Rosh Hashanah Is a time to eat honey cake...and whether you're Jewish or not, this heavenly Rosh Hashanah honey cake recipe will please your palate.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins this year at sundown on Wednesday, September 4.

Traditionally, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, apples are dipped in honey, symbolizing a sweet year ahead. Honey is also often baked into a delicious cake....and this recipe is a winner.

The traditional Rosh Hashanah honey cake has been updated into a contemporary crowd pleaser by Epicurious.

"This is a cake worth making no matter what religion or belief system you follow," says Kemp Minifie of Gourmet Live.

This heavenly honey cake recipe for Rosh Hashanah can be made with a variety of honeys- after all, "there's so much choice out there in terms of honey," says Minifie.

You can use anything out there to make this Rosh Hashanah honey cake, rom buckwheat honey, often called for, "which is dark, very strongly flavored, and not to everyone's taste," to milder clover or orange blossom honey.

Minifie recommends measuring the oil first for this Rosh Hashanah cake, then the honey. The oil helps the honey slide easily out of the measuring cup.

The cake can be baked a day in advance and will keep for several days. The glaze can also be made ahead and warmed if necessary to spoon over the cake. Glaze the Rosh Hashanah honey cake an hour or two before serving.

HONEY CAKE

Makes 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake

active time: 40 min

total time: 4 hr

Ingredients

For cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

1 cup pure honey

3/4 cup lukewarm coffee (brewed, or instant dissolved in water)

1 1/2 teaspoons packed grated orange zest

For chocolate glaze:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk (not light)

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

4 ounces bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped

For garnish:

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Equipment:

a 10-inch Bundt pan; nonstick baking spray (shake well first); cake tester or wooden skewer for testing cake doneness

PREPARATION

For cake: Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously spray pan, including center tube, with baking spray. Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk eggs well in another large bowl and whisk in sugar, oil, honey, coffee, and zest until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth. Pour batter into pan (it's liquid enough to level itself in the pan), and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack (see Cooks' Notes) and cool completely.

For glaze: Bring coconut milk and corn syrup to a simmer in a small heavy pan, stirring until combined. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Let chocolate stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth. Let glaze stand, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, but still pourable. Transfer cake to a cake plate and slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, let the cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set. Just before serving, sprinkle glaze lightly with flaky sea salt, if using.

Have you made this Rosh Hashanah honey cake? Let us know what you think!