Gluten Free Honey Cake

Honey cake is the most traditional cake to enjoy during the Jewish New Year and the following high holidays. I feel like this cake really exemplifies the taste of the holiday. Like most people, I don’t usually make honey cake any other time of the year, it's saved for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot only.

Each family has its own version of the cake, some make it with coffee, others with tea. Some add many different spices like cardamom, ginger, clove, nutmeg, cocoa powder, or orange zest. You can add many flavors to the cake and take it in different directions and cultures.

I kept the recipe simple and only added cinnamon. You can add any spice you like and are used to having in your honey cake too. The honey is the key flavor and anything that you add will upgrade the cake. I am sure that when you have the first bite of your own version, it helps you remember your grandma or your mom and the whole family celebrating together. The cake always looks homey and not very promising. It has this rustic unimpressive look but the flavor compensate for it big time!

Honey is one of the holiday symbols. We eat sweet dishes during the holiday for the New Year ahead to be sweet and good. I already shared on the blog my family honey cake recipe but this time, I am sharing a honey cake recipe that is a gluten-free one. This change makes it fit more people on different diets and fits me on my journey to healthier eating. In addition, I recently shared an apple and honey cake recipe that is also gluten-free and fits the holiday. This time I omit the apples and created the recipe a bit differently. If someone in your family avoids apples or you want to have the more traditional dessert of the holiday and still keep it gluten-free, this cake is for you. The cake is also parve so it fits the holiday meal. I know many people like to bake in advance and freeze cakes for the holiday. This cake can be frozen easily and since it has no fruits in it, it will not get soggy and mushy when thawing. Make sure to cool the cake completely and wrap it in plastic and of course, label it.

The flavors of this cake fit the season too. Fall is about to arrive and the warm cinnamon baked with honey and almonds couldn’t be more comforting.

The ingredients for this gluten-free honey cake are ground almonds, olive oil, honey, eggs, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.

Ground almonds – or almond flour or almond meal replaces the regular all-purpose flour. Almonds have natural oils in them that also add moister to the cake and help you not get a dry cake.

Honey - keep in mind that the cake doesn’t contain any other sweetener in the batter, I used ½ cup of honey. In the garnish, I added more sweetness with powdered sugar. If you want the cake sweeter add a glaze to the cake with more honey or powdered sugar.

To make the cake you will need a bowl and a tablespoon. Simply mix all ingredients well and pour into a round (24cm | 8 inches) baking pan. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes and then enjoy it with your family! If you want, you can also bake this cake as cupcakes, and the baking time will be shorter (approximately 15-20 minutes).

To garnish the cake and add a bit more festivity, I served the cake sprinkled with powdered sugar, you can add slivered almonds too or pomegranate seeds.

This honey cake is moist and has a rich homey sweet flavor. This cake has the holiday flavor that you remember from your childhood just a bit more healthy.

Recipe yields one round cake (24cm | 8 inches) or 12 small muffins.

Check out my other Rosh Hashanah recipes on my Rosh Hashanah recipe index.

Here is the recipe for this delicious gluten-free and dairy-free honey cake: