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Honey Cake

A cake I’ve grown up watching my mother make and when I was old enough, I started making it on my own, and now it's one of my best recipes. I get particularly excited to make honey cake as it’s a cake I bake knowing how much everyone loves it. There’s a special sweetness about this cake, it’s deliciously moist with an alluring sticky edge. One slice is never enough!
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Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
roasting pan 1 hr
Servings 3 2lbs loaf cakes or roasting tin measuring 35 cm x 25 cm

Ingredients
  

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla pod deseeded
  • 1 lbs golden syrup (454) g
  • ½ pint warm water (10fl.oz)
  • 227 ml sunflower oil (8fl.oz)
  • 200 g granulated, golden or caster sugar
  • 1 lbs self-raising flour, sifted (454) g
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tbsp palwins wine (no.10 kiddish wine) or sweet red wine

Garnish

  • 90 g honey (6 tbsp.)
  • 40 g flaked almonds (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350°F, gas mark 4, 180°C (160°C fan-assisted).
  • Line 3 2lbs loaf tins with cake liners or you could use a large roasting pan measuring 35cm x 25cm lined with parchment paper.
  • In a saucepan add the golden syrup, oil, sugar and water. Heat over a gentle heat until warmed through and the sugar has dissolved, then set aside to cool.
  • In a mixing bowl sift the flour together with the baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.
  • In a small separate bowl add the wine, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice.
  • In a separate bowl beat the eggs and vanilla until smooth, either by hand or using an electric beater or freestanding mixer. Then pour in the heated liquid mixture, (although make sure it’s not too hot, when adding to the eggs) and mix until combined.
  • Slowly fold in the sifted flour mixture into the wet mixture, do this process in stages. After adding the final amount of flour, add the wine mixture. Once you’ve mixed all the ingredients together and the consistency is smooth pour into your pre-lined tins (at this point you can add the flaked almonds although this is optional).
  • Bake for 45 minutes for 3 loaf tins and 55-60 mins for large roasting pan.
  • Insert a cake tester to check if the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then glaze the top of the cake or cakes with honey using a pastry brush whilst the cake is still warm and then leave to cool.
  • Once the cakes are cooled, I wrap them tightly with foil, sometimes for 48 hours before serving, a little tip I often wrap them in the foil whilst they are slightly warm as this keeps them really moist. Keeping them wrapped in foil gives the cakes an incredible texture, soft, light and gives it time for the flavours of the cake to improve, trust me it works, you’ll have a wonderful sticky top with a light fluffy cake texture.
  • If you make this recipe, I’d LOVE to see how you get on so please either send me a photo to lisa@myrelationshipwithfood.com or post a picture to Instagram using the #myrelationshipwithfood andtag@myrelationshipwithfood
  • Enjoy!

Notes

LISA’S TIP – Always keep the honey cakes tightly wrapped up in foli to keep moist. The honey cakes will stay fresh for 5-6 days. The texture should be squidgy and dense at the same time. It’s a festival tradition to have honey cake during the Jewish New Year as it symbolizes the wish for a sweet and good new year.  Also, you can freeze the cake or cakes in advance so that you’re all prepared for the big day! Take the cakes out of the freezer several hours before serving. Something that I love to do is keep the golden syrup tins and use as table decorations (see in the photo) to store flowers or candles.