A Gilt Nutmeg

The Jewish New Year is upon us!  The Boyfriend’s family is Jewish and every year I beg to go to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services with them.  I love the traditions observed and, of course, all of the food.  The best combination of both of those is the Rosh Hashanah tradition of eating honey and apples to symbolize the hope for a sweet year.

So I rushed home today and grabbed some apples from the grocery store on the way.  I had to be ready to go in 45 minutes and would you believe that I was able to combine the ingredients, bake the cake, let it cool a little and take photos of it all before it was time to leave for Temple?  That should show you how easy and quick it is to throw this delicious little cake together.

Some notes: the cake will end up very thin, since the original recipe called for a smaller cake pan.  I used what I had and actually really liked it thin-it let the apple and honey flavors shine and made for a perfect light dessert instead of a one that makes you feel overly stuffed.  Also, I really suggest using a mandolin slicer for this project.  I got a great handheld OXO mandolin for just about $15 and it’s an amazing tool (slicing pizza toppings- just sayin’).

Happy New Year!  This Apple Honey Cake will guarantee it’s a sweet one.

Apple Honey Cake
Adapted from Taste of Home

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 Gala apples, very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon honey, plus extra for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper (I forgot to coat the paper with nonstick spray, but it was fine without it, so no big deal if you don’t have any).  Sprinkle cinnamon in a light, even coat across the bottom of the pan.
3. Arrange apple slices in whatever pattern you want.  I did three rows of 6 overlapping slices, the center row moving the opposite direction.  Fancy!
4. Cream the butter and brown sugar until crumbly and fluffy, about 2 minutes, beat in egg, then milk and vanilla.
5. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a small bowl, then add to butter mixture and beat until combined.
6. Drizzle honey evenly all over the arranged apples in the pan, as much or as little as you like.  Gently pour the cake batter over the apples and honey and spread until entire bottom of pan is evenly covered.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and the apples are soft.
8. After taking it out of the oven, let the cake cool for 5 minutes or so and invert the cake onto the serving platter.
9. Serve warm if you can, but no matter what the temperature, definitely serve it with whipped cream!