This Gluten-Free Honey Cake recipe is easy to throw together. Made with a base of almond flour, eggs, and honey, your guests that follow a gluten-free diet can eat it, and others at your table will be so busy enjoying this rich, moist cake that they won’t care what’s in it!
Honey cake is a Jewish holiday dessert recipe, traditionally served at Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year. This cake, also referred to as lekach, is a symbol of the sweetness we hope for in the year to come. Coffee is traditionally used to flavor honey cake, and I use it in my recipe. I also use cinnamon, and a hint of cloves to spice up this Jewish holiday dessert.
My Gluten-Free Honey Cake tastes just like the lekach my Bubby made, when I used to visit her on Long Island. She was an amazing cook and an incredible business woman and is my favorite family role model. My Bubby’s lekach had chopped nuts in it. You may want to add half a cup of walnuts or pecans to this recipe if you like nuts. I left the nuts out as my boys prefer their desserts without chopped nuts.
Gluten-Free Honey Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons organic decaf ground coffee (not instant)
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Pour ½ cup boiling water through a filter containing 2 tablespoons organic decaf coffee; discard grounds and cool liquid
- In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves
- In a separate bowl, combine agave, oil, eggs, and coffee
- Mix wet ingredients into dry, then stir in raisins
- Transfer batter to a greased and floured 9 inch springform pan
- Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes
- Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour
- Serve
This gluten-free, pareve lekach is a fantastic dessert all year round. We don’t limit it to the Jewish holidays. My younger son likes Gluten-Free Honey Cake so much that I’ve been packing it for dessert in his school lunch.
Here are some of my paleo Jewish holiday recipes:
Laura says
This looks amazing! I just made a “honey” cake, substituting caramel for the honey.
rebsalt says
A friend just refered me to this site as I just cut gluten out of my diet and although it’s only June, I can’t wait until the high holidays this year- something for everyone to enjoy that even I can eat! I can’t wait to keep reading through your recipes and stories. Thank you!
nessa says
I made this cake last night for our Easter diner today. It is amazingly good, thank you so much! We have been GF for quite awhile and have recently gone grain-free. I was sad thinking we’d have no dessert, but this was perfect.
I ended up using 1/2 coconut flour and 1/2 almond flour because I didn’t have enough almond flour in the house. [I make my flours at home, buzzing coconut flakes for coconut flour and soaked/sprouted/peeled/dehydrated almonds for almond flour/meal in a food processor.] I used a 1/4 C of raw, unfiltered honey instead of agave. I used currants instead of raisins. Finally, I used 1 duck egg instead of 2 hen eggs.
It was just so good. I share my substitutions in case anyone else has similar dietary restrictions as us. Also, I admit that I have to fuss with recipes; I just can’t make them straight off the page. ;)
Jessica says
I’m not really a baker. It’s all the measuring…oy. Anyway, my husband’s birthday was recent, and I wanted to have a cake that was Kosher for Passover but with the added restriction that I don’t eat sugar. I made this and was so pleased. First, it was super easy. Second, it tasted ah-maz-ing. Last, the picky folks at the dinner table loved this cake. The picky eaters had seconds. Brava.
Mom says
Kosher almond flour – I found a web site for nuts but of course I didn’t keep it ’cause the flour was sooooo expensive. But if you google almond flour you will find it. The company is located in Brooklyn.
Great honey cakes recipe.
SherryQ says
Hello Elana :)
Thank you so very much for sharing your talents with us – we are so enjoying your recipes, which I believe have truly saved the holidays for me (gluten-free, dairy-free)!
As we are preparing for the blessings of a revolving door with guests and family in the upcoming months, we would like to prepare things like this honey cake in advance. Does this cake freeze and thaw well?
Thanks! *SherryQ*
Sue says
Athy,
Thanks for the info about using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour!! In this recipe, did you cut out any liquid?? There’s not too much to begin with…. If so, what did you omit?? Or did you just bake it until it tested done????
Sue
elana says
Hi Lauren,
The cake is great with agave, I would try the recipe as is before making any adjustments.
Of course, you can also feel free to to experiment and make all the necessary adjustments until it comes out right; just be sure to let us know the results of your cooking adventures!
Thanks,
Elana
Lauren says
Hi Elana, this cake looked so scrumptious I just had to try it! I used honey in place of agave. The flavor was very good, but it was rather mushy after baking it for the maximum amount of time. Seems like there might need to be another egg for more structure and rise. I thought honey was similar to agave but perhaps not!
Hope you had a wonderful holiday!
elana says
Rich Ann -So glad to hear about your fragrant car ride; many blessings to you and yours this fall.
Kate -Thanks for writing; I’m glad the honey cake pleased everyone. I’ll say hi to the mountains for you.
GP -Thanks! Happy New Year.
~M -Very exciting that the wedding is so soon. A big mazel tov to you and your fiance.
Athy -Thanks for the almond flour brand conversion tips! That is great.