What started out as a very small Tel Aviv business 15 years ago, is now a booming catering business with a staff of 200 workers and future plans to become an Israeli café chain. Now located in Bnei Brak, just east of the big city, Biscotti Bakery is committed to using high-quality ingredients to make their mark on the Israeli pastry shop scene. To replicate their famous apple streusel-topped honey cake at home this holiday, just follow this recipe, which we took straight from Biscotti’s head chefs, Rossella Jona and Amir Porat.
This article was provided by the JTA international news agency and wire service.
Apple Streusel Honey Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 eggs large
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups flour all-purpose, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup fruit tea strong, brewed and cooled
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon ginger ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 green apple peeled and sliced for garnishing the unbaked cake
Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup butter cold, cut into cubes
- 1 cup flour all-purpose
- 2 tablespoons flour all-purpose
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch salt
Instructions
Topping
- In a food processor, blend all the ingredients in short pulses until you get a coarse crumb.
- Transfer the crumbs to a sealed container and chill until use.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Whip eggs with the sugar until the mixture becomes thick and triples in size.
- Add the oil and mix to combine, then add the honey and do the same.
- In a medium bowl, combine the spices flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to the eggs mixture, and add the cooled tea. You can also add fresh peeled and chopped apples or pears, or cherries to the batter at this stage if you wish.
- Pour into 2 loaf pans and top with a light layer of streusel and 12-13 apple slices in vertical line down the center. Bake for about 40 minutes.
- Cake is done when a toothpick comes out dry with a few moist crumbs attached.
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