Light Honey Cake with Candied Ginger

photo taken by Elana Amsterdam, on Semptember 24, 2008, CC licensing

From 1,000 Jewish Recipes by Faye Levy (IDG Books Worldwide)

Faye Levy's delicious cake coaxes lots of flavor from a lower fat recipe. She writes: "My family loves candied ginger as a sweet with tea. It's also terrific in honey cakes and gives much more zip than ginger powder, which is a common honey cake spice. With less oil and sugar than most honey cakes, this one is lighter in fat and calories, but it still has great taste."

ingredients:

  • 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
  • 6 tablespoons hot water
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • small pinch of cloves
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup very finely chopped crystallized ginger
  • 1/3 to ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan, line it with parchment paper or wax paper and grease liner.
2. Dissolve coffee granules in the hot water in a cup. Let cool. Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl.
3. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add sugar and honey and beat until mixture is very smooth and lightened in color. Gradually add oil and beat until blended. Stir in flour mixture alternately with coffee, each in two batches. Last, stir in crystallized ginger and pecans.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack and carefully peel off liner. Wrap in foil when completely cool. (If tightly wrapped, cake keeps one week at room temperature.) Serve in thin slices.

 
Sephardic or Askhenazi
Askhenazi