Bubbie's Honey Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

A symbol for a sweet year ahead, honey cake is traditionally made on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is typically baked as a boring old loaf, but this year I decided to make dessert a little more interesting (and delicious). I didn't want to overpower the sweetness of the honey cake with too much frosting, so opted to bake a layer cake and slab a generous amount of icing in the middle.

The cake came out sweet and earthy, with a fluffy and moist crumb. The spiced cream cheese frosting was the perfect balance of tart and sweet. I love how the cake looks rustic and so appealing. To get this look, I carved off the edges of the cake and let the frosting seep down the sides a little. I think a natural cake like this is infinitely more appealing than a cake smothered in fondant and excess sugar. The deep honey brown colour and warm spices make this a beautiful cake for fall.

Bubbie's Honey Cake

4 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup honey dissolved in 1 cup earl grey tea

3 cups flour

2.5 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter

1 cup cream cheese

2 cups icing sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg