Honey and Chocolate Cake

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 cake is 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 and for all year round.

Photo: Natalie Levin

Honey and Chocolate Cake

22 cm round cake

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: easy

For the cake:
12 ml. (1/2 cup) boiling water
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
200 ml. sour cream – see notes for nondairy version
125 ml. (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
240 grams (2/3 cup) honey
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
280 grams (2 cup) all-purpose flour
70 grams (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
100 grams milk chocolate, chopped

For chocolate and honey ganache:
150 grams dark chocolate
1 tbsp. honey
125 ml. (1/2 cup) heavy cream – see notes for nondairy version

Decoration:
Roasted and halved pecans

Photo: Natalie Levin

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 170c degrees and grease the pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix water and coffee until dissolved.
3. Add sour cream, oil, sugar, honey and salt and mix into a smooth mixture.
4. Add eggs and beat into a smooth mixture.
5. 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.
6. Pour the batter into the pan, and smooth the top.
7. Sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly on top.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the cake is stable and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
9. Cool completely at room temperature. Go with a knife through the sides of the pan to loosen the cake from the mold.
10. Chocolate and honey ganache: chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.
11. Heat a small pot of honey, cream and salt to simmer.
12. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, wait a minute, and beat well until a uniform and shiny chocolate ganache is formed.
13. Pour the ganache over the cake and cool for about 2 hours in the refrigerator to set.
14. Remove the cake from the pan and garnish the top with halved pecans.
15. Serve at room temperature.

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.

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