A Sweet New Year

At the New Year table, we might find Israelis eating pomegranates while Jews from Morocco favor pumpkin; Yemenite Jews may be sipping fish soup while Jewish people from Siberia bake their apples before dipping them in honey. One standard in almost every Jewish home, however, is honey cake, eaten to herald a sweet and prosperous new year. Try the following traditional Ashkenazi recipe, or, for a Sephardic treat, add the optional ingredients.

Honey Cake

In a bowl mix together:

3 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. soda

In another bowl, combine:

1 tbsp. instant coffee ½ cup boiling water ¼ cup oil 1 cup honey Finely grated peel of 1 orange

Beat together until thick, fluffy and lemon colored:

4 eggs 1 cup sugar

Stir egg mixture and honey mixture together. Add liquid to flour mixture a small amount at a time and combine thoroughly. Pour into a lightly oiled 9” x 13” pan that has been lined with waxed or parchment paper; bake at 325°F (165°C) for 50 minutes.

Optional ingredients:

1 tbsp. ground cardamom 1 tbsp. ground ginger ¼ tsp. nutmeg 1 cup chopped walnuts, sliced almonds or golden raisins