Shared by Denis Polansky
Shared by Denis Polansky
Lekach (Honey Bundt Cake with Coffee)
Yield: 10 servingsTime: 1 hour 20 minutes
Lekach (Honey Bundt Cake with Coffee)
Yield: 10 servingsTime: 1 hour 20 minutesFamily Journey
RussiaEntre Ríos, ArgentinaLanús, Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
In Denis Polansky’s family, birthdays are taken very seriously with everyone including cousins, aunts, and uncles gathering for the celebration. The table is filled with salads, homemade corn empanadas, her grandmother Bobe Haydee’s coconut and dulce de leche tart, and her honey cake. Known as lekach, the latter is an Ashkenazi cake traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah, when honey symbolizes the wish for a sweet new year, but it is also served at joyous occasions such as weddings — and, in this case, birthdays.
Cooking note: A dark, amber honey such as buckwheat or wildflower works best in this recipe. Its rich, concentrated flavor gives the cake a more pronounced honey taste.
Read more about Denis’s family in “A Bobe’s Birthday Traditions in Buenos Aires.”
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (255 g) honey
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) neutral oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) strong brewed coffee, hot
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3¾ cups (470 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the honey coffee soak:
- 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, hot
- 3 tablespoons honey
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325°F and thoroughly grease and flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan.
Step 2
In a stand mixer bowl fitting with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is thick and very pale (ribbon stage), about 8-12 minutes.
Step 3
Reduce the mixer speed to low. Slowly add the honey, then pour the oil in a thin stream and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 4
In a medium bowl, combine the hot coffee and baking soda. The mixture will foam slightly as it reacts. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
Step 5
Add the coffee mixture into the egg batter, continue mixing slowly until fully combined.
Step 6
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture while mixing on low speed. Continue mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Step 7
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Step 8
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then invert the cake onto a cooling rack, place the rack over a sheet pan and let it cool for an additional 5 minutes.
Step 9
Meanwhile, prepare the honey-coffee soak: In a small bowl, mix together hot coffee and honey until fully combined.
Step 10
Using a cake tester or thin skewer, poke small holes all over the top of the cake. Brush the honey-coffee soak evenly over the surface. Let the cake cool completely, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.
