Honey cake is a traditional Jewish food eaten during the High Holidays, which is the Jewish New Year. The idea is by eating sweet things you will have a sweet year. Honey and apples are traditional as well. But-there is nothing sweeter than a honey cake! The smells fill your house as it bakes, and reminds me of my grandma. My Grandma Terry and I, always talked the day I made this cake. I miss her a lot. A shot of brandy is in this recipe in her memory (it was the secret ingredient we always laughed about).
The typical honey cake has a pound of honey plus a cup of sugar! I cut out all of the refined sugar this year, as well as reducing the fat in half, and making this gluten free. You’re thinking…it can’t be good then. Wrong! In fact, this honey cake came out of the pan better than any cake I’ve made in the past! I think my grandma was watching from above 🙂 This cake does have eggs in it, but no diary. One caveat-you MUST get yourself some buckwheat honey. It makes a FAR superior cake and is what gave this cake its dark brown color. It is my go-to honey. If you don’t have any, regular clover will do, it just won’t be as good as mine 🙂
The recipe below was adapted from the cookbook Second Helpings Please, from Canada
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs (room temp)
- 1/2 cup oil (grapeseed, coconut, or your choice)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 cups of honey (we use buckwheat-it has a far superior flavor and color)
- 3 cups of flour-we used 260 g of all purpose gluten free (we used Arrowhead Mills) and 130 g of sorghum flour for added protein
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup coffee
- 1 shot of brandy/whiskey
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine dry ingredients
- Beat eggs and applesauce in mixing bowl
- Combine oil,honey, and coffee
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and wet to the mixing bowl. Add shot of whiskey
- Pour into un-greased tube pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350, reduce heat to 300 and continue to cook until top cracks and knife inserted comes out clean, about 60 minutes
- Let cool for 15 minutes, and then invert, and allow to cool all the way
- Enjoy and may you have a sweet (without lots of refined sugar 🙂 and healthy year!
- 4 eggs (room temp)
- ½ cup oil (grapeseed, coconut, or your choice)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1½ cups of honey (we use buckwheat-it has a far superior flavor and color)
- 3 cups of flour-we used 260 g of all purpose gluten free (we used Arrowhead Mills) and 130 g of sorghum flour for added protein
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- ½ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup coffee
- 1 shot of brandy/whiskey
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine dry ingredients
- Beat eggs and applesauce in mixing bowl
- Combine oil,honey, and coffee
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and wet to the mixing bowl. Add shot of whiskey
- Pour into un-greased tube pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350, reduce heat to 300 and continue to cook until top cracks and knife inserted comes out clean, about 60 minutes
- Let cool for 15 minutes, and then invert, and allow to cool all the way
- Enjoy and may you have a sweet (without lots of refined sugar 🙂 and healthy year!
