The Hirshon Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake – לֶקַח

Lekach Image Used Under Creative Commons License From kiakothecook.com.ar

Citizens, tomorrow is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a holiday rich in many ancient and symbolic food traditions. One of these is lekach – in English, a honey-sweetened spice cake.

It is one of the symbolically significant foods traditionally eaten by Ashkenazi Jews at the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah in hopes of ensuring a sweet New Year. The etymology of lekach is Yiddish, perhaps originating from the Aramaic word “lĕkhakh”, to mix thoroughly

Lekach symbolizes the ‘sweetness’ and prosperity of the upcoming year, therefore, it is served on Jewish New Year’s Eve and through Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance.

Lekach is usually a dense, loaf-shaped cake, but some versions are similar to sponge cake or pound cake, with the addition of honey and spices, sometimes with coffee or tea for coloring. Others versions are more like gingerbread, Pain d’épices, or lebkuchen.

The Jewish tradition of honeyed cakes may date back to basbousa (sometimes spelled basboosa), an ancient Egyptian cake, variations of which are still enjoyed throughout the Middle East.

A very traditional honey cake from Austria contains an equal weight of white rye flour and dark honey, strong coffee instead of water, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and golden raisins in the loaf, with slivered almonds on top of the loaf. Of course it also has a fair amount of eggs, vegetable oil (probably corn), salt, and baking powder.

Sadly most lekach is so dense that if you drop a piece on your foot, it will probably shatter the bones there. My version, however, is a revelation – light, moist and delicious: truly worthy of bearing the name of the inestimable TFD!

My lekach is moist from the brilliant (IMHO) use of mango smoothie in the mix, spiced to my own unique tastes, nutty from a touch of Frangelico and tasting of orange from a whisper of Grand Marnier. You don’t have to be Jewish or eat this only on New Years – enjoy it all year ‘round, ! ☺

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake – לֶקַח

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Ingredients

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3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup warm Earl Grey tea
½ cup Odwalla® brand Mango Tango
1/8 cup Frangelico
1/8 cup Grand Marnier
½ cup slivered almonds

Instructions

This cake is best baked in a nine-inch angel food cake pan, but you can also make it in one nine- or 10-inch tube or Bundt cake pan, a 9″x13″ sheet cake pan, or two five-inch loaf pans – it even works in a muffin tin if you want individual servings.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease pan(s). For tube and angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit. Have ready doubled up baking sheets with a piece of parchment on top.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg. Make a well in the center. Add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, coffee, mango tango, tea and assorted booze.
Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.
Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets stacked together. (This will ensure that the cakes bake properly.)
Bake until cake springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, 60-80 minutes; loaf pans, about 45-55 minutes. For sheet-style cakes, baking time is 40-45 minutes. Let cake stand 20 minutes before removing from pan.