World’s Best Honey Cake

Trust me. This.is.the.best.honey.cake.you.will.ever.eat.

I could just let the picture do all the talking, or, I can tell you why.

Did you ever taste the classic Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe? You know the one that is super moist and decadent? Almost fudgy? You know how no matter how many chocolate cakes you make, they can never measure up to that recipe? Well let me tell you a little secret. If you look at the recipe, you’ll see that it calls for a cup of boiling water to be stirred in at the very end. That water makes the cake almost pudding-like. It becomes super moist and incredibly delicious.

Why am I talking about Hershey’s chocolate cake in my honey cake post? Well…When my sister sent me this recipe last year, I thought I already had the best honey cake recipe. But when I saw the addition of boiling water at the end, it had me intrigued. It turns out that this is now my best honey cake recipe. And it will be yours too.

A few years ago, I made Martha Stewart’s honey cake with caramelized pears. The pears made for a beautiful presentation. But let me be honest. This honey cake is way better! I decided to take a cue from the queen of domesticity and top it off with caramelized apples, in lieu of pears, for that “apple dipped in honey” finish. Drizzle some more honey over the top and you’ll be in honey heaven! Talk about a sweet new year!

Honey Cake with Caramelized Apples
adapted from a recipe by Mrs. Dina Lili Sziewicz of Melbourne, Australia

4 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c canola oil
2 c honey
2 c self rising flour (see tip)
2 c all purpose flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 c boiling water
Caramelized Apples (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Add oil and honey and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix flours, cocoa, cinnamon and baking soda. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Pour boiling water into the batter and mix by hand. The batter will be thin. Grease and flour your pans of choice (see note)  and bake for 30 minutes for small pans or 50 minutes for large pans, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

BAKING OPTIONS: This batter can be made the following ways:
In a bundt pan (you will have some leftover batter to make an extra loaf or a few muffins).
In three 9″ round pans (makes for nice presentation when topped with caramelized apples).
In four 9″x 5″ (2lb.) loaf pans or eight mini loaf pans.
In 10 pint-sized wide-mouth mason jars (fill half way with batter).
In muffins or cupcake tins.

TIPS: If you don’t have self rising flour, add 2 tsp salt + 3 tsp baking powder to a measuring cup, and add flour until you measure 2 cups.
For bundt cakes, place caramelized apples on the bottom of the pan for a sunken apple and honey cake.
Place cake pans on a baking sheet in case of spillage.

PLAN AHEAD: This recipe freezes really well without the apples. Wrap well with 2 layers of saran wrap.

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Blueberry Apple Crisp

I’m not much of a reader. I don’t have the patience to read page by page and wait for the good stuff to happen. I’d rather just watch the movie. I’m more of a magazine kind of gal, and I read them from back to front. I like short articles, little tidbits of information, and pictures – I let them do the talking! So instead of curling up to a good book on Shabbos, I have my trusty Binah magazine, the Jewish Press, and if I’m lucky, a few good food or gossip mags to boot. But I have to be honest. When it comes to The Jewish Press, I only read 2 columns – The Agunah Chronicles and Dear Dr. Yael. My husband always makes fun of me, but can I tell you a little secret? He only reads the classifieds and he’s not looking for a job!

One thing I did get out of The Jewish Press though, is the inspiration for this recipe. They used to have a health column written by a nutritionist named Shani Goldner. I actually became a client of hers, but that’s a story for another day. She has a litened up apple crisp recipe which I’ve adapted to use different types of fruits. I love to make it because it doesn’t have any margarine and it only uses one bowl. Here is my apple-blueberry version, but I have also tried this with apples and cranberries, apples and peaches, and just plain old apples. Whichever way you make it, this crisp is sure to please. You can serve it up as a side dish, or for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream.

Apple Blueberry Crisp

5 apples
1/2 container blueberries (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar (increase to 1/2 cup if using tart cranberries)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 tbsp canola oil

Method:

Peel and dice apples. Rinse blueberries. Add apples, blueberries, sugar, cinnamon and flour into a bowl and mix. Add to a greased pie dish. In the same bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, walnuts and oil and sprinkle on top of fruit. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until topping is golden brown and fruit begins to bubble.

VARIATION: instead of the oat topping,  use this vanilla crumb topping and sprinkle with cinnamon.

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Tuna Pasta Salad

I love to make this salad for lunch when I have leftover pasta in the fridge. It’s a definite upgrade from a tired tuna sandwich! It also makes a great one-dish lite dinner. Experiment with pasta shapes – kids love them! If you have different types of leftover pasta, you can even do a fun mix. Any shaped pasta works well. Try wheels, shells, bowties, rotini, or cavatappi (like I used here).

In this recipe, I use a mixture of corn, red peppers, onions and hearts of palm. Feel free to play around with different veggies, or use whatever you have available in the fridge. Peas, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, pickles, radishes, scallions and fresh dill are all good additions.

Tuna Pasta Salad

1/2 box shaped pasta
2 cans albacore tuna in water, drained (don’t flake, leave chunky)
1 11 oz. can corn niblets (do not drain)
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 hearts of palm, chopped
1/2 cup mayo (or more, if needed)
squirt of mustard, optional
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and add to a bowl. Add tuna, corn (with liquid), peppers, onions and hearts of palm. Mix in mayo, mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add more mayo, if needed, to make it creamy. Chill and serve.

NOTE: Using the liquid from the canned corn helps make the pasta salad creamy. I use the Green Giant corn niblets which use less water. If you are using a different company, and the corn comes packed in a lot of liquid, use only about 1/8 of a cup of the liquid.

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Chicken Pastrami Roulade

Today marks the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Ten years ago today, I was working for an antique silver company in New York City that was located on 45th street between 5th & 6th Avenues. I was never late for work, but as luck would have it, I just couldn’t seem to get myself out of bed that morning. I turned on the TV and watched in horror as people jumped to their deaths from the soaring towers, seeing them crumble before my eyes. I vividly remember Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerland, in complete and total shock, crying and broken over the incalculable loss of his entire company, including his brother, who had gone “missing.” I was at a complete loss as I sat transfixed to the screen, watching as the news anchors struggled to gain their composure enough to get through a sentence. I thanked Hashem over and over that I did not go to work on that day. The next morning, and many after that, New York City was a somber place. There were notes plastered in the windows of store after store – MISSING posters of those lost on 9-11, never to be found, but never to be forgotten. As a born and bred New Yorker, and a victim of terror, 9-11 holds a special place in my heart. It is truly an emotional day, one of both reflection and hope. America has changed as a country, and we too, as a people. We have survived, and we will continue to persevere in the face of evil. Today, I am proud to be a {Jewish} American.

And now, back to our reguar programming…food :) Deli roll is a Shabbos staple in many jewish homes, including mine. I like to make it with turkey, pastrami, brown sugar and spicy mustard. While delicious, you have to admit, it’s not exactly figure-friendly. This easy alternative is rich in protein and big on taste. You can also add roasted asparagus, peppers, spinach, sundried tomatoes or other veggies for more color and texture.

Chicken Pastrami Roulade

Chicken breasts, trimmed thin
Sliced pastrami
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup mustard
corn flake crumbs
paprika
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Method:

Clean chicken breasts and trim off fat. If needed, pound with a mallet to flatten until thin. Mix honey and mustard and brush over cutlets. Top with a slice of pastrami and roll tightly. Secure with a toothpick, if needed. Place the chicken into a greased baking dish seam side down and brush with more honey-mustard. Sprinkle with corn flake crumbs, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spray with cooking spray and bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

VARIATION: Spread defrosted kishke on top of the pastrami and continue as above. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

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Candy Sushi

The days between camp and school seem to stretch on forever, especially with Hurricane Irene keeping us trapped indoors. We colored, painted, modeled stuff out of play-dough, built lego, surfed on the ipad, and played candyland. When a tantrum threatened to rear its’ ugly head, I knew it was time for some candy. But instead of handing out lolly pops, I decided to turn our nosh into a fun craft. Candy sushi is fun to make and even more fun to eat. Set out some chopsticks so your kids can practice using them.

I made these using store-bought rice krispies treats, but you can definitely make your own. Just follow the directions on the box and prepare thin sheets of treats on wax paper that are about 4″H x 6″W (or just spread out on a cookie sheet and cut to size with a knife).

Candy sushi is a great craft to make at a birthday party. Package each roll in a sushi container for an adorable take-home treat. You can also prepare these for a cute kids shalach manos!

Candy Sushi

2-3 rice crispy treat squares (such as Snack Delite brand) or 1 home-made 4″x6″ sheet
1 green fruit roll up (I like joray sour apple fruit roll)
a few sour sticks, twizzlers, or other long strips of candy

Method:

Place rice krispies treat squares on wax paper and roll out with a rolling pin (I used one from my kids playdough set) until it measures about 4″x6″, or prepare home-made sheets. Place sour sticks along the length of the treats, near either end. Roll the edge over the sour sticks, pressing down to make sure it is tight (I use wax paper to help me do this, just like you would use a bamboo mat to make real sushi). Continue rolling around until your have a log. Place the log on top of the fruit roll up and wrap around tightly. Cut into slices (you can save the ends for noshing) and serve!

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