Walnut and Honey Cake for a Sweet New Year

Our followers know that Rosh Hashanah is one of my favorite holidays. My memories of this holiday are vivid and warm. I remember the rustle of leaves in the days before the holiday, the preparations, the shopping, the New Year cards I used to make myself or buy from the wooden stall in Hadar next to the fountain on HaNevi’im Street, and the preparations of my honey cake, which I would share with family and friends.

You already know this honey cake. I never swap it for any other honey cake, and even though I’m not usually a fan of the genre, it’s one of my favorites to have with coffee. Even people who don’t like honey cakes love this one, and its recipe is always the one people ask me for after Rosh Hashanah.

Since then I’ve published a range of recipes for this beloved holiday, like a delicate and special ricotta and honey cake, a salted honey, macadamia and pecan tart that’s one of my favorites, and of course my beloved Nusstorte and more.

On a personal level, there’s one cake that for me is the queen of Rosh Hashanah: the Mitzpe HaYamim cake. This is perhaps the cake most identified with me, because it’s the one I published after receiving the recipe from Sivan Tzafrir, the pastry chef of the Mitzpe HaYamim Hotel, about 20 years ago. Until then, plenty of people had tasted the cake at the hotel, but no one had the recipe. This cake became a regular guest in the homes of thousands of people, and of course the most-viewed recipe on the blog throughout the 17 years it’s been running.

This time, I chose a slightly different cake, one that could be loved even by those who aren’t fans of honey cakes: walnut and honey cake. Meaning, this isn’t a honey cake with walnuts added, but a cake where the leading ingredient and dominant flavor is walnuts, with honey as the supporting note. The honey also gives the cake wonderful moisture, color, and depth.

It’s a wonderful cake for coffee during the Tishrei holidays, and for any other day too. It’s not your ordinary honey cake 🙂

Walnut and Honey Cake
20 cm round cake pan

Ingredients
150g butter
140g honey
60g granulated sugar
50g muscovado or brown sugar
130g roasted walnuts, coarsely ground
100g roasted walnuts, finely ground
220g eggs (about 4 medium eggs)
185g all-purpose flour
5g baking powder (1 teaspoon)

Preparation
1. Grease the pan with butter and line only the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 165–170°C (330–340°F).
2. In a small pot, melt the butter, add the honey and both sugars, stir, and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.
3. Transfer the butter and sugar liquid to a large bowl, add the eggs, and beat until you get a lighter, slightly airy mixture.
4. Add the walnuts, flour, and baking powder, and mix until you get a uniform batter.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 40–45 minutes, until the cake is set but not too dry. Let cool to room temperature, then unmold.
*Can be kept for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature. The cake improves with time.

Bon-Appétit!
Gali and Sharon