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:
Robyn says
First time trying this cake. Instructions are not clear as to when to add the honey/agave. I can only assume at step #3 with the oil and coffee???
Elana says
Robyn, step #3.
Judy says
Can this be baked in a loaf pan? Are any quantities or time adjustments needed?
Elana says
Judy, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment, I hope you’ll let me know if it works :-)
Jennifer says
I make this every Rosh Hashanah and it’s delish! I recently came across a gluten (and off limits) chocolate honey cake recipe – do you think I could add cocoa powder to your recipe for a twist? Thanks!
Elana says
Jennifer, I haven’t tried that but feel free to experiment!
Connie Martin says
I love this cake. I have made it too many times to count! I eat it for breakfast and for a dessert. Question; have you ever made it, or other cakes, using an Instant Pot? Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes. I am a fan of many of them and recently got a friend hooked on your recipes.
Elana says
Connie, I haven’t tried that :-)
Nancy says
I made the gluten free honey cake and we love it. We ate most of it the first night right out of the oven. Will definitely make it again. Do you have a way to print recipes?
Elana says
Nancy, thanks for letting me know you love this cake! You can print the recipe if you click the little printer icon just below the title of the recipe. LMK if that makes sense :-)
Selina Posthumus says
I was just wondering what the difference is between almond meal and almond flour? P.S. This sounds really yummy!
Elana says
Selina, for more on that go here:
https://elanaspantry.com/almond-flour-ingredient/
Have a great day!
Elana
Chaya W. says
Dear Elana,
The GF honey cake is wonderful, as are 99% (some we just don’t go for) of your delicious, carefully thought out recipes. I wish you a sweet new year of GOOD health, happiness, safety, success, creativity, strength, contentment and peace. A refuah shleima to you and have much naches from your kids.
Blessings from Eretz Yisrael,
Chaya W.
Elana says
Chaya, happy new year!
ilana says
This cake is amazing! Easy and so flavorful. Five stars!
Elana says
Thanks Ilana!
Lisa says
Hi Elana,
This and many of your other traditional recipes look so amazing. I’ll have to leave out the lovely raisins and reduce the honey, plus add a bit of sugar free sweetener like Sukrin syrup because I’m Diabetic, but at least I can have a nice alternate of the traditional. I’m not Jewish, but I love reading the recipes of these celebratory dishes and what they’re meant to reflect and how families come together to enjoy & share them. Thank you
Elana says
Lisa, thanks for being on this healing journey with me and for sharing the Jewish holidays through food. Here’s a recipe for you that will not require any adaptations, it’s specifically for my very low-carb readers such as yourself:
https://elanaspantry.com/keto-brownies/
I hope you’ll stay in touch!
Elana
Naomi says
Hey there. Do you think I could substitute the raisins for very small cubes of apple?
Elana says
Naomi, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Dorothy says
Yes of course you can. Darling Elana is a scientist. If she hasn’t tested it 100 times. She feels she can’t give an opinion
Elana says
Dorothy, you are AWESOME! Thanks for totally getting me. Big hugs to you :-)