Honey and chocolate is not such a common combination. But if you open your mind a little – it’s actually great, and both honey and chocolate work very well together.
This chocolate honey cake is a great dessert for Tishrei holidays season. It’s festive, easy to make, chocolatey-yet-honey-y and perfect for those of you who are tired of plain honey cakes and want to add some chocolate to the whole deal. It makes a great dessert for Rosh Ha’Shana feast and actually for all year round dinner parties.
As someone who really couldn’t stand honey cakes up until few years ago, this chocolate honey cake was the one which changed my mind.
Looking for more delicious recipes for Rosh Hashanah? Click here >>
Photo: Natalie Levin
Chocolate Honey Cake
Servings 22 cm round cake pan
Ingredients
For the chocolate honey cake:
- 12 ml. boiling water
- 1 tsp. instant coffee powder
- 200 ml. sour cream – see notes for nondairy version
- 125 ml. vegetable oil
- 100 grams sugar
- 240 grams honey
- Pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 280 grams all-purpose flour
- 10 grams baking powder
- 70 grams cocoa powder
- 100 grams milk chocolate chopped
For chocolate and honey ganache:
- 150 grams dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 125 ml. heavy cream – see notes for nondairy version
Decoration:
- Roasted and halved pecans
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 170c degrees and grease the pan.
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In a large bowl, mix water and coffee until dissolved.
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Add sour cream, oil, sugar, honey and salt and mix into a smooth mixture.
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Add eggs and beat into a smooth mixture.
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Add flour, cocoa and baking powder and whisk just until incorporated. It is important to avoid over-processing of the batter which can damage the final texture of the cake.
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Pour the batter into the pan, and smooth the top.
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Sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly on top.
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Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the cake is stable and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
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Cool completely at room temperature. Go with a knife through the sides of the pan to loosen the cake from the mold.
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Chocolate and honey ganache: chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.
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Heat a small pot of honey, cream and salt to simmer.
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Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, wait a minute, and beat well until a uniform and shiny chocolate ganache is formed.
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Pour the ganache over the cake and cool for about 2 hours in the refrigerator to set.
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Remove the cake from the pan and garnish the top with halved pecans.
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Serve at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Keep the cake in a closed container in the refrigerator up to a week.
- Serve the cake at room temperature rather than cold.
- Instead of honey you can use date syrup or maple.
- Instead of pecans you can use any other nut you like.
- Nondairy version: in the cake - instead of sour cream, use soy milk the same amount; in the ganache – use coconut cream (at least 17% fat) instead of cream the same amount.
Photo: Natalie Levin