Honey Cake with Dates and Apples
Introduction
It is true that I already have a Honey Cake recipe, and one that has been dear to me for many years, but I felt it was time to branch out. I can live with the fact that my earlier Honey Cake doesn’t have actually any honey in it (it requires, instead, the glory that is Golden Syrup) it has occurred to me, I’m embarrassed to say only recently, that perhaps having a Honey Cake — whose purpose in life is after all to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year — that can’t be eaten by those who keep Kosher, is not the most helpful thing in the world.
I wanted to set that right, and this Honey Cake with Dates and Apples is the delicious remedy. Essentially, whatever the ingredients, what matters is that the cake be sweet: a symbolic expression of most urgent hopes for a sweet year ahead. Actually, since there is no mention of bee-keeping in the Bible, is has long been presumed that ‘honey’, as in Land of Milk and Honey, actually refers to a syrup made with boiled-down dates, which feature still in the Sephardi New Year feast. And in the Ashkenazi tradition, eating slices of apple dipped in honey is an essential part of the Rosh Hashanah celebration. It pleased me to bring these components together. They also help, along with the dark muscovado sugar, to create a cake of seductive squidginess. I have forgone the familiar warm (if noisy) gingerbready spicing to let the flavours of honey, apple and date sing out beautifully and clearly, helped along the way by the fragrance of orange and orange blossom. If needed, you could always replace the orange blossom water with another teaspoon of orange juice.
I use a pleated paper cake tin liner when making this, which helps with getting the cake out of the tin, and makes washing up easier too. It’s especially useful if you’re giving a cake away as a present. But otherwise, do line the bottom of the tin with parchment and lightly oil the sides. If you’re making this to eat at home, I should tell you that I rather adore it still slightly warm.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
It is true that I already have a Honey Cake recipe, and one that has been dear to me for many years, but I felt it was time to branch out. I can live with the fact that my earlier Honey Cake doesn’t have actually any honey in it (it requires, instead, the glory that is Golden Syrup) it has occurred to me, I’m embarrassed to say only recently, that perhaps having a Honey Cake — whose purpose in life is after all to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year — that can’t be eaten by those who keep Kosher, is not the most helpful thing in the world.
I wanted to set that right, and this Honey Cake with Dates and Apples is the delicious remedy. Essentially, whatever the ingredients, what matters is that the cake be sweet: a symbolic expression of most urgent hopes for a sweet year ahead. Actually, since there is no mention of bee-keeping in the Bible, is has long been presumed that ‘honey’, as in Land of Milk and Honey, actually refers to a syrup made with boiled-down dates, which feature still in the Sephardi New Year feast. And in the Ashkenazi tradition, eating slices of apple dipped in honey is an essential part of the Rosh Hashanah celebration. It pleased me to bring these components together. They also help, along with the dark muscovado sugar, to create a cake of seductive squidginess. I have forgone the familiar warm (if noisy) gingerbready spicing to let the flavours of honey, apple and date sing out beautifully and clearly, helped along the way by the fragrance of orange and orange blossom. If needed, you could always replace the orange blossom water with another teaspoon of orange juice.
I use a pleated paper cake tin liner when making this, which helps with getting the cake out of the tin, and makes washing up easier too. It’s especially useful if you’re giving a cake away as a present. But otherwise, do line the bottom of the tin with parchment and lightly oil the sides. If you’re making this to eat at home, I should tell you that I rather adore it still slightly warm.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Источник
Apple, cinnamon and honey cake
Today, I have a very special apple, cinnamon and honey cake for you — a sticky, sweet, moist, moreish and comforting treat. And there’s a story behind it with many threads, some recent, some ancient.
This month, some of my best blogging friends, Penny Alexander and Becky Goddard-Hill published a non-fiction children’s book on a subject very close to my heart: happiness.
Create Your Own Happy is an illustrated, interactive activity book that empowers children to take practical steps towards their own happiness and positive self-esteem.
It’s packed cover-to-cover with exercises that children can try for themselves, either independently or with friends, parents or even teachers. From planting a seed bomb outdoors, to making a happy playlist or building a recycling monster, there’s something for every type of personality and learning style in this book. And what I love most is that each activity doesn’t just include the idea and how to do it, but also explains why it works and suggests a series of further actions you might like to try.
Create Your Own Happy is aimed at children aged 7-11 and I think it caters for that age range really well. J (6) and JD (10) have both been exploring the book over the last few weeks and both have engaged well but differently. JD has been using it as a toolkit for when they need a boost in his mood, while J is using it to drive their creativity & revel in the things that bring her joy.
Page 152 of Create Your Own Happy challenges readers to learn about another culture by cooking up a feast in order to learn more about others, and foster a kind, inclusive outlook. This challenge is perfect for a foodie family like ours, it’s something the whole family can do together, with plenty of opportunity for conversation and exploration and a yummy treat to enjoy.
As we sat at the table together after school last week, the children mulled over which culture they might like to explore, narrowing down to Japanese, Polish or Jewish.
After some research into the cuisines using Pinterest and Google, the kids’ eyes widened at the sight of apple cakes, honey, braided bread (challah), fishcakes and other delicious treats, so we settled on making a cake inspired by Jewish culture. It seemed especially apt since the upcoming weekend happened to be Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).
My father’s side of the family is Jewish, and of all my childhood memories, going to visit my paternal grandparents is one of the strongest. Once a month or so, we’d pile in the car and arrive at their bungalow where we’d be fussed over, photographed to within an inch of our lives and fed to bursting point with fishcakes, fresh salad and slices of challah slathered in butter, followed by tinned fruit salad and Tip Top (remember Tip Top?)
As the night drew in and we grew weary of playing Lemonade on our grandfather’s Apple Macintosh, we’d pile into my mum’s Volvo estate and roll home, stuffed full and clutching a homemade apple cake.
So apple cake has a lot of meaning for me, and a connection to the Jewish side of my heritage, but why apple and honey cake? Well, it’s traditional on Rosh Hashanah to enjoy eating apples dipped in honey to symbolise hope for a sweet new year, and many other apple and honey recipes are now enjoyed too.
Here’s how we made it, chatting about Jewish culture as we baked.
Ingredients
- 200g (7 oz) caster sugar
- 75g (2.6 oz) slightly salted butter, room temperature
- 3 medium free-range eggs
- 200g (7 oz) self-raising flour, sieved
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 eating apple, cored and sliced into thin wedges
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
Preheat the oven 180C (160C fan, 350F). Cream the butter and sugar together.
Beat in the eggs.
Add the flour and cinnamon and beat again.
Fold in the chopped apples.
Line the loaf tin and fill with the batter then top with a row of the sliced apple.
Drizzle with 1 tbsp honey.
Bake for 60 minutes or until the centre is set.
Set aside to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then skewer all over, avoiding the apple slices. Mix 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp hot water together and spoon all over the cake.
Allow to cool, then cut into slices and serve with a cup of tea. Don’t expect it to last very long!
If you’d like to print this apple, cinnamon and honey cake recipe to try later, just hit PRINT on the recipe card below.
Источник
Apple and honey cake
You already know about my predilection for desserts with apple among its ingredients; the warm apple cracker or the apple and cinnamon muffins are, without a doubt, among my favorites. That being the case, I could not resist making this sponge cake (it is not fluffy like the first ones) which also has a touch of very sweet honey.
This moist cake made with whole wheat flour, it is very easy to elaborate. By itself it could make a great breakfast, however, garnished with sweet apples cooked with lemon juice and honey, it becomes a much more presentable dessert. It will take you just 20 minutes of work to do it, then it will be the oven that works.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 70 ml. vegetable oil
- 200 ml. condensed milk
- 3 eggs
- 200 g. whole wheat flour
- 20 ml. lemon juice
- 3 grated apples
- 3 apples cut into wedges
- 1 tablespoon butter.
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 pinch of salt
- Juice of half a lemon
Crafting
We start by preparing the apples that will serve as an ornament to this cake. To do this, we melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the apples and honey. We give a few turns and when the honey is completely dissolved, we add the lemon juice and the pinch of salt. We lower the fire, cover and cook 5-10 minutes until apples are tender. We booked.
In a bowl, we mix the grated apples of the sponge cake with the lemon juice and we reserve.
In another container, we beat gently condensed milk and oil, until integrated. Then add the eggs one by one until they are fully integrated.
We incorporate the flour little by little, until we have a homogeneous mixture and finally, we add the apples with the lemon juice that we had reserved.
We pour the mixture into a mold lightly greased with oil and we cover with the segments of apples that we have prepared previously.
We bake at 170 ° C for 30 minutes, then we raise the temperature to 180 ° C and bake for 20 more minutes.
We let cool before unmolding and serving.
More information about the recipe
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 50 minutes
Total time 70 minutes
Kilocalories per serving 400
Источник
Apple Honey Bundt Cake
174
4 star values:
49
3 star values:
7
2 star values:
3
1 star values:
The batter of this moist and delicious cake could also be baked in two loaf pans. Reduce baking time to 45 minutes. To make this even more special, dust with confectioners’ sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, or drizzle with warm honey before serving.
Gallery
Recipe Summary test
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch Bundt pan or 2 loaf pans.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and oil. Beat in the eggs until light, then stir in the honey and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice; stir into the batter just until moistened. Fold in the apples and nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan or pans (see Cook’s Note).
Bake Bundt cake until a toothpick inserted into the crown comes out clean, about one hour. (Start checking for doneness after 50 minutes.) Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a plate and tapping out of the pan. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, or drizzle with warm honey before serving.
Cook’s Notes:
If you’re baking the cake in loaf pans, reduce baking time to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of each pan comes out clean.
You can substitute pecans for the walnuts, if you like.
Источник
