Apples dipped in honey are the one food most people associate with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, eaten as a wish for a sweet year ahead. Baking that same pairing into a honey apple cake, rather than serving the two separately, carries the tradition one step further — the honey goes into both the batter and the syrup, and the apple is grated straight through the crumb.
Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is what keeps this cake moist for most of a week rather than a couple of days. It goes into the batter in place of butter, so there is no dairy to worry about if you are serving a table that keeps to that.
Baked in a ring tin and soaked in a honey syrup once it comes out of the oven, it is a cake built for sharing at the table. Here’s how we make it.
Honey & Apple Cake for Rosh Hashanah
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease a ring or Bundt tin generously with Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, making sure to get into every groove.
- Whisk together the Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil, honey, brown sugar, eggs, and orange zest and juice until smooth.
- Stir in the grated apple, cinnamon and ginger.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then fold into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes.
- Warm the honey syrup ingredients together in a small pot. Prick the top of the warm cake all over and spoon the syrup over slowly while it is still in the tin, letting it soak in.
- Turn the cake out once it has cooled completely.
Notes
We Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Butter sets firm once it cools, which is part of why cakes made with it can dry out within a day or two. Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so it keeps this cake properly moist for most of a week instead.
It also carries the orange zest and cinnamon differently to butter, since both are fat-soluble and bloom into the oil as the batter comes together, spreading the spice more evenly through the crumb.
There is no butter to melt or soften either, so the whole batter goes together in one bowl without waiting on anything to come up to room temperature.
Our Tips
Squeeze the grated apple lightly. A quick squeeze in a clean cloth stops the batter from turning too wet.
Grease the tin thoroughly. A ring or Bundt tin has plenty of grooves, so brush oil into every one of them to help the cake release cleanly.
Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Fold just until the streaks of flour disappear, or the cake can turn dense.
Prick the cake while it is still warm. The holes let the syrup soak all the way through instead of sitting on the surface.
Let it cool in the tin first. Fifteen minutes gives the cake enough structure to turn out in one piece.
Use honey you actually like the taste of. It is the main flavour here, so a mild, mass-produced honey and a good raw one will taste noticeably different in the finished cake.
How We Serve It
Slice it at room temperature with a little extra honey drizzled over, and set out some apple slices alongside for anyone who wants to keep the dipping tradition going after the cake itself is served.
Baking it in a ring tin is no accident either, since the circle is meant to represent a full, complete year ahead. It is a small detail, but a nice one to have baked in rather than only spoken about at the table.
It keeps well enough to serve on the day and again with tea or coffee the morning after.
More Ways to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Once the bottle’s open for this cake, Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is worth keeping close for the rest of the baking season too.
For festive biscuits — it swaps in for butter the same way in our Gingerbread.
For a fruit cake — it keeps things moist in our Moist Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Brandy Twist.
For a weekend breakfast — it replaces the butter in our Olive Oil Waffles with Dark Chocolate Sauce.
For a dairy-free pudding — try it in place of the butter-flavoured oil in our Malva Pudding for a lighter, fruitier version.
The Good Stuff About Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin is the top grade of olive oil, meaning it is mechanically pressed without heat or chemicals, with acidity kept below a set threshold. That is what gives Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil its fruity, slightly peppery character, next to the flatter taste of a refined oil.
Halaal & Kosher
Certifications
Vegan & Vegetarian
Suitable For
250ml / 500ml / 750ml / 1L / 5L
Bottle Sizes
2 Years
Shelf Life
Ways to Change It Up
Swap the apple for pear. Grated pear works the same way and gives a softer, less tart result.
Add chopped walnuts or pecans. Folded through the batter, they add crunch against the soft crumb.
Use a round tin if you don’t have a ring tin. A standard 22cm cake tin works fine; just add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Add a pinch of nutmeg. Alongside the cinnamon and ginger, it deepens the spice without overpowering the honey.
Make it gluten-free. Swap the cake flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend; the crumb will feel slightly more delicate.
Skip the syrup soak. The cake is still good without it, just less sticky and slightly less sweet.
Questions You Might Have
Can I use a normal round cake tin instead of a ring tin?
Yes, a standard round cake tin works fine. You will lose the ring shape, but the texture and flavour stay the same.
Why is my cake dense?
This usually comes down to overmixing once the flour goes in, or apple that wasn’t squeezed of its excess liquid before it went into the batter.
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Yes, it is often better a day or two after baking once the syrup has had time to soak all the way through.
Can I freeze honey apple cake?
It freezes well for up to 2 months without the syrup. Add the syrup once it has thawed for the best texture.
What can I use if I don’t have an orange?
Lemon zest and juice work as a substitute, though the flavour will come out slightly sharper than with orange.
Is this cake dairy-free?
Yes, Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil replaces the butter entirely, so there is no dairy anywhere in the batter or the syrup.
Where can I buy Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
It’s available to order directly from oliveoil.co.za and at leading retailers across South Africa.
Ready to Make This?
Get the oil that keeps this cake moist long after Rosh Hashanah ends.
More From Our Kitchen
Gingerbread — Moist Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Brandy Twist — Olive Oil Waffles with Dark Chocolate Sauce — All Recipes
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