The Parve Baker

Honey Cake

¾ cup mild honey, such as acacia
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup canola oil
4 extra large eggs
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon  nutmeg
1 cup strong black coffee
¾ cup orange juice concentrate, undiluted

Preheat the oven to 300° F. Grease a 5-pound loaf pan and line the botton with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, honey, and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined.

Sift the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, dissolve the orange juice concentrate in the coffee. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and orange coffee to the honey mixture beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. The batter should be pale brown and smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until golden and firm at the center. Cool and let rest for several hours to 2 days before slicing.

Makes one 5-pound loaf, enough for 30-40 slices.

Based on Gloria Kaufer Greene’s original The Jewish Holiday Cookbook (Random House). My recipe is a lighter, more delicately-flavored but still moist version of this classic. If you use two standard or six mini loaf pans, adjust the baking time downward accordingly. It’s fine to double the recipe, but you’ll need a monster-size bowl to hold all the batter.