Apple Walnut Honey Cake For Rosh Hashanah

Last night was Jewish New Year known as Rosh Hashanah. Although you may find multiple spellings of the name, a few things remain the same: you are encouraged to eat honey and apples to signify sweet things to come in the new year. Who doesn't want a bit of sweetness?

To celebrate the New Year I baked Apple Walnut Honey Cake adapted from a recipe I made a few years back for Honey Nut Date Cake that was mildly adapted from Tori Avey's recipe.

Now that I've properly given credit to the origins of the recipe, let me tell you about a few changes that I've made.

1. I did not have cake flour. Luckily, Lisa told me I can make my own: for each cup of regular flour, take out 2 tablespoons of flour and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
2. I eliminated the dates and used an apple instead.
3. I was short on oil and used some Greek yogurt to compensate.
4. No nutmeg!!!

{Note, I did not use a pomegranate in the recipe. I wanted to show you a cute idea of writing a greeting or a person's name on a pomegranate to use as decoration or a name card before eating it! Also, pomegranates are important in Judaism...not to mention delicious!!}

Apple Walnut Honey Cake
Makes 1 8" loaf

Ingredients
1 cup flour, minus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 small apple or 3/4 large apple, chopped
oil for the cake pan

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add salt. If you try to sift the salt, it'll stay in the sieve because the holes are too small.
3. In a separate bowl whisk oil, yogurt, sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla and add to the flour mixture.
4. Fold in walnuts and apples.
5. Grease the pan with oil and pour in the cake batter. Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out dry when you insert it in the middle of the cake.

Ta da! The cake smelled amazing! Allow the cake to cool before you attempt to remove it from the pan. The pan, by the way, is Polish pottery I bought at Marshalls ;) I ♥ it.

This cake was lighter and less sweet than Tori's original version, but just as good. I liked the walnut pieces on the chunkier side.

This Apple Walnut Honey Cake is perfect as dessert, snack or breakfast with a glass of milk, or a cup of coffee. You can make it any time for a fall get together!