Recipe for Honey Almond Cake with Orange Zest for Rosh Hashanah: Shana Tova

I would never get an award for the best Jew.

I eat pork. I love shellfish. After a dinner of steak, I don't mind eating a dessert that has dairy in it.

Several years ago I gave up fasting for Yom Kippur, because instead of having a reflective day, I'd be miserable because all I could think about was not being able to eat and drink.

I have only dated one Jewish guy...and even he was only 1/2 Jew.

But all that doesn't matter to me. I attend cultural events at 6th & I synagogue, I love the traditions behind Jewish holidays, have fond memories of the two times I traveled to Israel, and matzo ball soup (even if it's from a mix) is one of my favorite soups ever.

This Wednesday is Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year. I decided to bake a honey cake to represent a  sweet and happy upcoming year (fingers crossed it'll be true!).

But here's a thing: I actually don't like honey. And I've never baked a honey cake before. Luckily, Gayle tweeted me a recipe for Honey Almond Crunch Cake from Food Network.

When it comes to cooking, I rarely follow recipes: I just come up with my own creations. Baking is another story: I try to stick to a recipe as much as possible, but it's oh so very hard for me! In this case, I increased the amount of nuts and added zest from one orange. I also, by mistake, used 3 instead of 1 eggs....luckily, the cake still came out tender and was quite a success with one adorable 2 year old.

{Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, “Butter Sugar Flour Eggs” by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin: Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, 1999}
Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted  (I used 2/3 cups of almonds)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• zest of one orange (my own addition)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 3 tablespoons of melted butter into a bread loaf pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of brown sugar, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of honey and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

2. In a large bowl whisk the egg, remaining brown sugar and orange zest. Add the rest of the melted butter and honey. Gradually mix in buttermilk.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix till smooth.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes and invert it onto a plate.

I was so glad the cake wasn't ruined due to my lack of recipe-reading ability! Some of the almonds got stuck to the bottom of the pan, but overall I'm very pleased with the results.

Shana Tova to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah.