Honey cake is steeped in tradition, made with black tea and warming spices like cinnamon and ginger. While honey cake is indeed a traditional way to mark the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, I recommend making this family recipe with roots in Ukraine all year long to enjoy with coffee, tea and friends.
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
So many reasons to love this recipe, I hardly know where to start.
First is its origin. My dear friend Vera shared it with me from her Jewish grandmother Riva. Her grandmother’s family was originally from Poland and then moved to Zhitomir. In the Essential Jewish Baking cookbook, I call this a Russian honey cake (Kovrizhka). Upon closer examination, I realize the region Vera’s dad and grandma are from – Zhitomir – is actually Western Ukraine now.
This honey cake is so fun to make. It has a science experiment vibe when you prepare the batter in the pot. Once you add the baking soda, the mixture grows large and you think you might be getting ready to make a volcano for science class. Then you remind yourself you are making a cake.
When testing the recipe, I did just as Vera’s grandmother did: wrap the cake in a kitchen towel and each day I would take a slice to check the taste. As Vera explained, the honey cake can last up to a month likely because the honey acts as a preservative.
It’s not a light fluffy cake but it is full of flavor from the spices. I added some raisins for a little extra textural contrast. We enjoyed every bite of this special honey cake or honey kovrizhka, as Vera’s grandmother called it.
Ingredients you’ll need
Think of this cake almost like a spiced gingerbread Bundt cake. No Bundt pan? I bet this would make a great loaf as well.
- Brewed black tea: Vera suggests loose black tea if possible, but I tested the recipe with tea bags and they worked out well.
- Honey: I used unrefined honey but any honey will work from standard store-bought honey to a flavorful local variety.
- Sugar: Granulated or brown will work in this cake.
- Baking soda: You’ll love the excitement in the pot from adding the baking soda and ultimately it will help the cake rise in the oven.
- Spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves – this is always a good place to improvise and either change up the spices or add even more of any or all of them.
- Walnuts: I always toast my nuts before adding them to my baked goods. You can also try pecans instead of the the walnuts.
- Raisins: I added this element to Vera’s recipe – other dried fruits such as currants, cranberries or cherries could work as well.
How to make this recipe
I promise you’ll have fun making this honey cake recipe and the payoff is a warm and inviting cake to nosh on for days to come.
1. You begin the recipe in a pot on the stove top creating the tea-based mixture.
2. Bring the tea, honey, sugar and oil to a boil until the honey and sugar dissolve.
3. Now add the baking soda and keep stirring. It will foam up.
4. Now add the spices and stir well to combine.
5. Prepare your Bundt pan by greasing it with your choice of spray, butter or oil.
6. Once the mixture is cooled, add the eggs and then the flour one cup at a time, to the tea mixture. You can do this in the pot you used or transfer the tea mixture to a mixing bowl as I’ve done here.
7. Add the nuts and raisins and mix until incorporated.
8. Add the honey cake batter to the prepared Bundt pan.
9. Bake as directed in the recipe below. Expect it to crack on top while baking. Isn’t it beautiful?
10. Once cooled, remove from the Bundt pan and either store on a platter or traditionally as Vera’s grandma did – in a linen tea towel.
Check out my honey cake web story for a quick visual guide about making this recipe.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
- Let the tea mixture cool before you add the eggs or the eggs could curdle!
- Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste buds – use more or less or a different set of spices. Cardamon would be another nice flavor addition, for example.
- When adding the flour, take note of the texture of the batter. It should be like a pourable thick milkshake when the right amount of flour is added.
Honey acts like a preservative so this cake can last for up to a month. In our house, that did not happen. We ate a slice every day and it was gone in a week.
The honey cake will last nicely at room temperature wrapped traditionally in a tea towel or in a more modern sealed container. You can refrigerate it, if for example, your home is quite warm which might reduce the time it is preserved at room temperature. I tested it’s staying power at room temperature in a home that is about 62°F – 70°F throughout the day.
Yes you can freeze honey cake. As with any baked good, wrap it well to keep the air out; it can be frozen for 2-3 months.
What to serve with honey cake
Serve this cake for afternoon tea, with your morning cup of coffee, as a snack anytime of the day or as part of your Rosh Hashanah dessert buffet. A schmear of cream cheese on top is a welcome addition too!
Vera remembers vividly the smell of honey, cinnamon and ginger in her grandmother’s house – aromas she never smelled in the region of Russia where she lived. I hope you enjoy this special recipe straight from Vera’s grandmother Riva and can taste the food memories baked into this beautiful cake.
For more background on the history of honey cake beyond this particular recipe, check out this honey cake article on MyJewishLearning.
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Honey Cake: A Grandma’s Recipe from Ukraine
Ingredients
- 1 cup strong brewed black tea, strained
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup granulated sugar (brown sugar is also okay)
- â…“ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large eggs
- 3 to 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Boil the tea mixture: In a large pot, add the freshly brewed tea, honey, sugar, and oil. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the honey and sugar dissolve.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the baking soda. Keep stirring for another 30 seconds. The mixture will foam and expand in volume.
- Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and mix. Set the mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature.
- Prep/Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 91/2-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the batter: Once the tea mixture has cooled, add the eggs and mix well with a whisk.
- Add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, whisking in between additions. As the dough becomes thicker, switch to a wooden spoon. The batter should be the consistency of a thick but pourable milkshake. If it seems too thin, add the final 1/4 cup of flour. When the batter is smooth and thick, stir in the walnuts and raisins.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. With a spatula, smooth the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Depending on the color and size of the Bundt pan, the bake time could be up to 1 hour. If a toothpick comes out clean or the internal temperature is above 190°F, it is ready.
- Store: Place the Bundt pan on a cooling rack. When the cake reaches room temperature, release it from the pan and wrap it in a kitchen towel. The flavor of the honey and spice will evolve over time, so this cake is even better after a day or two— but I won’t stop you having a slice right out of the oven.
Notes
- Let the tea mixture cool before you add the eggs or the eggs could curdle!
- Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste buds – use more or less or a different set of spices. Cardamon would be another nice flavor addition, for example.
- When adding the flour, take note of the texture of the batter. It should be like a pourable thick milkshake when the right amount of flour is added.
Nutrition
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Laura
Ooooh what a deliciously spiced cake! I love that it can last for a few weeks, but I’m pretty sure I’ll finish it before then!
Beth Lee
Yes you will, I promise. Goes from breakfast food to snack to dessert so I find reason to eat it multiple times a day :-).