Apples and Honey Cake – Gluten Free

Honeycake, a Rosh Hashanah staple, is a tricky recipe to perfect. Some recipes are too dense, others too sweet, others not sweet enough. All of them are prone to overbaking.

The following recipe, which combines the holiday flavors of apples and honey, has been modified from an applesauce cake recipe from The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. This cake is a perfect balance of moisture, flavor, and texture. In my opinion, I IMPROVED over the original, but of course I’m biased.

INGREDIENTS

• 7½ ounces (1⅔ cups) gluten-free baking flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup finely chopped apple
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 325 degrees. Grease 8-inch square cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, and grease parchment with shortening or baking spray. Whisk flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and xanthan gum in bowl to combine.
2. In large bowl, mix together honey, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, butter, vanilla, and apple. Mix into flour mixture with electric or hand-held mixer until batter is thoroughly combined and smooth.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
4. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack, about two hours. Run thin knife around edge of cake to loosen. Remove cake from pan, discarding parchment, and transfer to platter.

Note: The original recipe recommends wrapping the cake in plastic wrap and storing at room temperature for only up to a day. However, I have stored the cake in an airtight container for several days at room temperature to no ill effect.