Here’s our round-up of the best or most interesting recipes, updated for this year, that have graced the JC’s pages over the years. There’s a new recipe for 2018 which diverges from the traditional notions of honey cake and we go back to the 1950s with a tart recipe, a recipe designed for children of the 1970s and two boozy versions to start your new year with a bang!
The food editor’s pick
The internet is full of bloggers adapting traditional recipes to make them bigger and better. Hanna Goldsmith from blog Building Feasts is one such blogger. A mum of four, she needs a honey cake that ticks a lot of boxes. JC food editor Victoria has picked that recipe this year for her festival table. Fresh from a tasting session in the JC kitchens Victoria said: "It is deliciously moist, even though it still had that trademark honey cake 'dip' on the surface".
Spiced, sweet and moist honey cake
From thejc.com
2018 Meringue-topped honey carrot cake
Honey cake with a difference. This gluten free cake has a citrus zing of lime and oranges and includes carrots to keep the cake extra moist. Golden meringue peaks elevate it to a special yom tov cake.
2017 Reduced sugar honey cake
Food editor Victoria says: "Whenever I make honey cake I'm flabbergasted by the sugar content." Thankfully, Hanna Geller-Golsdmith has reduced the white sugar content of her cake by half - without compromising on flavour.
2016 Whisky honey cake
For something to get you well and truly in the holiday spirit, Denise Phillips has spiked her honey cake. She says: "Yom Tov is not the same without honey cake but this one has a slight alcoholic kick which gives an extra warming flavour and dimension."
2015 Coffee and walnut honey cake
It's easy to get bored of the flavours of apple and honey over this period, so if you're looking for something a bit different, coffee and orange zest really lift this cake.
2014 Honey bees
They're cute and bitesized - something we can all appreciate after a big Yom Tov meal. Not to be confused with macaroons, these French inspired macarons are a delicious treat.
2013 Truffled honey cake
If you're looking for a twist but want to keep one foot firmly in the 'traditional' camp, this cake using honey flavoured with truffles introduces an amazing flavour combination.
2012 Light and moist honey cake
Do you find honey cake tends to be too dry, or you only like that thin layer on the top where the glaze collects? This recipe aims to solve this problem and is loaded with more honey than most recipes handed down from our mothers and bubbes.
From the archives
1937 Old fashioned honey cake
Good luck to any intrepid cook out there who attempts this recipe that needs to be cooked in 'a hot oven'. From the 1930s, these instructions are slightly more sparse than we're used to seeing nowadays.
1949 Honey tart
If October is as warm as September has been, you might be looking for something lighter than the traditional sponge cake. This tart could be it.
1962 Florence Greenberg's honey buns
The kosher cook's favourite, Florence Greenberg offers additional instructions for how to eat the buns - be it after your main Yom Tov meal or for afternoon tea.
1979 El Al's honey cake
If you can't be in Israel for the festivals, this cake could be the next best thing. Evelyn Rose's recipe produces a fine-textured cake with a delicate honey flavour, not overspiced - and is apparently as served on El Al aircraft for Rosh Hashanah.
1973 The Junior Chronicle's honey cake
In the 1970s the JC had a section dedicated to junior readers. The 1973 holiday issue offered this religious and cooking advice: "For hundreds of years Jews have eaten honey cake on Rosh Hashana, because honey is sweet and that is what we want the months ahead to be. Ask mother to help you make this one."
