At this time of the year, ovens the world over are being fired up, and home pastry chefs are baking batch after batch of delectable, moist honey cake, the traditional dessert of Rosh Hashanah,the Jewish New Year. (To skip ahead to
Mom's Classic Honey Cake recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the page.)
Most bakers have a love/hate relationship with honey cake. They either have an amazing recipe that works out fantastically well every time, or they slave for hours and come up only with a tough, dry mess. My job today is to give you that ideal recipe—coupled with an understanding of the science that backs it up—that will turn out that "perfect" honey cake every time you make it.
The main problem people experience with honey cake is toughness, but luckily, it's a very easy problem to solve. What makes honey cake tough is overbeating and over mixing. Honey cake is not made by the “creaming method”; the method by which most cakes with shortening or butter/margarine are made. Instead, honey cake is meant to be made with the “combining method,” which is very simple and straightforward. The key to this technique is to incorporate the flour only enough so that there aren't any lumps. Otherwise, you run the risk of developing the gluten.
Bakers know that gluten is a protein. It is the rubbery, strand like substance that gives chewiness to bread. It is a natural by-product of the combination of wheat flour and water. Gluten, above most things, is what gives texture, volume and depth to baked goods. If you want the gluten to develop, which you would certainly want if you were baking challah, bread or especially chewy bagels, it is important above all to mix and knead the dough extensively. For bread recipes, you can also purchase high-gluten flour, which has more protein and therefore more gluten-forming potential. Only extreme over mixing of these kinds of flours would break down the gluten structure. But for honey cake, all-purpose flour is best, though cake or pastry flour would work just as well.
For honey cake, your goal is simply to combine the ingredients until you have a uniform mixture, but no more. You now know what happens when the gluten is developed, so now you understand that the less developed the gluten, the lighter and more delectable your honey cake will be.
The order in which you add your ingredients is also vital with honey cake. You want to first beat the eggs well, because any moist cake is built, first and foremost, upon well-beaten eggs. After the eggs, add the sugar, oil and finally, your honey, because the measured oil helps coat the cup so that the honey will slip out easily. Since the honey is the most expensive, and arguably the most important part of the recipe, it's important to use just the right amount.
And most importantly, mix your dry ingredients separately before adding them to your wet ingredients. This will ensure even mixing, and remember only to mix until the flour is incorporated.
Recipe: Mom's Classic Honey Cake
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 cup strong brewed decaf or regular coffee
1/2 cup golden raisins, coated first in flour (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs in mixing bowl. Combine slowly with sugar, oil and then honey. Add coffee alternating with your dry ingredients, taking care to mix only until the dry ingredients are combined. Sprinkle in the flour covered raisins at the end, by hand. Mixture can be poured into one 9 by 12 cake pan, or two loaf pans, or in mini-loaf or cupcake pans. Fill the pans halfway or a little more. The baking time can be anywhere from 15 to 35 or 40 minutes, depending on the depth of your pan. Test for doneness by piercing with a toothpick; If the toothpick comes away clean, the cake is done. The recipe doubles well and freezes well.
