Moist Gluten-Free Honey Cake Recipe for Rosh Hashanah (2024)

It’s the Jewish New Year and nothing will wish someone a sweet new year like this delicious and gluten-free honey cake recipe. This honey cake is sweet, moist and has hints of delicious coffee flavor. I updated the recipe in July 2021 to make it even BETTER!! Please note that this post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, and Jews around the world celebrate the birthday of the world with plenty of sweet dishes and treats.

The reasons Jews eat sweet food on Rosh Hashanah is because, when you eat sweet foods, you are wishing for a new year filled with plenty of sweetness. Your sweet tooth will be thoroughly satisfied on Rosh Hashanah as a result.

One of the many sweet dishes Jews make for Rosh Hashanah is the traditional honey cake, which people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities cannot eat because it traditionally contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

(Also be sure to check out my gluten-free apple cake too!)

However, I have perfected the gluten-free honey cake recipe, thereby allowing Jews around the world to enjoy a slice of sweetness along with their gluten-eating friends.

Remember, just because you can’t eat gluten for medical or health reasons, doesn’t mean you have to give up on this traditional dessert. With a little rejiggering of my honey cake recipe, I’ve been able to make a delicious and totally enjoyable gluten-free honey cake of my own.

And dare I say, my honey cake is better than any honey cake I’ve ever had. And I didn’t need that stinkin’ gluten to get it to taste just right.

Equipment and Ingredients

My gluten-free honey cake requires the following ingredients. As always, be sure to check labels to ensure all ingredients are gluten free.

If baking a honey cake for your gluten-free friend (i.e. you don’t typically bake gluten-free foods), please be sure to use fresh ingredients. Ingredients such as your sugars, baking soda, and baking powder might be cross contaminated with bits of wheat from your prior baking activities.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Bundt Pan: This cake bakes up beautifully inside a round 10-inch bundt pan. You can get a bundt pan on Amazon for a few bucks. Be sure to generously spray your bundt pan with cooking spray before adding the batter. This is a moist and sticky cake, and you don’t want it to get stuck on the pan.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a bundt pan, you can divide the batter into two loaf pans. The baking time may vary. Be sure to grease the loaf pans well, too.

Gluten-Free Flour: I have tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Blend (in the blue bag) and have had great success. I have not tested this recipe with another brand and cannot guarantee the results.

Coffee: I love the flavor coffee adds to this cake. I simply use 1 tbsp of instant coffee (decaf) combined with 1 cup of water and then allow the coffee to cool before adding it to my cake. You will taste hints of coffee in every bite! Alternatively, you could use brewed tea. I recommend using a strong tea, like black tea, so you can taste it in the final cake.

Honey: Of course, no honey cake would be complete without honey. I use a full cup of honey in this recipe. It adds moisture and intense honey flavor the cake. I love using a high-quality local, raw honey, but any honey you like will work.

Sugar: You’ll need both white sugar and brown sugar for the batter, as well as powdered sugar for the topping. I told you this cake was sweet and rightfully so for the Jewish New Year.

Vegetable Oil: You’ll need a good quality vegetable oil for this cake too. I use avocado oil because it’s tasteless.

Eggs: This recipe calls for three eggs. My old recipe only included two eggs, but it felt like the cake didn’t rise enough. I added an extra egg and you’ll see this cake now rises to the occasion! I have not made this cake with an egg substitute, like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, so if you do, please leave a comment to share how it turned out.

Lemon Juice: Lemon juice will react with the baking soda, releasing carbon dioxide and thereby helping to provide structure to the cake.

Baking Essentials: You’ll also need baking soda and baking powder for this recipe.

Spices: The combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg really makes this cake sing. You’ll see!

How to Make Gluten-Free Honey Cake

This honey cake recipe is quite easy to make in just a few simple steps. The cake will look like you’ve been working on it all day. Nobody has to know how simple it was to assemble and bake.

Step #1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Spray your bundt pan generously with cooking spray. Set aside.

Step #2: If you need to make coffee, combine 1 cup of hot water + 1 Tbsp instant coffee and allow mixture to cool before using it. Add a few ice cubes if needed. I usually brew extra coffee in the morning and set it aside for use in my honey cake. Plan ahead! Once the mixture is cool, add baking soda to coffee and mix together. Mixture may bubble. Set aside.

Step #3: In a large mixing bowl (preferably using your standing mixer), add the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, oil, honey and lemon juice. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute or until mixture is creamy.

Step #4: In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Whisk together and set aside.

Step #5: Set your mixer to low speed and slowly add 1 cup of the flour mixture, then pour some of the coffee into the mixer. Continue rotating additions of flour then coffee until all the ingredients are well combined. Batter will be liquidy. Do not overbeat.

Step #6: Pour the batter into a well-greased bundt pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake will rise and sometimes it may sink a bit too. This is okay. When you flip the cake over, no one will see a difference.

Step #7: Remove the cake from your oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before transferring it on to a wire rack. If the cake is stuck to the bundt pan, use a thin spatula to loosen the cake around the edges before transferring it to the cooling rack. Allow it to cool on the cooling rack for another 30 minutes (or longer) before frosting.

Step #8: Once the honey cake is cool, transfer it to a round plate and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar or frosting (optional). See below.

Step #9: Add Frosting (optional): I love to add a drizzle of sweet frosting on top of the cake. It makes the cake look even more beautiful, and, of course, adds more sweetness to an already sweet cake. Who cares about calories; it’s Rosh Hashanah!

To make the frosting, combine powdered sugar, vanilla extra, and water (as needed) in order to get a thick but pourable consistency. You may need to add more sugar or water to get that consistency just right.

Add the frosting to a piping bag and then drizzle over the cake in back and forth motions or in any design you desire.

Tips and FAQs

Here are a few tips and tricks to getting the perfect gluten-free honey cake:

Can I Make the Honey Cake Ahead of Time? You can make this cake ahead of time as it is super moist and holds its taste and texture well. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and serve the next day. It also freezes well. Do not frost the cake until the day you serve it.

How Do I Store Leftovers? Store leftover cake wrapped in plastic wrap. It stays moist and delicious for at least five days.

What If I Don’t Like Coffee? If you don’t like the flavor of coffee, use a strong brewed tea instead.

Can I Use a Different Gluten-Free Flour Blend? You could, but I haven’t tested this cake with any other gluten-free flour blend except for Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend.

Can I Make It Egg Free? I don’t know if it will work, but you could try using Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in place of the three eggs. I’m not sure how the structure of the cake will hold up. If you try it, please leave a comment to let us know how it turned out.

Is It a Dairy-Free Honey Cake? Yes, of course, it’s dairy free honey cake and considered pareve. Some gluten-free flour blends contain milk (like Cup4Cup) so you should avoid any flour blend that contains dairy if you’re avoiding dairy for health or religious reasons.

Help, the Cake Stuck to the Bundt Pan! If you greased your bundt pan and it’s still stuck, use a spatula to shimmy the sides lose before flipping it onto the cooling rack. If some of the top of the cake is still stuck to the pan, just push it back onto the cake and reshape. The cake is moist and sticky and will hold the cake in place. Plus, once you frost it, no one will see the slight blemish.

If you didn’t grease the bundt pan, the cake probably won’t come out. You can dig out the cake and make cake pops or just start over. Sorry!

I Don’t Have a Bundt Pan. If you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use two well-greased loaf pans. Divide the batter evenly in both and bake it on top of a baking sheet in case of spillage.

Up Oh, the Cake Overflowed! I highly recommend baking your bundt or loaf tins on top of a baking sheet, just in case the batter spills over. It’s rare when it does, but because pans can be sized differently, you’re better safe than sorry.

How Does It Taste?

This honey cake is a delicious, celebratory cake and no one will know it’s gluten free. I promise you, it tastes like the REAL DEAL!

Here are the three words often used to describe my honey cake recipe:

• Sweet: You’ll taste that honey and sugar. This cake will absolutely help you ring in a “sweet” New Year.
• Moist: It’s a very light and moist cake. You won’t miss the gluten, I promise. It has a wonderful texture that is spongy and light, just as a honey cake should be.
• Rich: You’ll taste the richness of the coffee flavor. Coffee adds so much flavor to this cake so don’t skip it! As I mentioned above, if you don’t like coffee, use a strong brewed tea instead for similar results.

Wishing you a beautiful, sweet and totally gluten-free New Year. L’shana tova!

More Recipes for Rosh Hashanah

Here are a few traditional recipes you can also serve on Rosh Hashanah … all gluten-free, of course!

Gluten-Free Challah: I make a delicious challah that gets mad compliments EVERY time I make it. To elevate it for Rosh Hashanah, simply add 1/2-1 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup of applesauce to the original recipe. Bake the challah in a bundt pan to get that signature round challah shape for the holiday.

Gluten-Free Apple Cake: My gluten-free apple cake recipe is perfect for Rosh Hashanah and is filled with bits of sweet apple filling.

Carrot and Walnut Soup: Carrots are a sweet vegetable and a symbolic food for Rosh Hashanah. I love serving this soup, especially when the holiday falls on a chilly day.

Savory Beef Brisket: My savory beef brisket makes for a tasty main course for all your Jewish holiday celebrations. Add carrots for another sweet Rosh Hashanah touch!

Dill Roasted Salmon: This dill roasted salmon recipe is perfect for your Rosh Hashanah luncheons. Fish is also a symbolic food for the Rosh Hashanah holiday.