For a time, I worked with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) on the border of Ukraine, in Przemyśl, Poland. After collecting 52 kilos of flour and buckets of honey and other ingredients to make this honey cake, I would often bake alone. When the time came to mix, however, some of the other amazing WCK chefs or volunteers in our warehouse would jump in to help paddle the batter using giant stainless steel paddles.
I think of this recipe (which I’ve adapted for normal home consumption) as a “snack” style cake, great with a cup of tea or coffee, or served with a bit of whipped cream and crushed pistachio. In Poland, we did not use whipped cream or berries or pistachio when baking for Ukrainians, as they were fleeing or on the move somewhere. Our slices of cake were tucked into small square brown paper bags, easy to grab and go. Sometimes you’d find Ukrainians and Polish volunteers having a slice of cake together in a WCK tent along the border path or train station or shelter, or even in the WCK kitchen itself while on a break. This cake was something everyone was comforted by.
Recipe by Rachel Vaughn on February 15, 2023
Ingredients
6 large eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 cup raw honey (clover, wildflower, or other mild honey, not buckwheat)
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
A pinch of cardamom (optional)
Powdered sugar to garnish (optional)
Fresh berries to garnish (optional)
Whipped cream to garnish (optional)
Crushed pistachios to garnish (optional)
Steps
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 11 x 17-inch baking sheet with sides, or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, with an electric or hand mixer, beat the eggs, oil, brown sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine and stir the baking soda and apple cider vinegar together — it will fizz a bit. Add the honey, vanilla, sour cream, and baking soda-vinegar mixture to the batter. Beat on low for 3 to 40 seconds, until just combined. (Do not over-beat here, or the cake texture will turn out hard, not fluffy.)
Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom (if using) together. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the batter, mixer on low, and beat just until combined. The batter will be runny and lose some of its fluffiness.
Pour all the batter into the prepared baking sheet and carefully level to the edges with a spatula. Bake on the middle oven rack for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan onto a wire rack, and cool completely. Cut into square or diagonal pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar or a spoon of freshly whipped cream topped with a few berries and crushed pistachios.
