Russian Honey Cake

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Eric Kobaly for sending us this one:

I sat with my infant son in front of the TV, hostage to my husband's
channel-surfing. He eventually settled on an R-rated movie in which the actress was soon topless.

"Honey, change the channel," I said, shielding my son's eyes. "He shouldn't see this."

"It's okay." my husband replied. "He probably thinks it's the Food Network."

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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I am told that honey cakes are a Russian tradition that dates back
hundreds of years. They are frequently eaten plain, but are usually
sandwiched together with jam as in this recipe.

Russian Honey Cake

1/3 cup (80 ml) sugar
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
3 tsp (15 ml) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 ml) each ground cloves, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground ginger
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) vegetable oil
8 large eggs
1 cup (250 ml) honey
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) warm water
4 cups (1 L) rye flour
1/2 cup jam or preserve of your choice

Grease and flour two 8-inch (20 cm) round baking pans. Combine all the
ingredients except for the jam in a mixing bowl and mix with an electric
beater set at its slowest speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed of the
beater to medium and beat for 15 minutes. The batter should have large
air bubbles; if no bubbles are present, beat for an additional 5
minutes. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes, then pour into the
prepared baking pans. Bake in a preheated 275F (130C) for 1 hour, until
deep golden in color. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 10 minutes.
Turn out on a cake rack and allow to cool. Place one cake on a serving
plate and spread the jam or preserves on top. Top with the remaining cake.
 Serves 8 to 12.
Received on Tue Dec 9 22:51:30 2008