I'm back! After a really long hiatus (insert life-got-in-the-way excuses here), I'm thrilled to present the easiest, most delicious honey cake ever. And just in time for Rosh Hashanah. Honey cake, the traditional holiday dessert to symbolize a sweet new year, has a deservedly bad reputation. It's often dry and dense. Even my grandmother's version was nearly inedible without a gallon of milk to wash it down. And she was a fabulous baker.
This recipe, however, is a winner. It is one of hundreds of recipes gifted to me a few years ago by the legendary Arthur Schwartz, and was sent to him by a listener who wrote: Now this is a honey cake! He'd given me a number of honey cake recipes, but I chose this one for its utter simplicity.
Start by beating the eggs and sugar until very, very light. Add in the honey and oil, then alternate adding the flour mixture and coffee. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.
The batter is very thin. Pour into a greased loaf pan. I just sprayed mine with Pam. It released pretty well, except for one small spot which, after I "repaired" it, was unnoticeable. You could line the greased pan with parchment if you want to ensure a complete release.
Bake for about an hour. The edges will look a bit well done, but test with a skewer to ensure the center is cooked.
Let it cool, then slice and serve. It's even better the second day!
Some of my tasters, Cheryl and Alex. Baby Stellan is too young to enjoy the cake, though he's trying to grab it! Cheryl declared he cake moist and delicious and Alex finished off the loaf. The DH especially enjoyed the caramelized edges.
The recipe, below. I followed it exactly. The nuts I used were blanched slivered almonds, a tribute to my grandmother who always decorated her cake with whole almonds across the top of the loaf, like buttons running the length of the cake.
