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Perfect Honey Apple Cake for Rosh Hashanah (Easy Recipe)

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This Perfect Honey Apple Cake for Rosh Hashanah is a moist, tender cake with deep floral honey flavor and tender, jammy apple chunks. It’s quick to make with simple ingredients and perfect for the holiday or any fall gathering.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 medium Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have it)
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil (mild, fruity variety)
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup whole milk, room temperature (or unsweetened almond milk for dairy-free)
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado or demerara sugar (for topping, optional)
  • Thin apple slices arranged on top (for decoration, optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or non-stick spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss the diced apples with 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let them sit while you prepare the rest of the batter—at least 10 minutes. Give them a stir halfway through.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ½ cup honey, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and milk until everything is fully combined.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. A few streaks of flour are okay.
  6. Using a spatula, gently fold the macerated apples into the batter. Don’t overmix.
  7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with the spatula. If decorating with apple slices, arrange them in a concentric circle pattern now, gently pressing them into the batter. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the top.
  8. Place the pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly after 30 minutes, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
  9. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges, invert onto the rack, and carefully remove the parchment paper. Let it cool completely—at least 1 hour—before slicing.
  10. Just before serving, drizzle a little extra honey over the top of the cake. Slice with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts for neat slices.

Notes

Don’t skip macerating the apples—it prevents a soggy bottom. Room temperature ingredients are important for best texture. The pinch of black pepper is not a mistake; it enhances the warm spices and honey flavor. Check for doneness early (at 40 minutes) to avoid overbaking. The cake tastes even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: honey apple cake, Rosh Hashanah, apple cake, honey cake, Jewish holiday dessert, easy apple cake, fall dessert

Find it online: https://vexifood.com/perfect-honey-apple-cake-for-rosh-hashanah-easy-recipe/