Israeli Honey Cake

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         FOOD FUNNY
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Rosemary Zwick confesses, "Sometimes I too feel like doing this when I'm
involved with something interesting and don't feel like stopping to make dinner."

My creative mother enjoys doing crafts, such as making pot- pourri boxes
decorated with ribbon and lace. Sometimes she gets so involved that she
disappears into her upstairs workroom for hours, forgetting about more
mundane things --like making dinner.

One evening I arrived home to find the kitchen empty again. But this
time I found a note: "Warning! Small craft advisory: Buy yourself a pizza."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Here is a type of fruitcake that is perfectly appropriate to this time
of year, whether your family celebrates Hanukkah or not.

Israeli Honey Cake (Ugat Dvash)

1 tsp (5 ml) plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups (550 ml) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) seedless raisins
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped candied orange peel
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup (180 ml) honey
1/3 cup (80 ml) sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) freshly grated lemon zest
4 tsp (20 ml) instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbs (15 ml) hot water
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground allspice
A pinch ground cloves
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
3 egg whites
1/2 cup (125 ml) sliced blanched almonds

Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 inch (25x12x8 cm) loaf pan with 1
teaspoon (5 ml) of the vegetable oil. Sprinkle the pan with 2
tablespoons of the flour, tilting and tapping the pan to cover the
bottom and sides. Remove the excess flour by inverting the pan and
rapping the bottom sharply. Combine the raisins and orange peel in a
small bowl and combine with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the flour, mixing
thoroughly. Set aside. In a large bowl beat the egg yolks until frothy.
Add the remaining oil, honey, sugar, lemon peel, dissolved coffee, and
stir to combine. Combine the remaining 2 cups (500 ml) flour, baking
powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt and sift them
into the egg yolk mixture about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after
each addition. Stir in the raisins and orange peel. In a separate bowl,
using clean beaters or whisk, beat the egg whites until they for stiff
peaks. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter. Pour the batter into
the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Decorate the top with the sliced
almonds, forming daisy shapes in the center, reserving enough almonds to
make a stripe at each end. Bake in the middle of a preheated 325F (160C)
oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run the blade of a
knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a rack to cool
completely. This cake is traditionally served with unsalted butter.
Makes one 9-inch (25 cm) loaf.
Received on Tue Dec 4 00:03:31 2007