Impossibly fluffy and light but with a rich honey flavor, this classic European honey cake is also super easy to make.
Every year in September, my Grandmother would bake dozens of huge sheets of honey cake. She was the cake supplier to most of the family – and everyone wanted a piece of it, so she was kept busy. But she didn’t seem to mind the endless baking marathons, because feeding others is her love language.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls in September. The date shifts each year with the lunar calendar; in 2025, it will mark the beginning of the year 5786. Honey is eaten during this holiday to symbolize sweetness in the year ahead- and it doesn’t get much sweeter than this cake.
Omi’s light and airy Honey Cake
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon dark cocoa
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tsp instant coffee
1 cup boiling or very hot water
1/4 cup walnut halves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325f/170c.
- In the bowl of a stand beater, add the eggs and sugar. Use the whisk attachment to beat on high until pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
- Add the oil and honey, beat another 2 minutes.
- Sift in the flour and the baking powder and soda, then beat on low speed to incorporate. Use a spatula to scrape sides and bottom of bowl, then mix again.
- Add the cocoa powder and cinnamon. Dissolve the coffee in a small amount of water, and add it to the mixture. Beat on medium/low until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour in the hot water, and use a spatula to fold in by hand.
- Butter and flour a 10″ cake pan, or line with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan, and scatter the walnut halves on top.
- Place pan into the centre of the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway during cooking to account for any oven hot spots.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes in pan, then loosen sides with a knife, invert onto cake rack and cool until just warm.
