Honey cake (recipe from jewish mother)

4 large eggs, separated; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup honey; 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder, deluted in 1/4 cup hot water and cooled; 4 cups all-purpose flour; 2& 1/2 teapoons baling powder; 1 teapoon baking soda; 1 teapoon of ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; pinch of salt; grated zest of 1/2 orange; 1/2 cup dark raisins; 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted.Slowly add oil, honey, and coffee.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together. Add to eff mixture. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold whites into batter. Gently fold in the orange zest, raisins, and walnuts.

Pour mixture into 2 buttered 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Bake almost 80 minutes. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes, and then remove from the pans ans cool on a rack. Wrap in a plastic wrap.

Applesauce Cake (www.marthastewart.com)

Serves 10; Prep time: 25 minutes; Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes

If you decide to use store-bought applesauce, choose one with a chunky texture.

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled); 2 teaspoons baking soda. 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom, 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 cups packed light-brown sugar, 1/4 cup honey, 2 large eggs, 2 cups Basic Applesauce or store-bought chunky applesauce

Nonstick cooking spray

Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Beat in applesauce.

Generously coat a nonstick 9-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (but slightly wet), 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a cutting board or baking sheet; invert cake onto rack, top side up. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.

Honey Almond Date Balls Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 25 to 30 balls

1/2 pound raw almonds, 2 pints pitted dates, preferably Medjool, 1/4 cup honey, vegetable oil, for forming balls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind almond in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until fragrant and a shade darker.

Roughly chop dates and add to food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and dates form a ball. Remove from processor to a bowl. Add half of the ground almonds to the dates, leaving the reserved almonds on the baking pan to roll the balls in once formed.

Add honey to the date and almond mixture. Mix together until evenly incorporated and smooth. Coat hands with some vegetable oil so that mixture does not stick too much and form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll each ball in chopped almonds to coat well. Place in a tightly sealed container until ready to eat. Any leftover chopped nuts for coating can be sprinkled over the balls to keep them from sticking together if transporting. Will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to a week, if refrigerated.

"Sticks" (Sfratti)
Source: "The World of Jewish Desserts," by Gil Marks
Yield: Makes about forty-two 2" cookies

Pastry:
3 cups pastry or bleached all-purpose flour, sifted; 1 cup sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup unsalted butter or margarine, chilled; 2/3 cup sweet or dry white wine (approximately)

Filling:
1 cup honey (12 ounces); 2-1/2 cups walnuts (about 12-1/2 ounces) chopped; 2 teaspoons orange zest; 2 teaspoons lemon zest (optional); 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper (1/8 to 1/4)
Egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Make Pastry:
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Sprinkle a little wine over a section of the flour, then mix with a fork to moisten. Push the moistened dough aside and continue adding enough wine until the dough just holds together. Divide in half.

Using your fingertips, lightly press and knead into balls. Flatten into discs, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature until malleable but not soft.

Make Filling:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the honey to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Be careful, it may foam up. Add the remaining filling ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is cool enough to handle but not set. Pour onto a floured surface, divide into 6 equal portions, and shape the portions into 14"-long sticks.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease.

On a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap or on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 14x12" rectangle, then cut each rectangle lengthwise into three 14"x4" rectangles.

Place a nut strip near a long side of each rectangle and roll up from the filling side. Cut into 2" sticks.

Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1" between the cookies, and brush with the egg wash.

Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Wrap in aluminum foil until ready to serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

VARIATIONS

Oil Pastry: Substitute 1/3 cup vegetable oil for the butter and combine it with the wine.

Author's Notes: Sfratti means "sticks" in Italian, as well as "evicted," for at one time landlords were allowed to persuade unwanted and delinquent tenants to leave by force of a rod. A similar practice was employed to chase away Jews during all-too-frequent periods of expulsion. This nut-filled cookie, a popular Italian Rosh Hashanah treat, got its name from its resemblance to a stick, the Jewish sense of humor transforming an object of persecution into a sweet symbol.

From Joan in Milan: Just to be precise about the word "sfratti" - it only means "evictions" in Italian and has nothing to do with sticks - except the ones that used to be used by landlords to evict their tenants (now it's more subtle, by registered letter, but still a "blow!").

Honey energy shacks (Gene Opton "Honey")

1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup dry milk, 1/2 cup wheat germs, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup sesame seeds.

Mix all ingridients together. Form a log and wrap tighly into plastip wrap. Keep in refrigirator several hours. Enjoy the snack.