Around this time of year, many Jewish magazines and newspapers will feature honey cake recipes, articles about the challenges of not producing a dry, unexciting honey cake, and whether or not most of us actually like honey cake. So much angst about honey cakes! I grew up very blessed in this department. While I have tasted my fair share of dry, unexciting honey cakes in other places, my mother always makes a wonderfully moist, totally delicious version. She tells me that she works off a hand-written recipe that she got from our neighbor, probably close to 30 years ago. So I don’t know the true origin of this recipe, but I know it works. The trick is to not overcook it, and to make it at least two-three days before you intend to serve it, wrapping it in foil until that time – it allows for the moist, sticky honey to really work its way through the cake.
So no more angst! Here’s a recipe that has given the Gurevitz family pleasure for many years:
A really good honey cake recipe
1lb Self Raising Flour
1lb Clear Honey
Half honey jar of sunflower oil
Three quarters honey jar of tepid water
Half honey jar castor sugar
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
Mix together ingredients adding eggs last. Beat for about three minutes
until smooth batter. Use paper cake case or silicone paper in tin for ease
of removing. If you wish sprinkle with almond flakes.
Oven temp. 350/180. If fan oven 330/160. Start checking if ready after
40/45 minutes but can take up to 60 mins depending on oven. To check put
knife into middle of cake. If it comes out clean it will be ready.
This amount makes two 8 inch round cakes.
