Rosh Hashanah Honey Apple Cake

Shana Tova! Happy Jewish New Year! Another year has passed and it’s time to celebrate again with apples and honey to start the sweet new year. In years past, I’ve made a few different types of apple cakes (like this Apple Bundt cake and this Apple Torte). This year, I was really wanting to make something a little bit different and a little bit sweeter. And I found it in Tori Avey’s Honey Apple Cake.

Now, this cake tastes much more like a honey cake than an apple cake. The apples are there to keep the cake moist. And having them in the cake for that reason truly works! Honestly, the hardest part of making this cake is just shredding those pesky apples! If you’re ok with that, then this cake will be a breeze for you to make!

One more thing I want to say about this cake – as someone who loves to bake cakes, but not necessarily eat them, I have to say this one changed my mind! I absolutely love this cake. It’s sweet, full of flavor and perfect for Rosh Hashanah!

What’s your favorite dessert for Rosh Hashanah? I’d love to hear in the comments below. Happy New Year!

Honey Apple Cake

Servings: 10
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

Cake

3 large eggs
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups flavorless oil (like Avocado oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose baking flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Dash ground cloves
4 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and shredded)

Icing

1 cup + 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 – 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are frothy. Whisk in the honey, white sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla. In a separate medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and spices. Incorporate the flour mixture into the liquid, stir to blend. Fold in the shredded apples and their juice.
Spray your Bundt pan with cooking spray, making sure to evenly coat the entire inner surface. Pour your batter into the pan.
Bake cake in preheated oven for 75-90 minutes (if you’re using a black or dark-colored bundt pan, yours may bake faster). When the edges darken and pull fully away from the sides of the pan, and the cake browns all the way across the surface, insert a toothpick deep into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
Let the cake cool for exactly 10 minutes, then invert it onto a flat plate. Tap the Bundt pan gently to release the cake. If your cake sticks, use a plastic knife to carefully loosen the cake around the center tube and sides. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
To decorate the cake, put 3 tbsp of powdered sugar into a handheld mesh strainer or sifter. Sprinkle sugar onto the top of the cake by tapping the strainer or sifting to release an even shower of sugar around the surface of the cake.
Next, make your drizzle icing. Sift 1 cup of powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Add ¼ tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tbsp water. Stir sugar and water with a whisk to blend. Add additional liquid by half teaspoonfuls, mixing constantly, until the mixture has the texture of very thick honey. Pour the icing into a Ziploc bag, and close the bag leaving a small bit open to vent. Guide the icing towards one of the lower corners of the bag. Cut the very tip of that corner off the bag. Drizzle the icing in a zig-zag pattern around the cake by squeezing the bag gently to release the glaze. Allow icing to dry completely before serving—this usually takes about 30-60 minutes.
Slice and enjoy!