Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

I warned you last week that fall was just around the corner, and here it is, with a Rosh Hashanah honey cake recipe.

While honey cake was never on my family's Rosh Hashanah table, it is a traditional recipe for the Jewish New Year. My family ate a lot of apples and honey, but honey cake was never on our agenda. To be honest, whenever I had honey cake, I ended up disappointed. It didn't even taste like honey!

When I saw this particular honey cake recipe in Cook's Country, I knew I had to give it a shot.  The recipe has almost 2 cups of honey in it, and the cake was perfectly sticky and sweet. My taste testers at work devoured the cake quickly, and it is sure to be a star on your Rosh Hashanah table. Plus, it's a pretty simple and straightforward recipe, no fancy kitchen equipment required.

For those out there who don't celebrate Rosh Hashanah...still make this cake! I love honey cake with tea in the late afternoon, but it would also be a hit for brunch.

Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake

From Cook's Country

Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup water

4 large eggs

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup honey

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heavily spray 12-cup Bundt pan with non-stick baking spray with flour. 

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Whisk water, eggs, apple sauce, vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract together in another bowl until combined. Whisk honey into egg mixture until fully incorporated.

Whisk honey mixture into flour mixture until well combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a skewer inside of the cake comes out clean. 

Let cake cool in pan for 30 minutes, then use rubber spatula to loosen cake from sides of pan and invert it onto a rack. Let cool completely, for about 2 hours.

Whisk all three glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Drizzle evenly over cake. Let glaze firm (about 30 minutes), then serve. 

Sweet Cream Cake

As soon as I saw this recipe on Food52, I instantly knew it would be a Hilary Stone Soup recipe. A sweet bundt cake made out of simple ingredients is a kitchen staple, and this recipe does not disappoint.

This moist cake is perfect to make when you are trying to feed a crowd or when last minute guests stop by. The recipe calls for no special ingredients, and it takes less than five minutes to get the cake into the oven. 

What makes this cake truly special is a mixture of warm cream, butter, and sugar that is poured over the cake when it emerges from the oven. The cake soaks up all of the liquid, leaving you with a sweet and moist cake.

Sweet Cream Bundt Cake

Recipe from Food52

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 cup cold water

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a paper towel with some softened butter on it, grease the inside of a bundt pan, making sure that the inside of the pan is covered in butter.

In a medium sized bowl, combine sugar, flour, and baking powder with a fork. 

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and water together. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and whisk with a fork until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. The cake should be golden brown.

As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, mix the cream, butter, and sugar in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave until the mixture is very hot, but not boiling. 

Stir the cream mixture, then pour it slowly over the cake. Let the cake sit for 15 minutes. 

Invert the cake onto a plate, and then let cool completely before serving. 

French Yogurt Cake

I've always had an obsession with tea parties. I love the frilly lace tablecloths, the delicate vintage teacups, and the dainty sugar cubes that I add to my Assam tea.

Lately, I've been dreaming of hosting a tea party for friends to celebrate spring. Unfortunately, my house is not that accommodating for tea parties--we don't have very much common space. 

However, this French yogurt cake would be at the top of my list of things to serve at a spring tea party. It is very similar to a pound cake, but instead of butter it uses greek yogurt. The result is a delicious, light cake that would go impeccably well with a cup of tea. 

To make the cake even more festive, top with fresh fruit!

French Yogurt Cake

From Bon Appétit

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat pan with vegetable oil spray. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.

Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 

Using your fingers, rub sugar with lemon zest in a large bowl until sugar is moist. Add yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract; whisk to blend. Fold in dry ingredients just to blend. 

Pour batter into prepared pan, and then smooth the top of the batter. Bake until top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. 

Let pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack to cool completely.

Olive Oil Cake

As soon as I saw this cake recipe, I felt an instinctive "yes." This is a recipe that draws you in, like a fresh cup of tea on a dreary afternoon. I know olive oil sounds unattractive in a cake, but it ensures the cake is super moist, yet has a superb crispy crust. Instead of tasting olive oil, you tasted a bright orange flavor from orange zest, orange juice, and Grand Marnier.

Even more importantly, I love the simplicity of this cake--you probably have most of these ingredients on hand already. Honestly, the most difficult step is grating the orange for orange zest (more instructions here). After that, it is a pretty simple dump, mix, and bake recipe. 

This weekend, invite some old friends over for tea. You know, the ones you always promise to see, but never actually do. Bake this cake, ideally right before they come over, so your house has a wonderfully sweet orange smell before they arrive. Brew a pot of tea, devour this cake, and enjoy the lovely afternoon catching up with friends. 

Olive Oil Cake

From Food 52

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch cake pan (make sure the pan is at least two inches deep), and cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. 

In another bowl, mix together the oil, milk, eggs, zest, orange juice, and Grand Marnier. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden.  A toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. 

Transfer the cake to a rack, and let it cool for 30 minutes. 

Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack, and let it cool completely.

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice

I am not a pumpkin pie fan.  I don't drink pumpkin spice lattes.  My family would make a pumpkin pie each Thanksgiving, but it was typically an afterthought. Compared to the apple pie my family spent laboring over, the pumpkin pie never stood a chance.  

This pumpkin spice cake recipe turned me into a pumpkin fan.  In fact, it turned my whole family into pumpkin fans. Be warned though--you'll want to make two of these because the recipe is easy! 

Pumpkin Spice Cake:

From Cake Mix Doctor's Cookbook

1 box spice cake mix

1 3.4 oz box of vanilla pudding mix

1 cup  canned pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

3 large eggs

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly mist a 9X13'' baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
3. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Using an electric handheld mixer, mix on low for 1 minute.  
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase spread on mixer to medium, and mix batter for two minutes.
5. When the batter looks thick and well-blended, pour  the batter into the prepared pan.  Smooth the batter with a rubber spatula as necessary.
6. Bake for 32-26 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
7. Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack.  When it is completely cool, frost with the buttercream frosting recipe below!

Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter at room temperature

3 cups confections' sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsps of milk

1.  Place butter in a bowl.  Using a hand held mixer, mix on medium until butter is light and fluffy.  
2. Sift the 3 cups of confectioners sugar, and then add it to the butter.
3. Add vanilla and one tablespoon of milk to the bowl.  
4. Mix on medium until combined.  If the frosting is too thick, add more milk.  If the frosting is too runny, add more sugar.