Because there was a shortage of sugar across Europe (My Eastern European grandparents even told me that sugar was for the rich), honey often became the sweetener of choice. Since baking is not my forte (I’m strictly a savory caterer. 
), I spend quite a bit of time researching and testing recipes for baked goods. I found this wonderful recipe for Ukrainian Christmas Honey Cake on about.com. I’ve given the web address for you to research and am reposting the recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey (preferably buckwheat) (We highly recommend Bee Wild’ Wildflower Honey as it is nicely sweet and goes well with the fruit and spices in this recipe.)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup dark raisins
- 1/2 cup currants
- 1/2 cup chopped dates
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter or parve margarine
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/4 cup strong coffee
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, mix honey, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, and bring to a boil, mixing frequently. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly coat two (8-inch-by-4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine raisins, currants, dates and walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the flour and mix well. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together remaining flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the honey. Add flour and coffee alternately until well mixed. Stir in fruit-nut mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter.
- Bake about 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick tests clean. Allow to stand a few days before serving.
Notes
One of the things I find about loaf cakes is that the longer they set, the more mellow the flavor. I often wrap a loaf cake in waxed paper and then aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator. I take it out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving to bring the cake up to room temperature. I also have baked loaf cakes and wrapped them in colored foil and ribbon and given them as gifts to my friends and family.
