Honey Cake

Anyway, this is the honey cake Ive made for the last 14 Rosh Hashanas in a row. Its so good all my friends have copied it as well and every year at this time I always get a few phonecalls from some I havent seen in years saying "I just put YOUR cake in the oven and thought I would call to wish you a happy holiday." Magical qualities here... Preheat the oven to 325 F. Set out a baking pan with a 7-cup capacity (7 1/4" x 7 1/4" x 2"). Grease lightly and set aside. Prepare a string cup of coffee with the hot water and instant coffee. Cool. Separate the eggs. Put the yolks in a big mixing bowl and the whites in a medium one. Beat the yolks with the sugar until creamy. Add the oil and then the honey -- beating after each addition. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Sift the flour and measure 3 cups. Combine with salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the egg-honey mixture alternately with the coffee, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir only until all the ingredients are well blended. Do not overmix. Clean and dry the beaters. Whip the egg whites until stiff and can hold their shape. Add, one-third at a time, to the batter. Fold in gently, until the batter is smooth. Pour into the greased pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 80 to 90 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out dry and clean. This cake keeps well. In fact, it improves with a little aging, so bake several days ahead. This will allow the cake to acquire full flavor and typical texture. Posted to FOODWINE Digest 16 Sep 96 From: Anat Levi <anat@OPTICS.JCT.AC.IL> Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 09:40:47 +0300