New Year's Day Honey Sweet Cake from: A Catered New Year's Eve
Note in the novel accompanying the recipe: At the conclusion of the Jewish High Holy Days, which mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year, it's traditional to serve apples and honey or honey cake at the celebratory meal to make sure that the new year is sweet. Here is a recipe for a steamed honey cake from my friend Sarah Saulson, who is an excellent cook and baker. She has adapted it from Gil Marks's "Lekach" from his The World of Jewish Cooking.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp sald
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 1½ tsp cardamom
- 1 cup honey
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 Tbsp coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup chopped walnuts- Optional
Instructions
- Generously grease a 2-quart steaming mold.
- Beat together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- In another separate bowl combine oil, honey, coffee, and vanilla.
- Add wet and dry ingredients to egg mixture alternately, mixing well after each addition.
- Stir in walnuts if using.
- Spoon batter into steaming mold.
- Place a canning ring or canning jar ring in the base of a large pot.
- Put mold on the ring.
- Fill the pot with water up to half the height of the mold.
- Place a lid on a large pot. Bring water to a simmer and simmer for 2½ hours.
- Remove from water. Place mold on the cooling rack and remove top.
- Unmold once cool.
- Note: Our favorite way to eat this is toasted with butter.[Molly's family likes this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream]