Honey Cakes(Ugat Dvash )

Our "Cooking of Israel" recipe today is a type of fruit cake that is perfectly appropriate to this time of year, whether your family celebrates Hanukkah or not.

Ugat Dvash (Honey Cake)

1 tsp (5 ml) plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
2+1/4 cups (550 ml) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) seedless raisins
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped candied orange peel
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup (180 ml) honey
1/3 cup (80 ml) sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) freshly grated lemon peel
(yellow part only)
4 tsp (20 ml) instant coffee dissolved in
1 Tbs (15 ml) hot water
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 ml) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground allspice
A pinch ground cloves
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
3 egg whites
1/2 cup (125 ml) sliced blanched almonds

Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 inch (25x12x8 cm) loaf pan with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of the vegetable oil. Sprinkle the pan with 2 tablespoons of the flour, tilting and tapping the pan to cover the bottom and sides. Remove the excess flour by inverting the pan and rapping the bottom sharply. Combine the raisins and orange peel in a small bowl and combine with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the flour, mixing thoroughly. Set aside. In a large bowl beat the egg yolks until frothy. Add the remaining oil, honey, sugar, lemon peel, dissolved coffee, and stir to combine. Combine the remaining 2 cups (500 ml) flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt and sift them into the egg yolk mixture about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the raisins and orange peel. In a separate bowl, using clean beaters or whisk, beat the egg whites until they for stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Decorate the top with the sliced almonds, forming daisy shapes in the center, reserving enough almonds to make a stripe at each end. Bake in the middle of a preheated 325F (160C) oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run the blade of a knife around the edges and turn the cake out onto a rack to cool completely. This cake is traditionally served with unsalted butter.
Makes one 9 inch (25 cm) loaf.

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