Happy New Year to those who celebrate! I created a cheese-board-like creation with my favorite Rosh Hashanah treats: homemade challah, honey cake, and apples & honey. Also this wooden platter is the PERFECT size, food safe, and $39. Scroll down for the recipes!
HONEY CAKE
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
INGREDIENTS
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup honey
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 2 TBSP brewed coffee (warm)
- ½ cup plus 2 TBSP orange juice
DIRECTIONS:
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray then line with parchment paper, leaving an inch overhang on each side.
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In a large bowl (no need for an electric mixer), whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center and add the oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, coffee, and orange juice.
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Stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until all ingredients are well-blended, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.
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Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.
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Bake 35-40 minutes (if you’re using an 8×11″ brownie pan bake for about 40 minutes). The cake should be SLIGHTLY jiggly. I like to set my timer to 30 minutes and check 3 minutes at a time. If it jiggles like pudding, it needs a couple more minutes. I hate dry bread, so undercooking it a tad keeps it moist.
- Immediately grab the parchment paper and pop out of the pans so it doesn’t keep cooking in the pan. See how the photo has that yummy looking puddle in the middle? That’s the good stuff. The bottom of this cake bakes up FAST, so you really don’t want it to burn.
RECIPE NOTES:
CHALLAH
This is my favorite challah recipe! IT. IS. SO. GOOD. Our family friend, Carol, shared this recipe with my mom and me, and we will forever be grateful. Chewy and slightly sweet. Spread butter on a slice and drizzle with a little honey. I usually like to braid a 4 part braid and form into a ring so that the challah bakes evenly all around (SEE POST HERE), but I wanted it smaller for the board- see this braiding technique for a round challah HERE. We traditionally bake a round challah for holidays.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg yeast
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs (+ 1 egg for egg wash – see notes for alternatives)
4 c bread flour
DIRECTIONS:
- Dissolve 1 tsp honey in 1/2 c. warm water in large mixing bowl which has been rinsed with hot water.
- Sprinkle yeast on top, mix, let stand 10 min.
- Stir in oil, 1/2 c. warm water, sugar, 1 tsp honey, salt, eggs, and 2 c. flour. Beat well.
- Stir in remaining 2 c. flour. Dough will be sticky.
- Knead 2-3 minutes with a bread hook attachment or turn onto a floured board and knead.
- Round up in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hrs. It should have doubled in size. Gently put finger in top; if dough stays indented, it’s finished. If it bounces back, continue to rise.
- Punch down, cover, let rise again 45 min.
- Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Divide into sections and braid (ring instructions HERE, round instructions HERE), tucking in the ends.
- Cover, rise 20-30 minutes.
- Brush with beaten egg yolk and 1 tsp water (or sub- see below). Optional: sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Bake 400 degrees 15-20 min. The last 5 minutes or so, you can cover the top with foil so it doesn’t get too brown. Put a toothpick in the center of a braid and check for doneness. My mom and I like to under bake it just a tad so it doesn’t dry out- we like it a tiny bit gooey but it’s all to your preference.
- Eat! Delicious with butter and /or honey. Perfect the next morning for french toast.
RECIPE NOTES:
I always run out of eggs for the egg wash! You can sub with melted butter before you put it in the oven then a little when you take it out. I also spread a little honey on top to really take it to the next level.
xo
Leah
