So, honey, whose honey cake is the best?

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PROVIDENCE – Everyone has a favorite honey cake recipe, but that’s no reason to stop discovering new recipes: Here’s one more to try.

Honey cake with pecan swirls

Paula Shoyer, author of The Kosher Baker (published by Brandeis University Press, 2010), writes, “I am not a huge fan of honey cake. The first time I ate decent honey cake was when my kids baked it in preschool for Rosh Hashanah. I decided that the Jewish baking world did not need yet another simple honey cake so I created this updated (and moist) version.”

 

Ingredients

Spray oil containing flour or spray oil plus 2 tablespoons flour for greasing and flouring pan

1 cup pecan halves

½ cup plus ⅓ cup sugar, divided

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

⅔ cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee (or 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules dissolved in ⅔ cup boiling water)

¾ cup honey

½ cup canola or vegetable oil

⅓ cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-inch loaf pan.

Place the pecan halves in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin until the largest pieces are between ¼- and ½-inch long. Add the ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon to the bag and shake to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together the coffee and honey. Add the oil, ⅓ cup of the white sugar, the brown sugar and eggs and whisk well. Add the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and baking soda and beat with a stand or hand-held electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, or mix vigorously by hand, until you have a smooth batter.

Scoop up 1 cup of the batter and pour into the pan. Tilt the pan in a circle so the batter covers the entire bottom. Sprinkle on ⅓ cup of the nut mixture, covering the entire batter. Repeat with another cup of batter and ⅓ cup of the nut mixture. Repeat again. Repeat with another cup of batter and ⅓ cup of the nut mixture. Repeat again. Pour the remaining batter on top and spread gently to cover the nuts.

Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a rack to continue cooling.

This cake is good either warm or at room temperature.

 

Store covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to five days or freeze wrapped in plastic wrap for up to three months.

Serves 16.