A Quiet Cake Day

I celebrated Cake Day this week with just me. I was needing a little "me time" anyway, and working in the kitchen with the radio up was a nice break from the rest of the world.

This week I was to make a Honey Cake, and I discovered that I'm a little ahead on the time line, because this cake is apparently a tradition for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which was a couple weeks ago. The use of honey at this time is a symbol of the wish for a sweet New Year. Neither Dr. Robinson nor I are Jewish, but I had to laugh when I discovered that we share the same envy of Jewish food (especially latkes!); I guess it's not as weird as everyone thinks.

The cake itself required an extensive list of ingredients, but was simple to make, as all that was required was putting everything at once into a large bowl and mixing. The batter, however, smelled like death, due to the addition of bourbon. Bourbon is the one liquor I just can't handle, and the smell of it gave me an instant hangover, without any of the pre-hangover fun. As it baked, though, the cake filled my apartment with a sweet and spicy smell, and the bourbon was soon forgotten. By the time it came out of the oven, I was trying pretty hard to prevent myself from diving in with a fork before it even had a chance to cool.


The glaze, however, gave me fits. Simple: boil honey, water, orange juice, and orange zest until it thickens, then pour over cake. Well, I boiled and boiled and boiled, for a good 30 minutes, but that glaze never thickened. It did, however, boil over and coat my entire stove top in a sticky sludge, wasting a good half of the glaze mixture. Finally, I gave up and just poured what I had over the cake, topped it with almonds, and called it a Cake Day.

Glaze or no glaze, the cake was delicious and complex in flavor, with noticeable notes of orange, honey, vanilla, and spices. It has the texture of banana bread, with a sticky, crunchy honey and almond topping. I consumed way too much in one sitting and ended up with the sugar shakes. The recipe actually makes 2 loaf pans worth of cake, and since I've been on a baking binge recently, I decided I needed to share or else I'd end up 10 pounds heavier and in a state of constant vibration. I took large pieces to Chris and another friend that afternoon, and froze some for Randy, to see if my Jewish cooking skills are passable, and my sister, who had called that morning while I was baking to discuss the ups and downs of graduate school and was quite intrigued by the sound of the cake. (Additionally, unlike me, she enjoys bourbon, so it's only appropriate that she get to try it.) (Also additionally, she complained that I never mention her in my cake blog, which is entirely untrue, but this is her "shout out.") The other cake will go into work tomorrow, and I will carry it in myself... crutch free!!!