Name: Apple and Honey Cake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 200 g white caster sugar (superfine sugar); 75 g slightly salted butter (or margarine, room temperature); 3 medium free-range eggs; 200 g self-raising white flour (self rising flour) (sieved); 1 tsp cinnamon; 3 eating apples (peeled, cored and chopped); 1 eating apples (cored and sliced into thin wedges); 1 tbsp runny honey; 2 tbsp runny honey

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Today, I have a very special apple, cinnamon and honey cake for you - a sticky, sweet, moist, moreish and comforting treat. And there's a story behind it with many threads, some recent, some ancient.

This month, some of my best blogging friends, Penny Alexander and Becky Goddard-Hill published a non-fiction children's book on a subject very close to my heart: happiness.

Create Your Own Happy is an illustrated, interactive activity book that empowers children to take practical steps towards their own happiness and positive self-esteem.

This apple, cinnamon and honey cake recipe was inspired by the Create Your Own Happy book

It's packed cover-to-cover with exercises that children can try for themselves, either independently or with friends, parents or even teachers. From planting a seed bomb outdoors, to making a happy playlist or building a recycling monster, there's something for every type of personality and learning style in this book. And what I love most is that each activity doesn't just include the idea and how to do it, but also explains why it works and suggests a series of further actions you might like to try.

Create Your Own Happy is aimed at children aged 7-11 and I think it caters for that age range really well. J (6) and JD (10) have both been exploring the book over the last few weeks and both have engaged well but differently. JD has been using it as a toolkit for when they need a boost in his mood, while J is using it to drive their creativity & revel in the things that bring her joy.

Page 152 of Create Your Own Happy challenges readers to learn about another culture by cooking up a feast in order to learn more about others, and foster a kind, inclusive outlook. This challenge is perfect for a foodie family like ours, it's something the whole family can do together, with plenty of opportunity for conversation and exploration and a yummy treat to enjoy.

Reading Create Your Own Happy with a slice of apple, cinnamon and honey cake

As we sat at the table together after school last week, the children mulled over which culture they might like to explore, narrowing down to Japanese, Polish or Jewish.

After some research into the cuisines using Pinterest and Google, the kids' eyes widened at the sight of apple cakes, honey, braided bread (challah), fishcakes and other delicious treats, so we settled on making a cake inspired by Jewish culture. It seemed especially apt since the upcoming weekend happened to be Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).

My father's side of the family is Jewish, and of all my childhood memories, going to visit my paternal grandparents is one of the strongest. Once a month or so, we'd pile in the car and arrive at their bungalow where we'd be fussed over, photographed to within an inch of our lives and fed to bursting point with fishcakes, fresh salad and slices of challah slathered in butter, followed by tinned fruit salad and Tip Top (remember Tip Top?)

As the night drew in and we grew weary of playing Lemonade on our grandfather's Apple Macintosh, we'd pile into my mum's Volvo estate and roll home, stuffed full and clutching a homemade apple cake.

So apple cake has a lot of meaning for me, and a connection to the Jewish side of my heritage, but why apple and honey cake? Well, it's traditional on Rosh Hashanah to enjoy eating apples dipped in honey to symbolise hope for a sweet new year, and many other apple and honey recipes are now enjoyed too.

Here's how we made it, chatting about Jewish culture as we baked.

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g (7.05 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
75 g (2.65 oz) slightly salted butter or margarine, room temperature
3 medium free-range eggs
200 g (7.05 oz) self-raising white flour (self rising flour) sieved
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eating apples peeled, cored and chopped
1 eating apples cored and sliced into thin wedges
1 tbsp runny honey

To finish

2 tbsp runny honey

Equipment

Instructions

Preheat the oven 180C (160C fan, 350F). Cream the butter and sugar together.

Creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl

Beat in the eggs.

Preparing the apple, cinnamon and honey cake mix

Add the flour and cinnamon and beat again.

Flour and cinnamon are added to the cake mix

Mixing ingredients together for this apple, cinnamon and honey cake

Fold in the chopped apples.

Chopped apples are added to the cake mix

The finished apple, cinnamon and honey cake batter

Line the loaf tin and fill with the batter then top with a row of the sliced apple.

Lining the loaf tin with apple, cinnamon and honey cake batter and topping with sliced apple

Drizzle with 1 tbsp honey.

The apple, cinnamon and honey cake in a loaf tin, topped with sliced apples and drizzled with honey

Bake for 60 minutes or until the centre is set.

Freshly baked apple, cinnamon and honey cake in a loaf tin cooling on a wire rack

Set aside to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then skewer all over, avoiding the apple slices. Mix 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp hot water together and spoon all over the cake.

Close up of apple, cinnamon and honey cake

Allow to cool, then cut into slices and serve with a cup of tea. Don't expect it to last very long!

If you'd like to print this apple, cinnamon and honey cake recipe to try later, just hit PRINT on the recipe card below.

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4.8 from 16 votes

Apple and Honey Cake Recipe

This delicious apple and honey loaf cake is a sticky, sweet, moist, moreish and comforting treat.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: cakes and bakes

Cuisine: British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 10 people

Author: Emily Leary