Spiced Orange Honey Cake: Your Ultimate Rosh Hashanah & Fall Dessert

Imagine the captivating aroma filling your kitchen, the rich, comforting taste on your palate, and the stunning visual appeal of a perfectly baked cake. This Spiced Orange Honey Cake recipe embodies all these sensory delights and more! It’s not just a wonderful dessert for Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing a sweet new year, but also a delightful and versatile treat to enjoy throughout the cozy Fall and chilly Winter seasons. Its fragrant spices, sweet honey, and bright citrus notes make it an instant classic, perfect for any special occasion or a comforting everyday indulgence.

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Why You’ll Adore This Spiced Orange Honey Cake

This recipe holds a special place in my heart, especially as a traditional Rosh Hashanah dessert. The Jewish New Year, celebrated in September, is a time of reflection and hope for a sweet year ahead. Eating honey and honey cakes is a cherished custom to symbolize this wish for sweetness and prosperity. While many families pass down their own treasured honey cake recipes through generations, this particular rendition offers a delightful contemporary twist on the classic.

My version elevates the traditional honey cake by infusing it with an aromatic blend of warming spices and finishing it with a vibrant Orange Glaze, elegantly adorned with homemade Candied Oranges. The combination creates a dessert that is deeply flavorful, wonderfully moist, and visually stunning. Beyond Rosh Hashanah, the rich, spicy notes make it an ideal centerpiece for any autumn or winter gathering, perfectly complementing a festive meal or a cozy afternoon tea.

There’s an undeniable magic that happens when baking with spices. Much like my Biscoff Cheesecake, Vegan Sticky Date Puddings, or Spiced Pear Muffins, the aroma alone is enough to transport you. It’s a captivating blend of cozy scents and comforting flavors that truly makes this Spiced Orange Honey Cake irresistible. The fragrant kitchen, the anticipation of that first bite – it’s an experience for all the senses!

Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Honey Cake

Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you; this Dairy-Free Spiced Honey Cake recipe is surprisingly straightforward and incredibly rewarding! What makes this Spiced Honey Cake truly exceptional are a few key elements working in harmony: the fragrant **Spices**, the rich **Honey**, and the subtle texture and flavor provided by finely ground **Almonds** and **Hazelnuts**.

My passion for baking with spices means I often lean towards a generous hand. For this cake, I’ve selected a warming blend of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Clove, and a touch of Star Anise Powder. Each spice contributes a unique layer to the cake’s complex flavor profile, creating a truly memorable taste experience.

If you don’t have all these individual spices on hand, don’t worry! You can easily substitute them with a pre-mixed “Allspice” blend. Alternatively, Chinese Five Spice powder also works wonderfully, offering a slightly different but equally delicious aromatic twist. The goal is to infuse the cake with a delightful warmth that complements the sweet honey and bright orange.

To create this easy and delicious Spiced Orange Honey Cake, you will need:

• Eggs
• Brown Sugar
• Honey (High quality recommended for best flavor)
• Spiced Tea (your choice, such as Chai, brewed and cooled) & Water
• Neutral Oil (like Canola Oil)
• Fresh Orange Zest
• Plain Flour
• Almond Meal
• Hazelnut Meal (can be substituted with additional almond meal)
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Ground Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Clove, and Star Anise (or your preferred spice mix like Allspice or Chinese 5 Spice)

Crafting Your Spiced Orange Honey Cake: A Simple Guide

Making this Honey Cake with Oranges is a straightforward process, broken down into three main, easy-to-follow steps. Precision and a little patience will yield a perfectly moist and flavorful cake.

1. **Prepare Your Spiced Tea:** Begin by brewing your chosen spiced tea in boiling water. Allow it to steep fully to extract maximum flavor, then set it aside to cool completely. A fragrant tea like Chai will impart a wonderful depth to the cake.
2. **Combine the Wet Ingredients:** In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until the mixture is light and foamy. This aeration is key to a tender cake. Next, gently mix in the honey (you can warm it slightly in the microwave if it’s too thick). Then, stir in the neutral oil, fresh orange zest, and your cooled, brewed spiced tea. Ensure all wet ingredients are well incorporated.
3. **Introduce the Dry Ingredients & Bake:** Finally, add all the dry ingredients – plain flour, almond meal, hazelnut meal, baking powder, salt, and your blend of warming spices – to the wet mixture. Whisk until just combined, being careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a tough cake. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before glazing.

The Art of Baking with Honey: Quality Matters

When it comes to baking with honey, the quality of this golden ingredient truly makes a world of difference. Here in Australia, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to a wide array of high-quality, locally and organically produced honey, each with its unique flavor profile. For this recipe, I often reach for Tasmanian Honey, which I brought back from a memorable trip, but any premium, flavorful honey will elevate your cake.

While all ingredients contribute to a successful bake, honey is undeniably the star of this cake. You want a honey that is not only naturally sweet but also wonderfully floral and fragrant. Different honeys can impart distinct characteristics: a lighter, more floral honey will give a delicate sweetness, while a darker, more robust honey can add deeper, more complex notes. Choosing a honey that you genuinely enjoy the taste of will ensure your cake is bursting with delicious, authentic flavor. Avoid overly processed or bland honeys, as they won’t provide the richness this recipe deserves. Take your time to select a good quality honey – it’s an investment in flavor that truly pays off!

Creating a Radiant Orange Glaze for Your Honey Cake

If you’re familiar with my other recipes, you’ll know my fondness for simple yet impactful fruit glazes. Not only are they far easier to prepare than you might imagine, but they also impart a burst of fresh flavor and a beautiful, glossy shine to your baked goods. This Orange Glaze is the perfect finishing touch for our Spiced Honey Cake, adding both zest and elegance.

To craft this vibrant **Fruit Glaze**, I combine fresh fruit juice with a small amount of Agar Agar Powder. This incredible powder is a plant-based gelling agent, making it a fantastic vegan alternative to gelatin. It works much faster than gelatin, setting beautifully to create a firm yet delicate glaze.

And that’s truly all there is to it! This fruit glaze is typically ready in a mere three minutes, yet it delivers a powerful punch of natural citrus flavor. Given the inherent sweetness of our Spiced Honey Cake, I’ve opted not to add any additional sugar to this **Orange Glaze**. The delightfully tangy and bright citrus notes provide a perfect counterpoint, balancing the rich sweetness of the honey cake beautifully. It’s a harmonious blend of flavors that makes each slice a true indulgence!

For more inspiration on using fruit glazes, check out these other recipes:

• Almond Madeleines with Raspberry Glaze
• Lemon and Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Blueberry Glaze

The Art of Homemade Candied Oranges: A Sweet & Zesty Garnish

To truly complete this Spiced Orange Honey Cake, I decided to incorporate **Candied Oranges** – they’ve quickly become my new favorite obsession! This is another one of those impressive-looking elements that actually turns out to be surprisingly simple to create at home. Candied oranges are not only incredibly delicious but also serve as a stunning, edible decoration for cakes, tarts, and a variety of other desserts, adding a gourmet touch that is sure to impress.

You have the flexibility to make **Candied Oranges** using either thin slices of the entire orange (including both the peel and a bit of the pulp) or by candying just the orange peels themselves. For this specific recipe, I prepared both. I used half of a large orange to create beautiful Candied Orange Slices, and the other half was transformed into elegant Candied Orange Peel Strips. This variety offers different textures and presentation options, allowing you to customize the final look of your cake.

The secret to perfect **Candied Oranges** – and indeed, any candied citrus fruit – lies in a crucial preliminary step: boiling the peels (or slices) in fresh water multiple times. This blanching process is essential for two main reasons. Firstly, it effectively removes the inherent bitterness that can be found in citrus peels and zest, leaving you with a clean, sweet orange flavor. Secondly, it tenderizes the peels, making them soft and pliable, which is vital for the candying process to work its magic. Once they’ve been blanched a couple of times, ensuring most of the bitterness is gone and they are softened, the slices or peels are then slowly cooked in a sweet syrup. This gentle simmering continues until the syrup has completely reduced and coated the citrus in a beautiful, sticky glaze. The syrup can be a simple mixture of water and sugar, or for an added layer of flavor that complements our cake, you can infuse it with additional spices, such as cinnamon, just as I did here. This final step transforms the ordinary orange into a shimmering, sweet, and slightly chewy delight, perfect for garnishing your festive honey cake.

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Recipe

Orange Glazed Spiced Honey Cake

5 from 9 votes

This Rosh Hashanah Orange Glazed Spiced Honey Cake with Candied Oranges will also be a perfectly delicious and fragrant winter cake.

Servings: 8

Author: Sylvie

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Resting Time1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Spiced Honey Cake

• 80 ml Spiced Tea, such as Chai
• 3 large Eggs
• 80 gr Brown Sugar
• 175 gr Honey
• 125 ml Canola Oil , or flavour-neutral cooking oil
• 2 teaspoon Orange Zest, about 1 large orange
• 150 gr Plain Flour
• 25 gr Almond Meal
• 25 gr Hazelnut Meal , (Can be replaced by the same quantity of almond meal)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 pinch Fine Table Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Clove Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Anise Seed Powder (optional)

Orange Glaze

• 120 ml Orange Juice
• 30 ml Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Agar Agar Powder

Candied Oranges

• 1 Orange
• 3 x 250 ml Water
• 120 gr Caster Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

Instructions

Spiced Honey Cake

• Preheat your oven to 170℃ / 340℉. Generously grease a Loaf Pan (and / or line with baking paper) to ensure your cake doesn’t stick.
• Brew your chosen fresh spiced tea (Chai works wonderfully) and set aside to cool down completely. This ensures the tea doesn’t cook the eggs when added.
• In a large bowl, whisk the Eggs and Brown Sugar vigorously until they become light, airy, and foamy. Then, mix in the Honey (gently warm for a few seconds in the microwave if it’s too thick to pour), followed by the cooled Tea, Canola Oil, and Orange Zest. Stir until all wet ingredients are well combined.
• Incorporate all the dry ingredients: Plain Flour, Almond Meal, Hazelnut Meal, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon Powder, Nutmeg Powder, Ginger Powder, Clove Powder and Anise Seed Powder. Whisk gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, which can result in a dense cake.
• Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. This indicates the cake is fully cooked. Set aside on a wire rack to cool down completely.

  Once completely cool, carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack positioned over a flat baking tray (see note 1 for a tip on managing drips).

Orange Glaze

• Place the Orange Juice and Lemon Juice in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat. Once boiling, add the Agar Agar Powder, whisking continuously for about two minutes to ensure it dissolves completely and thickens slightly.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately and pour the hot glaze directly over the cooled cake, ensuring it fully covers the top and sides for an even, glossy finish. Be cautious, as the liquid will be very hot. Allow the cake with the glaze to cool and set for approximately 20 minutes; the Agar Agar will quickly create a beautiful shine.

Candied Oranges

• Carefully cut the orange in half. Thinly slice the first half into rounds. For the second half, carefully cut out the orange peel, ensuring you get both the zest and a good portion of the white pith (see note 2). Then, slice these peels into thin strips.
• In a small saucepan, bring the first 250 ml of water to a boil. Place the orange slices and peel strips into the boiling water and blanch them for about ten minutes. This helps remove bitterness. Drain the water and rinse the oranges well. Repeat this blanching process a second time with another 250 ml of fresh water.
• After the second blanching, clean your pot. Mix in the last 250 ml of water, the Caster Sugar, and Cinnamon Powder. Heat gently until the sugar is completely dissolved, forming a syrup. Place the blanched orange slices and peel strips into this syrup and leave to reduce on very low heat for about 30 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated and the oranges appear translucent and sticky. To avoid breaking them, try not to touch or stir the oranges while they are candying.
• Once all the syrup has evaporated, you will be left with beautifully sticky candied orange slices and strips. Carefully transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool down and set completely.
• Just before serving, arrange the Candied Orange Slices and Candied Orange Peals artistically on top of your Orange Glazed Spiced Honey Cake. Enjoy this festive and flavorful creation!

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Notes

1. This technique ensures that any excess glaze drips onto the tray, keeping your kitchen counter clean. Lining the baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat also allows you to easily collect and reuse any glaze that has dripped, minimizing waste.
2. When preparing the orange peels for candying, aim for relatively thick strips. This means cutting out not just the colorful zest but also a substantial portion of the white pith beneath it. This thicker peel will hold up better during the candying process and provide a more satisfying chew.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg