Ukrainian Honey Cake

Though I've been complaining about the cold and the rain these past few days, I have to admit that I'm secretly kind of thrilled to pull my trench out of the coat closet, belt it up snugly, and march off to work. It just feels so continental. Long pants and proper shoes, a cozy blanket for reading on the couch, swapping the air conditioning for a night breeze from the outside (a small victory for me, I might add, after weeks of negotiation and haggling with my overheated roommate) - these are all small pleasures that come from an unexpected autumn in August.

What's more, I've been struck by the baking bug that shows up so reliably each year when the sticky, swollen days of summer come to an end and that most exhilarating of seasons starts to reappear in the changing leaves and lengthening shadows. I've been eyeing my oven longingly, opening and closing cupboard doors to assess the sacks of flours and boxes of sugar, the leavenings and the flavorings standing at attention. I've run my finger down the spines of my baking books and plucked out more than a few to leaf through, fingertips humming with anticipation as they hone in and touch down on recipes I can't wait to try.

It's not quite bread-baking season yet, at least not in my house, but smaller ventures, ones less fraught with commitment and the prospect of floury floors, are the things I'm hungering for. Simplicity and ease, humble ingredients, a plain and rather homely crumb - I tell you, I'm not quite in the mood for show stoppers these days. Give me an hour in the kitchen, a few straightforward ingredients, and that age-old scent of baking that fills the air slowly and bewitches the people walking through my door and I'll be happy.

If there's one book that really fits the bill when I'm in this kind of mood, it's Home Baking, another home run of a book by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. A book that's just as at home on your coffee table as it is in your kitchen, bespattered and worn. If I had the time, I'd bake every single thing in it, like little date cookies and chewy, puffy flatbreads and banana-coconut loaves and crusty Vietnamese baguettes. The other night, when the sky grew dark too early, I settled on the simplest of cakes, one scented with honey and coffee and the barest fillip of cinnamon, one that could pass as easily for breakfast with a milky cup of tea as it could for a weeknight dessert, sliced thickly from the fridge and eaten out of hand.

I've eaten my fair share of pain d'epices in France, with chocolate and without, buttered and plain, industrially vacuum-packed and artisan-made, and it's fair to say that it is one of my favorite things - straddling the worlds of bread and cake with panache. So, I wondered, could this Ukrainian version, strictly spiced and dark with coffee, stand up to the feted Gallic model? It could and it did. What emerged from the oven was a light and airy loaf with a perfect crumb, an alluring scent of honey, and a barely-there hint of smoke and toast from the coffee. A night or two in the fridge firmed up the cake, but made it no less delicious. I'd say it might have even been improved.

We're still slated for a few more gaspingly hot days, a few more nights with the a/c humming, but until then, I'll be slicing off pieces of honey cake and waiting for fall. Impatient, now that I've had my first taste, for all that is to come.

***

A year ago, I thought long and hard about this little venture of mine. I'd blogged for a year and couldn't decide if I wanted to keep going or not. I thought about closing up shop on my one-year anniversary. Maybe I'd had enough, maybe I needed a break. I slept on it and then changed my mind the next morning, recommitting to another year. I'm so glad I did, because today, on my second anniversary in the blogosphere, I can only say that this second year has been even better than the first.

New friends, new readers, new ventures, new work - writing The Wednesday Chef has just been one reward after another. Thank you all for coming here, dearest readers, and giving me an audience.

Ukrainian Honey Cake
Makes 1 loaf-shaped cake

2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled to lukewarm

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-inch bred pan, then dust it with flour.

2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and smooth. Add the honey and melted butter and mix until blended and smooth.

3. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir in. Stir in the coffee, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients.

4. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter, then gently stir several times. The batter will be quite wet.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a skwer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a rack to cool completely before slicing. Eat plain or buttered.

Comments

[Sarah]

Happy blogiversary! Mmm, that honey cake does look like a nice slice of fall.

[Mary]

Joyeux blogiversaire! I have to tell you that I choked up at this one. Thanks so much for sticking it out, I'm so glad you did.

I love cakes like this, especially as leftovers for breakfast.

[Liz]

I don't think I've ever posted but I wanted to say THANK YOU for continuing! Happy Anniversary - I really enjoy reading your cooking ventures!

[kb]

Thank you, Luisa. Happy Blogiversary, may you have many more!

[Julie]

I'm so glad you decided not to quit! I can't imagine not being able to read the Wednesday Chef. Happy Blogiversary and I hope (selfishly!) that there are many more to come.

[Lydia]

Congratulations on your two-year blog birthday! I'm looking forward to year three ... you inspire those of us whose blogs are a bit younger.

[casey]

Congratulations on your anniversary. I just found your intriguing blog today but look forward to lots of great Wednesday reading.

[paige]

Awww. Happy anniversary. This post was just what I needed--the change in weather has been making me a little blue, but you've spun it another way for me--and given me license to bake cake, too. Merci.

[Tea]

I'm so pleased that you continued as well! Lucky us, for sure, and I hope there are many more to come. I love the photos in this post, gorgeous. Is there a story behind the cutting board?

[Molly]

Happy blog birthday, dearest Wednesday Chef! Here's to many, many more. xo

P.S. I made that very same honey cake earlier this summer! So subtle, but so seductive...

[theysaysilenceisgold]

Happy anniversary. It's a pleasure coming here, often finding both New York and Europe in your words. Just the other day I looked at all my woolly sweaters and smiled - I've missed them. I'm ready for autumn - and honey cake to go with it.

[lobstersquad]

I´ve just had a chewy puffy flatbread for breakfast, the result of a bread making mishap. and it´s not even that cold here yet! I can´t wait to get baking properly

[Lia]

Happy second blog birthday, Luisa! I hope to be reading about your cooking adventures for years to come.

[Michelle]

Happy blogiversary and thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. I can't wait to make it.

[gemma]

Thank goodness you chose to continue to writing. You inspire me to try new recipes and I just love love love reading your beautiful prose. keep it up. we love the wednesday chef ;)

[RA]

I'm so glad you decided to continue! I have loved hearing about your life as well as your kitchen. Here's to many more posts! (clink)

[Alizah]

Congrats, Luisa, on two years of unforgettable writing! I am heading off to the kitchen to try out this honey cake. Fran and I will be thinking of you...

[Lisa F]

Hi Luisa -

Since you wrote about your second anniversary on the blogosphere, let me add that I am certainly glad that you are here! Like you, I'm an avid cookbook reader and recipe collector, and when my food-loving boyfriend found your blog and passed the link along to me, I knew I was in for some great reading. Since then, I've logged on at least once a week to see what you've been up to, and it's been a pleasure, every time!

Lisa :)

[Leah]

Happy second blog anniversary, lovely Luisa! I'm so glad you stayed.

[radish]

this is one of my favorite cakes! my grandmother used to make it!

[ann]

Happy Blogaverasry Luisa! I'm glad you kept it going! Your writing has gotten better and better and better, it's a joy to read. Just think if you had shut up shop, there wouldn't have been all those fun events to attend this summer, good food, good drinks and good friends. Blogs rule.

[s'kat]

I'm quite glad you stuck through it and kept on going. Bravo!

[Abby]

Happy blogiversary - I've enjoyed reading you in the last year, and I believe your writing just gets better and better!

[Russ Parsons]

Hey, speaking as one of the fools who WRITES all those recipes, it's so great to read someone who actually cooks them, rather than just clipping and collecting.

[Myrtille]

Happy blog birthday Luisa! I really enjoy your blog.

[sherry]

First, I want to say that I'm sooo glad that you've continued your blog. It's just wonderful. Secondly, I bet you don't realize how timely your honey cake recipe is: just in time for me to breathe a sigh of relief that I have a honey cake to bring for Rosh Hashannah dinner!(It's a traditional staple for the Holiday: for a "sweet" new year!) It's the only time that I would put my dark chocolate cake-baking aside. So, from me and other Jewish readers, THANKS!!!

[Christine]

Happy Anniversary to the Wednesday Chef!

Now I'm off to go make a honey cake.

(And here's hoping you'll stick around for quite a while...you're one of my favorites).

[Hillary]

I love honey cake and what perfect timing for this recipe...the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah is coming up and honey cake is a sure staple! Great recipe and great pictures. Happy two year! Don't go anywhere :)

[Carolyn T]

Well, congratulations on your 2-year anniversary. I'd be heartbroken if you decided to close the shade on The Wednesday Chef. I look forward to reading your posts every day. I know, it can be a drag doing this every single day. Or nearly so anyway. I'm only been at it for 4+ months and recognize it has its moments. Your blog was one of the early ones I found a year or so ago when I began reading food blogs. I rarely comment, but I am an avid reader! And I recognize the anonynimity of blogs. My blog doesn't have all that many viewers yet, and people almost never comment, so it's hard to know there are people out there reading, making one question the futility of it sometimes. Am glad you decided to keep going.

[Anne]

I love the idea of coffee and honey in a cake. Can't wait to try this. And a happy, happy Blog Birthday/Blogaversary/BlogYear to you. Please don't stop! We love you too much!

[Carmen]

Happy blog anniversary, Luisa! And I'll definitely try this cake!

[Mercedes]

Oh, I do love that book, such wonderful photos and variety of locales, the true definition of armchair travel. In fact, all their books, they must have great publishers...

Happy blog-birthday, I am so glad you decided to continue!

[alec]

Congrats!

And that cake ... oh my. It looks completely perfect.

[LyB]

Dear Luisa,
I don't comment often but I read your blog all the time! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us readers about the recipes that you love and the ones that don't quite work out. Happy Anniversary and here's to many more. By the way, that cake looks delicious!

[Honeybee]

Happy anniversary! Thank god you kept going - I never miss a single post you do! I tend to get bored with long posts but never with yours, your writing is simply brilliant! And the food sounds and looks always yummy. I love the way you don't seem to tamper with it just for the picture.

[hungry girl]

Honey cake...the taste of home. My mother's friends used to make it. I think they used honey from the Old Country, dark mysterious stuff. Or maybe it was just from some farm in the prairies - in any case, it was nothing you'd find in a supermarket. I tried making honey cake once ("medivnyk" in Ukrainian - notice the word "med", like the Celtic "mead") from an ancient Ukrainian cookbook with vague directions, and it was a bust. Don't know if I have the courage to try again - but enjoyed the pictures of your success.

[Charmaine]

Luisa, I'm so glad you signed up for another year. Your blog is so refreshing, honest not to mention brimming with excellent recipes. THANKS!

[Jimmi]

Luisa,
Happy second anniversity from a devoted reader.
Your blogs feeds our appeties for exceptional writing
and marvelous food. Thanks for two years of enjoyment!

[Beth Lee]

Happy Anniversary and thank you for deciding to stick with it. I look forward to readding each new posting on your blog!!

Beth

[Patricia Scarpin]

Happy anniversary, Luisa!
And that cake looks delicious!

[Larry]

Hi, Luisa,
Been on the road so am a little late - Happy Blogiversary - sure hope you can ignore %&*!# Dan and plan on continuing to make us smile - you touch values he probably hasn't heard of, no less experienced! But then, maybe he can't read and only looks at the photos!! Please keep up the good work and enjoy your new kitchen.

[KatyBelle]

I made this last weekend. It didn't rise as high as yours, but it had a great taste and texture.

I also tried out a honey-cinnamon glaze on it. A couple of tablespoons of honey, a tablespoon of water and a bit of cinamon all melted together in the microwave, then poured onto the still-hot cake.

[DAvid Cottrell]

I was searching Ukrainian Honey Tort and low and behold I found this wonderful place. I would be less than happy to see it go away, hang in there! About the Honey Cake, I have a friend Anne Bates Linden who writes about her Peace Corps Days in Ukraine and fondly recalls a honey tort with cream cheese filling. She's off on her mission so I don't want to bother her right now with cakes - does this work sliced into tort layers with sour cream filling? What's the opinion? Thanks, David Cottrell ukraineorphans.net

[David Cottrell]

Oops, I said honey tort with cream cheese filling - should have said sour cream filling. Your opinions would help - you can email me from ukraineorphans.net Thanks, David

[Julie]

Like the rest of your fans, I'm so glad you're here. I really love the looks of this cake. It reminds me a bit of the honey cake that is traditional for Rosh Hashanah -- honey being a symbolic New Year's food, in order to ensure a sweet year. But it looks better than those usually dried-out cakes. I'm a big fan of pains d'epices as well. I'm wondering how this would be with a few other spices tossed into the batter...

[Corinne]

I was searching for Marion Burros plum cake and I found you!! I'm hooked. Can't wait to read more. Your right the plum cake recipe did not measure up. I'm trying the plum crumble, tomato bread soup, and the honey cake. Thanks

[Maddy Bray]

I just made this honey cake, and it was very good! Mine didn't have the lovely crumb that yours did, but it still tasted fantastic. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

[misha]

yes! pain d'epices is one of my all-time favs too. this cake will be one too soon, i can tell,and i'm rushing home tonight to bake one. i wonder what a teaspoon of dutch process cocoa would add to this?! i use it in all my gingerbreads. can't wait to try this with my tea saturday afternoon!soon i will post a creole pain d'espices. it was my great granny's and goes back in mobile and new orleans for more than 100 years.

[David Cottrell]

My eight year old grandson, Chef Talon and I made this cake together yesterday. It was our most complicated joint effort todate and he really enjoyed it. The cake was excellent and Chef Talon was most proud. Anyone know of a sour cream filling to make this into a layered torte? Do let me know at www.ukraineorphans.net in the "About Us" tab. Thanks, David

[McKinley]

Hey everyone! THIS IS IMPORTANT! Okay, I'm doing a geography project called "Country in a Box" and I was assigned Ukraine. I decorated the box, put stuff in it, I did everything to make it look awesome to represent Ukrainian culture. Well, I have to make a food for the project. I have to make it tomorrow because I present Thursday. We have ice and snow everywhere so we only go out to get stuff if we really need it. What's a good food to make that I can maybe make from what I have at home? I have tons! Nutmeg, cinnamon, but not walnuts. My neighbors have walnuts, though, but what's a good one!