Jewish Honey Cake
This lekach, or Jewish honey cake, is a moist and flavoursome dessert. The cake is packed with textures of apples and nuts, making it a delicious autumn bake.
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Introduction
Otherwise known as lekach, these are traditionally baked for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. There is no one definitive recipe, as different communities have their own traditions. However, this moist, well-flavoured cake is always based on honey, for the hope that the New Year will be sweet. Nuts – chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, pistachios or pine nuts – add texture, and apples – diced, grated, as juice or purée – are often considered essential (apples are dipped in honey at this autumn festival). Here, the flavouring is strong coffee, but other bakers use rum or brandy and/or lemon and orange zest. It is vital to bake this cake several days in advance, since the flavours develop as it matures.
Ingredients
| 275g | plain flour |
| 1 tsp | ground cinnamon |
| 1 tsp | ground ginger |
| 1 tsp | ground mixed spice |
| 1 tsp | baking powder |
| ½ tsp | bicarbonate of soda |
| 2 | medium free-range eggs, at room temperature |
| 150g | dark muscovado sugar |
| 250g | runny honey |
| 125ml | good-quality vegetable or sunflower oil |
| 125ml | hot coffee (made with 2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in boiling water) |
| 100g | walnut pieces |
Essential kit
You will need a 900g loaf tin, about 26 x 12.5 x 7.5cm, greased with butter and lined with greaseproof paper.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Remove a tablespoon of the weighed flour and set aside. Sift the rest of the flour into a bowl with the cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
In another bowl, large enough to hold all the ingredients, whisk the eggs with the sugar until well blended. Whisk in the honey, followed by the oil and then the coffee. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a thick, smooth batter. Toss the chopped nuts in the reserved flour then stir into the cake mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then carefully remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap in foil and keep for at least 3 days (some bakers insist on a week) before cutting.
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