Amarante
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 Fri, Sep 15 2017, 11:37 am
Good classic honey cake.
HEIDI WORTZEL’S HONEY CAKE (Lekakh)
Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook.
MAKES 2 LOAVES. (P)
So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the horn.… And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a cake made in a pan, and a sweet cake.
II Samuel 6:15, 19
The Jewish sweet tooth can perhaps be traced as far back as King David! In Hosea 3:1, the “sweet cake” is identified as a raisin cake.
An ancient sweet raisin cake is a logical description since “honey,” as used in the Bible, referred to the honey and jam extracted from honeycombs, dates, grapes, figs, and raisins. The only bees found in biblical Israel were of the ferocious Syrian variety. They had to be smoked from their hives, so extracting honey from their combs was never an easy task.
During the Roman period, the more docile Italian bees were introduced to the Middle East. Gradually the image of the bee changed to that of a gentler, tame insect, with bee honey becoming a more commonly used food item. The honey and its comb were at that time precious commodities. They were eaten alone, added to drinks, used in cooking, and valued for medicinal properties.
Lekakh, Yiddish for honey cake, is the traditional Eastern European cake served on the first night of Rosh Hashanah and is eaten as a sweet throughout the period between Rosh Hashanah and Simhat Torah. It is also served at the birth of a boy, at weddings, and generally at all happy occasions.
1 cup strong coffee
1¾ cups honey
3 tablespoons Cognac (optional)
4 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
1¼ cups dark brown sugar
3½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup chopped toasted almonds or walnuts
½ cup white raisins
¼ cup chopped candied citron (optional)
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Generously grease and flour two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans.
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the coffee and honey and bring to a boil. Let cool, then stir in the Cognac, if using.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the oil and brown sugar.
In another large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir in the nuts, raisins, and citron, if using.
Stir the flour mixture and honey mixture alternately into the egg mixture. Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 70 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch. Do not serve for 24 hours, so that the flavor of the honey has a chance to develop.
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