By Ruth Webber | MyJewishLearning.com
This honey cake symbolizes not only the traditions and renewal of the New Year but also the resilience of survivors. Crafted by Holocaust survivor Ruth Webber, this cake features luxurious ingredients such as brandy, almonds, and brewed coffee. This sumptuous honey cake is destined to become a staple for your Rosh Hashanah celebrations.
This delightful honey cake recipe has been cherished and handed down through generations.
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus additional for greasing the pans
- 1 ½ cups honey
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee
- ½ cup dried cherries, chopped*
- 3 tablespoons brandy
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 3 ½ cups + 1-2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
*Note: If dried cherries are unavailable, feel free to substitute with another dried fruit and adjust accordingly.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans and line them with wax paper, greasing the paper as well.
- In a saucepan, bring honey and coffee to a boil, then set aside to let it cool.
- Soak the dried cherries in brandy for roughly 30 minutes, then drain. In a small bowl, toss the almonds and cherries with 1-2 teaspoons of flour to coat them (this helps keep them from sinking during baking).
- Using an electric mixer, combine ½ cup oil, brown sugar, and eggs in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the remaining 3½ cups flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, until the batter is smooth. Gently fold in the almond-cherry mixture along with the orange zest.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the cakes take on a rich golden hue. Do not remove them from the oven immediately; instead, turn off the oven and let the cakes cool gradually for 10 minutes to avoid collapsing.
- Afterward, allow them to cool for another 15 minutes outside the oven. Run a knife around the edges of the pans, then place a plate over each pan and flip them to release the cakes. Slice and enjoy.
This recipe is taken from “Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors.”
