Rosh Hashanah - Honey Cake

Also ring in the new year with honey cake!

Honey Cake from Jewish Holiday Feasts by Louise Fiszer and Jeannette Ferray 

Ingredients
1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large apple, cored and grated
12 whole blanched almonds (I used dry-roasted almonds, which I had on hand)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, combine coffee and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat honey, sugar, and oil until well blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixture looks homogenized. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

3. Beat flour mixture into honey mixture alternately with coffee mixture until well combined. Stir in apple.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place almonds on top of batter, to mark the center of each of 12 squares.

5. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Serves 12.