recipe /Makes 1 (9- or 10-inch) cake, about 16 servings
Ginger and Spice Honey Cake
by Tami Ganeles-Weiser
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon roasted ground cinnamon (can be purchased at grocery store)
1/2 teaspoon whole green cardamom seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole anise seeds
1/8 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon lavender
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
5 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
1 cup honey, any floral variety, from mild to medium, lavender preferred
Seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds)
1. Heat a medium cast-iron skillet or saute pan over medium heat until the pan is hot. Add the cardamom seeds, anise seeds and coriander seeds and stir, toasting for ten to 20 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from heat and place the seeds in a spice grinder or a coffee grinder dedicated to spice grinding. Add the lavender and grind the mixture until fine. Remove and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9- or 10-inch tube or bundt pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray and dust it with flour. Set aside.
3. Sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, anise, coriander, lavender, if using, and salt onto a large sheet of parchment or wax paper and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar and mix at medium speed for about 5 minutes, until light in color and light and fluffy in texture.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream or yogurt, ginger, seeds of vanilla bean, and honey until completely combined. Set aside.
6. With the mixer set at low speed, add the flour alternately with the wet mixture, scraping down the sides and bottom with each addition, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until just combined.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool completely before serving. Leftover cake can be wrapped well with plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. It is actually better the second day.
recipe /Makes about 5 cups
Pomegranate Molasses and Honey Fall Fruit Salad
The tart-sweet combination of molasses and honey sets this salad of fall fruits apart.
¼ cup pomegranate molasses or date molasses
¾ cup honey, lavender or floral strongly preferred
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger root, cut into three pieces
1 (2- to 3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 cups fresh figs, cut in half
1 cup pomegranate seeds (and any recovered juice, see Kitchen Tips)
½ cup dried pitted cherries
½ cup dried pitted apricots, cut in half
1 large crisp apple, Granny Smith preferred
1. Combine the molasses, honey, and apple cider or juice in a nonreactive saucepan (see Kitchen Tips) set over medium-low heat and whisk until fully combined. Add the ginger and cinnamon, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced in volume by about half. Set aside to cool. This can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in a covered container and brought to room temperature before serving.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the fresh figs, pomegranate seeds, cherries, and apricots and stir gently, just to combine. Core and cut the apples into ¼- to ½-inch pieces, add them to the fruit mixture, toss gently, and serve.
To serve with the ginger and spice honey cake, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Cut the cake into slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, touching if necessary. Heat in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until the tops are toasted. Remove from oven and, with a large spatula, turn the slices over . Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes to toast the second side. These can be toasted individually, as each person wants. Place the pieces on serving plates.Spoon ⅓ to ½ cup of the fruit salad on top of each toasted cake slice. Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce from the salad. This is delicious as is, but a dollop of sour cream or quark is a lovely addition.
Kitchen Tips
1. To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands. With a sharp knife, cut off the ends and make several cuts into the skin, working from one cut end to the other to pry the pomegranate into wedges. With your gloved fingers or a spoon, gently dig out the seeds, working carefully to keep the sacs of juice intact.
2. A nonreactive pan or container is one that is made from material that will not create a chemical reaction with ingredients and alter the flavor or color of the food (acids such as vinegar or tomatoes, for example, can react with aluminum pans). Good choices for nonreactive containers include glass, glazed ceramic, and enamel (not chipped). For cookware, choose stainless steel, enamel (not chipped), glazed ceramic, or heat-safe glass. Copper is a reactive metal that is great for whipping egg whites, but, like aluminum, can react with other ingredients when subjected to high heat, causing unwelcome changes in food. These two metals conduct heat really well, so some lines of cookware use a layer of copper at the bottom (where the pan meets the heat source) but a nonreactive metal to hold the food.
Entertaining on Rosh HaShanah? Click here for a Honey Cake co*cktail recipe.
