Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake Recipe

The tradition of eating honey cake during the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah has deep historical roots. Honey, the key ingredient in honey cake, is a symbol of hope for a sweet new year. According to tradition, dipping apples in honey and saying a blessing over the honey cake are important parts of the Rosh Hashanah feast. You don't have to tell us twice to eat cake!

The earliest Jewish honey cakes were simple, round loaves of leavened bread made with honey, oil, eggs, and spices like cinnamon. Jewish bakers in parts of Eastern Europe began creating richer, denser versions of simple honey cake in the Middle Ages. 

As Jewish communities became more established in Eastern Europe, bakers began creating richer, denser Rosh Hashanah Honey Cakes. In places like Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary, bakers added more eggs, oil, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to create moist, flavorful cakes. These cakes were baked in special fluted pans to create a distinctive ridged shape and dusted with powdered sugar or topped with icing or fruit.

Rosh Hashanah honey cakes made their way from Europe to other parts of the world as Jewish communities emigrated. Ashkenazi Jews brought the tradition of eating honey cake during Rosh Hashanah to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. American Jews adapted the recipes to use ingredients easily found in the U.S. and created new variations like adding coffee or chocolate to the batter.

While recipes have evolved based on regional ingredients and tastes, the honey cake remains an important symbol of hope while keeping alive the longstanding Rosh Hashanah tradition of celebrating with the sweetness of honey cake. 

Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

For cake:

• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for flouring the pan
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 cup honey
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• 3/4 cup pomegranate juice

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons pomegranate juice
• Pomegranate arils for garnish

Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a bundt pan with oil and flour lightly. Mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl until combined.
• Make a well and add in canola or vegetable oil, honey, eggs, vanilla extract, coffee, and pomegranate juice, and beat with a mixer until just incorporated. You do not want to over beat and make the cake tough.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 1 hour.
• Cool for 20 minutes in the pan before and then turn the cake out onto a serving platter to finish cooling.
• Mix confectioner’s sugar and enough pomegranate juice to make a glaze thick enough to cover the back of a spoon and drizzle over cooled cake. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve!
• Cake can be made ahead of time and stored at room temperature for up to five days or frozen for up to two months. Frost right before serving. Refrigerate leftovers for up to five days.