Kosher Baking From A To Z

The Art and Science of Honey Cake

By: Elizabeth Book Kratz, Center for Kosher Culinary Arts

At this time of the year, ovens the world over are being fired up, and would-be pastry chefs are baking batch after batch of delectable, moist honey cake, the traditional dessert of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Most bakers have a love/hate relationship with honey cake. They either have an amazing recipe that works out fantastically well every time, or they slave for hours and come up only with a tough, dry mess. My job today is to give you that ideal recipe—coupled with an understanding of the science that backs it up—that will turn out that "perfect" honey cake every time you make it.

The main problem people experience with honey cake is toughness, but luckily, it's a very easy problem to solve. What makes honey cake tough is overbeating and over mixing. Honey cake is not made by the “creaming method”; the method by which most cakes with shortening or butter/margarine are made. Instead, honey cake is meant to be made with the “combining method,” which is very simple and straightforward. The key to this technique is to incorporate the flour only enough so that there aren't any lumps. Otherwise, you run the risk of developing the gluten.

Bakers know that gluten is a protein. It is the rubbery, strand like substance that gives chewiness to bread. It is a natural by-product of the combination of wheat flour and water. Gluten, above most things, is what gives texture, volume and depth to baked goods. If you want the gluten to develop, which you would certainly want if you were baking challah, bread or especially chewy bagels, it is important above all to mix and knead the dough extensively. For bread recipes, you can also purchase high-gluten flour, which has more protein and therefore more gluten-forming potential. Only extreme over mixing of these kinds of flours would break down the gluten structure. But for honey cake, all-purpose flour is best, though cake or pastry flour would work just as well.

For honey cake, your goal is simply to combine the ingredients until you have a uniform mixture, but no more. You now know what happens when the gluten is developed, so now you understand that the less developed the gluten, the lighter and more delectable your honey cake will be.

The order in which you add your ingredients is also vital with honey cake. You want to first beat the eggs well, because any moist cake is built, first and foremost, upon well-beaten eggs. After the eggs, add the sugar, oil and finally, your honey, because the measured oil helps coat the cup so that the honey will slip out easily. Since the honey is the most expensive, and arguably the most important part of the recipe, it's important to use just the right amount.

And most importantly, mix your dry ingredients separately before adding them to your wet ingredients. This will ensure even mixing, and remember only to mix until the flour is incorporated.

Recipe: Mom's Honey Cake

Author Bio:

- Elizabeth Kratz is a staff writer at the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. She is a graduate of CKCA's professional program in culinary arts and also holds a master's degree in non-fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. Located in the heart of Flatbush Brooklyn, the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts offers professional culinary training programs and hands-on cooking and baking classes for all ages. Classes are taught by experienced chef instructors and are offered during the day and in the evenings. CKCA is the only kosher cooking school in the US, and offers professional level training programs in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts.

Learn more about the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts by visiting http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com . Visit CKCA's professional baking and pastry program on the web at http://www.kosherbakingandpastry.com