We eat honey cake on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) to bring in a sweet new year. The beauty of this cake is that it tastes even better the next day, remaining beautifully rich and moist.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C fan (350°F) and line a 15cm (6in) round cake tin (pan) or a 900 g (2lb) loaf tin (pan) with baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the honey or golden syrup, egg, oil, sugar and boiling water until the mixture looks smooth and slightly glossy. Gently stir in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt, if using, until everything is evenly combined. If you’re using an electric mixer, beat on a medium speed for around 3-4 minutes, until the batter is smooth and silky. If mixing by hand, whisk well until no streaks of flour remain.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for around 45-50 minutes, until the cake has risen, and is golden and springy to the touch. Insert a small knife or skewer into the centre of the cake – if it comes out clean, it’s baked to perfection.
• Enjoy plain with a cup of tea, or with a dollop of whipped cream and honey.

Recipe extracted from The Jewish Bakery by Jennifer Rinkoff, Quadrille