to celebrate a holiday, and we Jews have a slew of traditional foods to serve at our Rosh Hashanah gatherings (don't ask me how many a "slew" is...). Challah is usually served, shaped round to represent the unending cycle of time.
Customarily, dishes that are sweet (both entrées and desserts) are served at Rosh Hashanah, culinarily symbolizing the wish for a sweet New Year. Apples and honey are the traditional symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah, so dishes that feature one or both of those ingredients, like Apples and Honey Babka, are served.
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Honey Cake is traditional at Rosh Hashanah
A traditional and popular choice for dessert on Rosh Hashanah is Honey Cake. Unfortunately, it has a reputation like that of the Christmas fruit cake, i.e. something usually made but not always made well.
My go-to Jewish honey cake recipe, that I've been making since 1993, is nothing like that. It is moist and sweet without being cloying, studded with pecans for some texture. It's definitely not the dry, tasteless versions to which I've sometimes been subjected.
What you need
This quick and easy recipe for honey cake is quite simple to make since it's considered a quick bread recipe. Another example of quick bread is pumpkin bread, another Fall favorite.
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Honey cake starts with the usual quick bread ingredients: flour, baking powder and baking soda, eggs, oil, and salt. The sugar is cut back in order to make room for the honey, and the warm Autumn baking spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves provide a spicy undertone.
One ingredient that might surprise you is espresso powder. It is included to provide a counterpoint to the honey, bringing depth and balance to the cake. The pecans are included for additional texture in the cake and the topping, but they can be omitted if you prefer.
I've improved on the original recipe by topping my honey cake with apple cider jam. It's made with apples, apple cider, and all the warm baking spices that epitomize Fall baking. Topping it all off are finely chopped pecans for even more crunch.
You might call this Honey Cake v2.0. Apples...check! Honey...check! We're ready to bake!
How to make the best honey cake
Step 1: Prepare the pecans and espresso
Start by coarsely chopping the pecans. Take ¼ cup (30 grams) of them and, after chopping them finely, set aside for topping (photo 1). Dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water, then let it cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the batter
As with all quick bread recipes, next it's simply mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately, then mixing them together.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves (photo 2).
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the eggs lightly on low speed. Add the sugar and honey to the eggs and beat on medium speed until the mixture is very smooth and lightened in color. Gradually add the oil and beat until blended (photo 3).
Mix in the flour mixture and espresso in 2 batches with the mixer on low (photo 4). Don't over-mix the batter, just stir until just combined.
Stir in the remaining coarsely chopped pecans (photo 5).
Step 3: Bake the cake
Pour the batter into a standard loaf pan that's been well sprayed with baking spray and lined with parchment paper (leave an overhang over the long sides).
Bake at 325˚F for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean (photo 6).
Step 4: Glaze the honey cake
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out of the pan onto a wire rack using the parchment paper as a sling. Remove the parchment paper, and allow the cake to cool completely.
After the cake has cooled, warm the jam in a microwave safe dish on HIGH for 30 seconds. Spread the jam onto the cooled cake, allowing it to drip off the sides (you can place a paper towel under the cooling rack to catch the drips). Sprinkle the reserved finely chopped pecans over the top of the cake (photo 7).
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
At Rosh Hashanah (translated from Hebrew to "head of the year"), Jews wish others to have a happy and sweet new year ("Shana Tovah U'metukah"). Customarily, dishes that are sweet (both entrées and desserts) are served at Rosh Hashanah, culinarily symbolizing the wish for a sweet New Year. Roast chicken with apples and almonds is one example of a sweet, savory entrée, while the ubiquitous brisket usually makes an appearance at the holiday table.
Apples and honey are the traditional symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah, so desserts that feature one or both of those ingredients are usually on the dessert tray. It is customary to eat apple slices dipped in honey on the holiday. Honey cake is another way of using food to bring sweetness to the beginning of the year.
And don't forget to make a round challah for the Rosh Hashanah meal, which symbolizes the cyclical nature of time passing!
This cake can be kept in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If it is refrigerated, bring the cake to room temperature before serving for best flavor. For longer storage, freeze wrapped with plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight bag.
Celebrating the season
The combination of the honey cake with the chunky cinnamon apples and finely chopped pecans produces a flavor that is bold and nutty. The jam adds that extra oomph to take it beyond the ordinary...it's truly the best honey cake recipe I've had.
This recipe doubles easily so you'll have one for you and one to give as a gift. Or one for now, and one for later.
This honey cake is a wonderful finish to a festive Rosh Hashanah meal, or really any meal for that matter, and it's wonderful served at breakfast with coffee or as a tea loaf with afternoon tea.
And, whether you celebrate Rosh Hashanah or not, I wish you a happy, healthy, prosperous, and sweet next 12 months.
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Most quick bread & muffin recipes can be made as loaves or bundt cakes.
For a recipe that makes one loaf, you can use a standard loaf pan or a small (6-cup) bundt pan. You can also double the recipe if you want to use a full-sized (10-12 cup) bundt pan.
Other presentation options for a one-loaf quick bread are 4 mini breads in mini loaf pans, 12 muffins in a standard muffin pan, or 24 muffin bites in a mini muffin pan. Great for breakfast or gift giving.
Remember, you aren't limited to one type of presentation for a recipe!
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Recipe
Honey Cake with Apple Cider Jam
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the cake
- ¾ cup pecans, coarsely chopped, divided, see Recipe Notes
- 1½ teaspoon espresso powder
- 6 tablespoons water, hot
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup canola oil
For the topping
- ½ cup apple cider jam, or enough to cover the top cake when warmed, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 °F. Spray a standard loaf pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides.
- Take ¼ cup (30 grams) of the pecans and chop them finely. Set aside for topping.
- Make the cake: Dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water, then let it cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the eggs lightly on low speed. Add the sugar and honey to the eggs and beat on medium speed until the mixture is very smooth and lightened in color. Gradually add the canola oil and beat until blended.
- Mix in the flour mixture and espresso in 2 batches with the mixer on low. Stir in the remaining coarsely chopped pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out of the pan onto a wire rack using the parchment paper as a sling. Remove the parchment paper, and allow the cake to cool completely.
- Make the topping: After the cake has cooled, warm the jam in a microwave safe dish on HIGH for 30 seconds.
- Spread the jam onto the cooled cake, allowing it to drip off the sides (you can place a paper towel under the cooling rack to catch the drips). Sprinkle the reserved finely chopped pecans over the top of the cake. Serve & enjoy!
- This cake tastes even better when it's made one or two days ahead, but you can also serve it the same day it's baked.
- This cake can be kept in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If it is refrigerated, bring the cake to room temperature before serving for best flavor. For longer storage, freeze wrapped with plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight bag.
