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A Sweet Tradition for Rosh HaShana: Barbara Glassman’s Honey Cake

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As we prepare to welcome Rosh HaShana, we celebrate with foods that symbolize sweetness, abundance, and new beginnings. Apples dipped in honey remind us of the hope for a sweet year ahead, and for our own “Queen Bee,” Barbara Glassman, Executive Director at The Sylvia Center, the season is especially meaningful. Barbara not only tends her hives but also weaves honey into her kitchen traditions year-round. This year, she shares with us a story and recipe that have become part of her family’s holiday table.

Barbara’s Story:

You’d think that as a bee keeper that the Rosh HaShana season, when tradition has us eating honey laden foods, would be my perfect match. I have copious amounts of honey at home and I use honey as a sweetener almost exclusively in my baking year round.

Rosh HaShana’s traditional honey cake, however, posed a bit of a quandary for me. You see, although a holiday tradition, honey cake is not universally beloved in my family and earned a reputation as being bland and dry.

Not to date myself, but based on this Filofax note from 1986 (pre-internet and NYTimes Cooking App), I discovered a honey cake that worked. Reminiscent of autumnal flavors, with a nod to carrot cake’s spice, fruit, and nuts, this loaf cake has become our nonconventional holiday addition. I had to make a few adjustments along the way–including using half the honey, only one loaf pan, and cutting the cooking time in half–but it works!

Delicious as a bit of sweetness post our evening meal, or toasted and smeared with butter or cream cheese the next morning, this honey cake has become a tradition we all look forward to.

Barbara Glassman’s Honey Cake

Yield: 14–16 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 cups honey

  • 1½ cups orange juice

  • ½ cup shelled white pistachio nuts

  • ½ cup shelled walnuts

  • ½ cup raisins

  • ½ cup dried apricots, cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 1 teaspoon unsalted margarine (or softened butter)

  • ¼ cup slivered almonds

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  • Preheat oven to 350°F.

  • Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

  • Combine honey, orange juice, nuts (except almonds), and dried fruits.

  • Add honey mixture to flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

  • Grease a 4½ x 8½-inch loaf pan with margarine. Pour in the batter.

  • Sprinkle slivered almonds on top.

  • Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

  • Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Barbara's Notes

  • I use half the honey for better balance.

  • I bake in one loaf pan instead of two.

  • I cut the baking time in half—check for doneness earlier.

From hive to holiday table, Barbara’s honey cake carries the spirit of Rosh HaShana: a sweet reminder of tradition, family, and the gifts of nature. As our Queen Bee, Barbara not only shares her honey but also her wisdom, whether through reflections on community or the joy of cooking. May this recipe inspire you to bring a little extra sweetness into your new year—l’shana tova!

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