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The Philadelphia Jewish Voice |
Apricot
Honey Cake (pareve)
My
family loves this cake so much that in order to have a whole cake for company on
Rosh Hashanah, I’ll sometimes bake another batch in regular or mini muffin
tins for them to snack on. For an elegant presentation, serve accompanied by a
platter of whole ripe strawberries sprinkled with chunks of dark
chocolate-covered crystallized ginger (dark chocolate-covered crystallized
ginger, O-U dairy, is available at Trader Joe's Markets). This cake is also great with
breakfast, toasted and spread with cream cheese.
1-¾ cups
all-purpose flour
¾
teaspoon baking soda
½
teaspoon baking powder
¾
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
½
teaspoon ground ginger
¾ cup
honey
¼ cup
apricot jam
2/3 cup
vegetable oil
½ cup
strong brewed or instant coffee,
2 large
eggs
¼ cup
packed light brown sugar
2
tablespoons apricot brandy, or substitute
1.
Set oven rack in
the middle of your oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.
Oil a 9" x 5"
loaf pan and dust with flour, knocking out the excess.
3.
In a medium bowl,
whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
4.
In another bowl,
whisk together the honey, apricot jam, and cooled coffee, and brandy until
thoroughly combined.
5.
Using an electric
mixer, beat together the eggs and brown sugar at high speed for about 3 minutes,
until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and, scraping down bowl with a rubber spatula,
gradually add honey mixture until well combined, about a minute. Add dry
ingredients and mix just until moistened, continuing to scrape down bowl. Batter
will be thin.
6.
Pour batter into
loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and continue to bake
until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester or
skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes longer.
7.
Cool in pan on a
rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around sides of pan then invert rack over pan and
invert cake onto rack. Turn cake upright and cool completely.
Cake can be kept for up to a week at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic wrap, or in the refrigerator. It also freezes well and can be made in advance. Note: baking time for mini muffins is 20-25 minutes; 35-40 minutes for large muffins.