One of the pleasures of what I do for a living—writing cookbooks for kids and teaching them how to cook—is that I get to watch kids having fun and truly being delighted by cooking.
Yesterday I was helping 34 students, half in grade eight and half in grade one bake enough Honey Lemon Cake for fifty-six Rosh Hashanah baskets for elderly members of the community.
While cooking with kids can seem chaotic, being well organized can make it a piece of cake. I broke students into teams of 8, with older students helping the elementary students. Then I had half the team work on wet ingredients and half on dry ingredients, and then combine them. The whole team filled the cake pans and we put the cakes in the oven. Messes were averted and the kids did a terrific job. Their finished cakes looked beautiful.
I had a chance to talk to the kids about the process of creating recipes. They were surprised to learn that it took me many tries to get this cake recipe right. The first few attempts literally imploded and were not nearly pretty enough to end a showstopper Rosh Hashanah meal. The picture here is of my third attempt, and you can see where the cake has collapsed. When I talk to kids about recipe development I like to emphasize two things: using ingenuity to problem solve and being willing to make mistakes. After tinkering in the kitchen, I can up with a recipe that makes me very pleased and very happy. I hope it makes you (and maybe a young cook in your kitchen) happy, too.
Honey Lemon Cake
Don’t just wait to make this cake at Rosh Hashanah. Make your whole year sweet by baking this moist, spicy cake any time.
Serves:
12
Ingredients:
½ cup white sugar
1 cup honey
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or bundt pan.
2. Combine sugar, honey, oil, eggs, lemon zest, and juice. Stir well.
3. In other bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this mixture by spoonfuls to honey mixture, combining well. Stir in water.
4. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
This recipe is pareve and may be served with either dairy or meat meals.
Find even more ideas for sweet Rosh Hashanah treats.