The bee’s bounty has quite the history, and makes quite the cake
By Tina Wasserman
The honey mentioned in the Bible in the phrase “land of milk and honey” does not refer to the sweetener we know today. Rather, it is a reference to silan, the dark, thick syrup produced when dates are boiled in water.
Bee honey was the subject of heated debate in the Talmud, Bechoros 5b and 7b. Technically, since bees were not kosher, some rabbis deemed honey to be nonkosher as well. However, the winning argument was that honey does not come directly from bees, but originates as flower nectar, which bees deposit in their digestive sacs and regurgitate into the hive combs. There is evidence in cave drawings and prehistoric pottery that honey was consumed 9,000 years ago, although historians assume that honey was hunted much longer than that.
It is tradition to dip apples or challah in honey at the start of the New Year to ensure a sweet and fulfilling year ahead. Honey can also find its way into your menu as part of dinner or as a sweet ending to your meal. From the traditional to modern adaptations, I offer some honey cakes to add to your holidays and start your year sweetly.
Honey Cake with White Wine and Plums
Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1¼ cups safflower oil
1¼ cups wildflower honey
¾ cup dry white wine
1 inch fresh ginger, grated on a rasp grater
4-5 ripe red plums
Confectioners’ sugar for garnish, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously spray a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a 2-quart bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
3. In a 3-quart bowl, whisk the eggs together and then add the sugar, oil, honey, wine and fresh ginger. Whisk thoroughly until no signs of oil remain and a smooth emulsion is formed.
4. Slice each plum into 8-10 slices. Set aside.
5. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the larger bowl. Fold in the plums.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes.
7. Place pan on a wire rack or cooktop to cool for about 15-20 minutes. If your tube pan is springform, remove the sides. Turn cake over onto a serving plate. Cool. If necessary, replace any pieces of plum that might have stuck to the pan.
8. Serve with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar on top, if desired.
Tina’s tidbits:
• This cake is easiest to unmold if the bottom of the pan is flat. I have also made it in a 9-inch cake pan, but it requires more baking time and, because it is a light, oil-based cake, it could sink in the middle if not baked long enough.
• When a cake contains oil, it is imperative to whisk the oil, eggs and sugar together completely so no trace of oil is visible. If you don’t form this emulsion (think mayonnaise-like), your cake will be heavy and greasy instead of moist and light.
• Depending on the season, nectarines, peaches or apples may be used instead.
Russian Honey Cake
Traditional honey cake, as we know it in the States, is a dark, dense loaf made with honey, coffee and brandy. The following version, introduced by a Russian grandmother to her Argentinian-born and Roman-raised granddaughter, Esther Livdi, gains much of its sweetness from caramelized sugar and orange juice. Perhaps the ingredients tell a tale of frugality, using the sugar to create the dark, rich color while minimizing the use of expensive honey? Using too small a loaf pan results in overcooking the sides and top of the cake while waiting for the interior to cook. My recommendation is to use a 9-inch round cake pan or a 10-inch loaf pan for best results.
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
¾ cup orange juice
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
2/3 cup honey, preferably wildflower or clover
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Additional sugar for topping batter
Directions:
1. Place sugar and water in a 3-quart saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is clear. Let solution boil undisturbed until the bubbles get thicker and slower, and then remove from heat when it turns golden brown.
2. Immediately add the juice, zest, honey, oil, remaining sugar and cinnamon to the pan. The caramelized sugar might harden, so return the saucepan to the stove and stir over medium heat until completely dissolved.
3. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside overnight or up to 24 hours before making the cake.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a long loaf pan or 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside while you make the batter.
5. Using a handheld mixer or wire whisk, beat the eggs into the honey-sugar mixture until light in color and aerated.
6. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a 1-quart bowl. Add this mixture to the honey-sugar mixture and stir just until completely incorporated.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top of cake with additional sugar. Place cake in the lower-middle third of the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Tina’s tidbits:
• The depth of the batter will make a big difference in baking time, and all ovens are different.
• Cakes with high sugar content will brown and cook faster on the outside. Your cake might seem a little crisp on the outside, but the honey content will make it moist, albeit more dense, after a day or so.
• Keeps well in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container for a week and tastes even better the next day!
Lekach — Honey Cake
Ingredients
1 cup wildflower honey
½ cup strong coffee, or 1 teaspoon instant espresso and ½ cup water
1 tablespoon brandy
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup brown sugar
1¾ cups flour
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon allspice
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup raisins
Whole blanched almonds for topping, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Grease 2 loaf pans or 48 mini-muffin cups with cooking spray, or use paper liners in the muffin tins.
3. Bring honey to a gentle boil and cool slightly. Add the coffee and brandy and set aside.
4. Beat the eggs until light and lemon-colored. Add the oil and then gradually beat in the sugar.
5. Combine the dry ingredients and then add alternately with the honey mixture to the egg-sugar mixture in the bowl, mixing well after each addition to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients.
6. If using raisins, dust them with a little additional flour so they will not sink to the bottom of the cake. Fold the raisins into the cake batter and then pour the mixture into the prepared pans. If using almonds, place one almond in the center of each muffin or arrange them in a line on top of each loaf.
7. Bake muffins for 15-18 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Loaves take up to 45 minutes.
Tina’s tidbits:
• This cake is aromatic and tasty warm from the oven, but because of the brandy and spices, it tastes even better if allowed to sit a day or so wrapped in foil.
• Muffins may be served with Ginger-Orange Cream Cheese Spread.
Ginger-Orange
Cream Cheese Spread
Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, chopped
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Serve alongside sweet quick breads such as honey cake or pumpkin bread, or pipe individual rosettes on top of mini muffins.
Quick Honey Cake
When I was creating my honey cake bread pudding recipe, it was July and no prepared honey cakes were available. I didn’t have the time or desire to make a honey cake from scratch just to cut it up for an experiment, so I devised this simple way to make the base for my recipe. Turns out, this cake was good on its own — just as sticky on top and balanced with the coffee flavor and honey.
Ingredients:
¾ cup warm coffee, or 1 teaspoon instant espresso and ¾ cup water
¼ cup honey
One 14.5-ounce box gingerbread mix
Eggs, as needed for the mix
Oil or margarine, as needed for the mix
Directions:
1. Microwave the coffee with the honey for 30 seconds. Stir to combine.
2. Prepare the cake following the package directions, except substitute the warm coffee and honey for all the liquid in the recipe. Use the appropriate amount of oil and eggs called for on the package.
3. Bake the cake according to the package directions. Cool completely and serve or use in the Apples and Honey Cake Bread Pudding recipe.
Yield: 8 servings
