Honey Date Cake

I’ve always felt traditional Rosh Hashanah honey cake deserved a little help. Too often it’s dry, overly sweet, and something you eat because you’re supposed to—not because you actually want a second slice.

So I started tinkering.

This version lands somewhere between a classic honey cake and sticky toffee pudding: lots of dates soaked in strong coffee, honey for that unmistakable Rosh Hashanah flavor, warm spices, and oil instead of butter so it stays incredibly moist—and keeps the cake dairy-free.

It’s dark, sticky, not-too-sweet, and honestly even better the next day.

Honey Date Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

1 ½ cups (about 225g) pitted Medjool dates, chopped

1 cup hot strong coffee

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2 large eggs

½ cup neutral oil

¾ cup honey

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons brandy, optional

For the honey glaze

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon brandy or orange juice

Pinch of salt

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan very well, making sure to coat the center tube and all the ridges.

Place the chopped dates in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over them and let them soak for 15–20 minutes, until softened. Mash the dates lightly with a fork, leaving some small pieces for texture.

While the dates soak, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger together in a medium bowl.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and brandy until smooth. Add the softened dates and all of the coffee soaking liquid, then stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients and fold them in just until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the thickest part comes out with a few moist crumbs.

While the cake bakes, make the glaze. Combine the honey, brown sugar, water, brandy or orange juice, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

When the cake is done, let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Keep the cake in the pan while you apply the glaze: slowly pour or brush the warm glaze over the top, allowing it to run around the edges and soak into the cake. Let the glazed cake rest in the pan for another 10–15 minutes so the glaze can absorb and the cake can firm up slightly.

Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. If any glaze remains in the pan, spoon it over the cake. Serve as is—or with a little extra honey drizzled over the top.

A note: Make this one ahead. The dates, coffee and honey settle into the cake overnight, and it’s even stickier and better on day two.

Shana Tova


Need another dessert for Rosh Hashanah? View my 4 Ingredient Easy Apply Cake recipe here.