Honey cake with apple

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.

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Apple Cake with Honey Cider Glaze

I grew up in New England and the apples from my childhood were MacIntosh. They are deliciously tart and have a soft flesh that practically turns to applesauce on a hot day. It wasn’t until I moved to Minneapolis that my apple horizons were broadened and now I am spoiled by the riches of so many local varieties of apples.

As a result, I always use at least a couple different kinds in a recipe. I pick sweet (honey gold), tart (Haralson), saucy (MacIntosh still makes the cut) and firm (Prairie Spy). You’ll have your local favorites, but keep the flavor and texture profiles in mind when choosing. Infusing apples with a golden honey-cider caramel is like matchmaking two friends. Honey as a basis for caramel is a bold and absolutely spectacular flavor shift.

Grating the apples into this apple cake also retains the moisture, packs in the flavor, but also adds a measured consistency of apple throughout the cake that I just love.

Apple season falls right around Rosh Hashanah, a time to celebrate the Jewish new year with family and friends. This cake will quickly become an old family tradition for the holiday.

You can watch me make this on Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! On the Apple Classics episode I visit an apple orchard to pick new apple varieties and use them in a few desserts.

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Apple Honey Cake with Vanilla Rooibos Glaze

Today is the first day of fall and the official start to baking season, my favorite time of the year. Along with the cooler weather comes apples, pumpkin and all the warm spices that fit them so well. This apple honey cake is made with honey, vanilla, cinnamon and is topped with a Rooibos tea glaze. All of these flavors were inspired by Vanilla Moon Cider, one of the new fall drinks at Dunn Brothers Coffee here in Mpls.

I have a long history with this coffee shop. So, when Dunn Brothers invited me to collaborate on a post, it was a natural fit. When I lived in Linden Hills it was the first coffee shop in the village and became a daily stop with my little boys. Dunn Brothers brilliantly set up a play area, so we tired moms could sip a cup of Sumatra, while our little ones entertained themselves within view. I even met some of my best friends in that play area. Later, when the boys were older and in school, I wrote my first book sitting at Dunn Brothers and drinking lots (and lots) more coffee. One of the baristas became a babysitter and another a trusted reader, when I needed a first pair of eyes on the book. They say it takes a village to raise children and the folks at Dunn were my eyes and ears as my kids got older. I’d walk in to the shop and was typically greeted with something like, “Your boys were just here, they’re headed over to Great Harvest (for a free slice of bread) and then to the lake.” Good to know! The people that worked there were my village. I moved from Linden Hills and was thrilled to find that Dunn Brothers had opened in a space near my new house. Not only did they serve coffee, but this location has wine and beer. Now my husband and I stop in the evenings, with our two dogs and sit at Dunn Brothers to watch our new neighborhood go by.

Dunn Brothers Coffee and all the wonderful people who work there are celebrating their 30th Anniversary this year. I made this apple honey cake to help them celebrate and to highlight one of my personal favorite, non-coffee drinks, the Vanilla Moon Cider. *They are also offering a giveaway of Dunn Brother Coffee goodies and a $50 gift card. See the bottom of the post for details on how to win and the recipe for the apple honey cake.

There are three new fall drinks to try at Dunn Brothers and my husband came with me to taste them all. The always popular Pumpkin Pie Latte (made with real pumpkin and not just pumpkin pie spices), Honey Spiced Nirvana is made with their famous cold press coffee and the Vanilla Moon Cider for those who want something warm and tasty without the caffeine.

Apple Honey Cake with Rooibos Vanilla Glaze

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups oil (I used a neutral flavored oil, but olive oil is really nice too, or a combination of the two)

1/2 cup honey (something local to save the bees)

2 teaspoons vailla extract (make your own)

2 tablespoons calvados or apple cider

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 1/2 cups peeled, cored and 1/4″ cubed apples (I like to use a variety, your favorite local ones are great)

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon honey

1-2 tablespoons rooibos tea or cider

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

Preheat oven to 325°F

Grease a 10-cup Bundt Pan with lots of butter and then dust with flour, tapping out any excess.

Whisk together the sugar, oil, honey, eggs, vanilla, and calvados in a large bowl. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then fold the dry into the wet, until there are no lumps or dry flour. Stir in the apples. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs, but is not liquid.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes. It should still be quite warm when you turn it out of the pan or it may stick. If you turn it out right away the cake may fall apart.

Invert the cake onto a serving plate and let it cool completely.

The apple honey cake is good enough to eat just like this, but the glaze is fantastic!

To make the glaze:

Stir the cream, honey, 1 tablespoon tea and vanilla bean together in a small bowl. If the glaze is too thick add more tea. If the glaze is too thin, add more sugar.

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake.

It will drip down the sides and allow some of the cake to peek out.

Serve the cake at room temperature.

*To be eligible for the reader giveaway (in celebration of the 30th Anniversary and the start of the fall season, you must like/follow Zoe Bakes and Dunn Brothers on Instagram and/or Facebook. Dunn Brothers will send the winner (randomly drawn by Zoe Bakes) a gift pack including freshly roasted coffee beans, mug, and a $50 gift card.

You can follow us on Instagram here: Zoe Bakes and Dunn Brothers

You can follow us on Facebook here: Zoe Bakes and Dunn Brothers

This post was sponsored by Dunn Brothers Coffee, but the opinions are all mine!

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Upside Down Apple Honey Cake

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Honey cake is a traditional dessert for the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish new year. The reason is simple: for a sweet new year! We also enjoy apples dipped in honey for Rosh Hashanah for the same reason. Growing up, I never saw the two combined. It was always a honey cake, and just apples dipped in honey. I decided to combine the two for this perfect Rosh Hashanah dessert.

This honey cake recipe is adapted from a recipe shared by my sister-in-law and her mother — both of whom are fabulous cooks! I played with it a drop and tweaked a few things, mostly to get it to be an easy cake to make and to fit into a springform pan for easier removal. Not only is it easy (meaning no mixer necessary), this recipe delivers a moist, flavorful and dairy-free (parve) cake that is perfect for any occasion.

This dairy free cake is ideal for Rosh Hashanah or any gathering during apple season.

How to Make Upside Down Apple Honey Cake

Make the base for the apples

The bottom of the pan is spread with a thin, brown sugar mixture, which adds wonderful flavor to the apples and prevents the apples from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Many upside down apple cake recipes use butter with the brown sugar. I wanted this recipe to be dairy free (parve) so that those who keep kosher can enjoy this dessert after eating a meal where meat is served. I therefore used refined coconut oil, which worked out great! Using a fork or a spoon, simply mix the refined coconut oil with the brown sugar, mix in the rest of the ingredients, and spread it on the bottom of your prepared pan. A small metal spatula is the perfect tool for spreading.

The brown sugar mixture comes together in about 30 seconds. Spread it thinly and evenly on the bottom of the prepared springform pan.

Press in the apples

To prepare the apples, peel, core and halve them, Place the flat side (the inner half) on a cutting board, and cut slices approximately 1/4 of an inch thick. Place them on top of the brown sugar mixture in a decorative fashion. Some people use lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning (oxidizing), but there is really no need to do so here. Leaving aside that I do not enjoy lemon on my apples, it will only take a couple of minutes (literally) to make the cake batter. If you want to avoid the apples from browning though, just cover the pan with plastic wrap while you make the cake batter.

Arrange the apples in a decorative pattern, keeping in mind that the very bottom of the pan will ultimately be the top of the cake.

Make the honey cake batter

This cake is seriously super easy to make. As I said, no mixer is needed.

In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, use the same whisk to whisk together the eggs with the sugar. Then whisk in all the rest of the liquid ingredients.

Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, just until the flour is fully absorbed into the liquid. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter over the apples.

And that’s it! Bake for 55-60 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and it starts to pull from the edges of the pan.

Cooling the Upside Down Apple Honey Cake

Once the cake is done, allow it to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a metal spatula along the sides, and remove the side of the springform pan. Place a serving plate centered over the cake, and flip the cake onto it. The apple side is now on top. Be careful! The mixture around the apples will be extremely hot. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature, which may take a couple of hours. This cake is so delicious!

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Upside Down Apple Honey Cake

Do I have to use a springform pan?

I prefer to use a springform pan because it is just easier to release the cake. However, you can certainly use a 9-inch by 3-inch round cake pan. (Do not use a pan that is less than 3 inches in height.) Make sure to use a parchment round on the bottom of the pan for easier release.

What are the best apples to use for an Upside Down Apple Honey Cake?

You can use any standard baking apple in this cake. Because the cake is naturally sweet, you may prefer a more tart apple like a Granny Smith or a Golden Delicious. On the sweeter side, honeycrisp work great for this cake also. Avoid apples that break down or get mushy quickly when heated.

What type of honey is best for an Upside Down Apple Honey Cake?

I like to use a local honey in my baking. That said, honey tends to lose many of its subtle properties once baked. It’s therefore not worth spending a fortune on some fancy shmancy honey. I recommend buying a local honey rather than some national brand, but make sure it is 100$ pure honey. If raw honey is more expensive, there is no need to splurge on it. Once the cake is baked, the honey in it is no longer raw anyway. I have made this cake with the cheapest honey I could find at Costco and at BJs, and the cakes were delicious every time.

Do I have to use coconut oil in the brown sugar mixture?

Absolutely not. I wrote this recipe intentionally to be dairy free, and I had refined coconut oil on hand, which worked wonderful in this recipe. Use refined coconut oil so you do not experience any coconut flavor. You can also use vegan butter or margarine. If you are not opposed to making this cake dairy free, you can certainly use butter.

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