The Jewish New Year is less than a week away- it starts at sundown on September 20th this year. To celebrate, I’m sharing one of my favorite Rosh Hashanah recipes: Honey Cake!
Honey Cake is the official dessert of Rosh Hashanah.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this holiday, Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and is celebrated with sweet foods to symbolize a sweet year to come, such as:
Pomegranates are another traditional food eaten on this holiday. In addition, foods that are round are emphasized to symbolize the cyclical nature of life.
This Honey Cake from The New Yiddish Kitchen is the perfect treat to celebrate with, being both made with honey and round!
For more about The New Yiddish Kitchen; gluten-free and paleo kosher recipes for the holidays and everyday (which really is a charming little book with excellent recipes), go here.
Even if you’re not celebrating the holiday, this sweet treat might become one of your fall favorites. It’s spiced with warming spices like cinnamon and allspice, making it similar to gingerbread in texture and flavor.
For more Rosh Hashanah recipes, make sure to check out our round-up from last year, featuring Crispy Chicken Thighs with Pomegranate Sauce. Also- my coauthor Jennifer Robins of Predominantly Paleo is sharing another recipe from the book for Easy Instantpot Tzimmes!
Honey Cake from The New Yiddish Kitchen
Whether you celebrate Rosh Hashanah or not, this honey cake will become a Fall favorite.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
- Total Time: 54 minute
- Yield: 1 12-inch bundt cake
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: jewish
Ingredients
For the cake:
- oil or shortening for greasing the pan
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup strong black tea, cooled
- 3 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey (optional, add additional tea if omitting)
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 1/2 cups arrowroot powder (plus more for flouring pan)
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
For the icing:
- 1/4 cup coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, coconut sugar, honey, vanilla, tea, and bourbon until well incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, coconut flour, baking soda, allspice, cardamom, and salt. Add to the liquid mixture and beat for another minute, or until combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the top bounces back when you gently push it, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before inverting onto a plate.
- To make the icing, melt the coconut butter in a small saucepan and then add in the honey, coconut milk, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla. Remove from the heat and whisk to combine.
- Transfer to a sealable bag, trying to get as much into a corner as possible. Cut off the tip and drizzle the icing over the cake.
Notes
Bubbe’s tip: Don’t make a mess! Slide some parchment paper or wax paper under the outside of the cake before you ice it. Once the icing starts to harden, you can pull out the paper, and will be left with a clean serving platter. Otherwise, the yentas will never let you hear the end of it!
Hungry for more? Here’s what’s new:
- Sticky Sesame Tofu
- Easy Vegan Mayo
- Easy Crispy Chickpeas
- Berry Snacking Cake
- 30 minute Mini Meatball and Veggie Soup
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Tanis Stanley says
I clicked on your website in response to a search for Honey Cake in the Instant Pot. Not an Inatant Pot recipe—directions are strictly for baking in the oven. Searched on your site for “Instant Pot” recipes—and this recipe popped up again. ????
zenbelly says
Tanis that’s because in the copy of the post, I use the word Instantpot in reference to another recipe. That’s just how search engines work!If I had any control over how Google worked, trust me a lot of things would be different 😉 Sorry for the confusion.
Natalia says
Can I use a loaf pan instead of a bundt pan? (Would I have to halve the ingredients?)
zenbelly says
You should be able to, but I used a bundt pan because it’s dense and takes a long time to cook through. A half recipe should work in a loaf, pan, depending on the size.
Alene says
I think I’m going to do that. There’s only 2 of us, and I don’t want all that cake hanging around and calling to me! Lol! If there’s too much batter, I have mini loaf pans that I could put the overflow in.
Sara says
Can I use margarine instead of coconut butter?
zenbelly says
should work yep!
Amy says
Simone, thank you for this recipe! I’m now on a modified AIP/paleo diet, and I was feeling sad that I can’t make my standard honey cake—until I found this! I made some modifications, only because I like very particular add-ins and flavors in my honey cake, but this base recipe is brilliant—easy, and both wonderfully traditional and versatile at the same time. Shana tova to you! ❤️
Rebecca says
Can I substitute the arrowroot with tapioca flour instead?
zenbelly says
sure!
Alene says
I just found out that I can’t eat rice at all anymore. Along with gluten. So many gf blends are made with rice, so I am revamping all my recipes. I am definitely going to try this one. I have always adored honey cake and my sweet mother, may she rest in peace, always made it every year. I try to channel her on Jewish holidays, so my husband tells me! Thank you and shana tovah!
zenbelly says
Hi Alene! I hope this recipe helps you channel your sweet mother for the holiday. Shana Tovah!
Jenna says
Hi! Okay this recipe turned out beautifully-thank you so much! My only question is that my icing didn’t come out white like in your pics? Other than that this will be a staple for the high holidays moving forward
zenbelly says
So glad to hear it! The icing wasn’t really white for me either, more beige. That photo was taken in not great light so might be (unintentionally) deceiving.
A couple things: Light colored honey will keep it closer to white, and if you aren’t opposed to a wee bit of powdered sugar, you could use that instead and it will be much closer to white. Also the spices could be omitted from the icing; there is so much of them in the cake that it won’t take away from the flavor.