Jewish Apple Cake

Rosh Hashana is coming up for all of our Jewish friends. It is the Jewish New Year, and it is celebrated with traditional foods of the season. It is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar or a High Holiday. Rosh Hashanah is packed with mitzvahs, special foods and traditions but the central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, on both days of the holiday. The shofar itself recalls the Binding of Isaac, an event that occurred on Rosh Hashanah in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to God. 

The festivities begin with prayer and readings from the Torah about Abraham and Sarah. These stories are told on Rosh Hashanah — the anniversary of the creation of human beings — because they remind us that all people, including those we look up to as our founding patriarchs and matriarchs, are filled with character flaws. Human beings are imperfect, and despite that eternal truth, they never lose hope in the potential to achieve great things. The reading is followed by a Haftarah about Hannah’s prayer for children that teaches that God fulfills even the most improbable of requests. Her song of gratitude is a shining example of how we need to thank God for our life every day. Her life takes on greater dimensions in the birth of Samuel the Prophet. From her sorrow to her joy, Hannah’s story is really the story of the Jewish people.

After prayers and readings from the Torah, the day is filled with feasts and festivities. It is customary to eat sweet foods, symbolizing the desire to have a sweet year, blessings and abundance. Throughout the meal, it is customary to also eat foods whose names allude to blessing and prosperity. Pieces of sweet apple are dipped into honey. The prayer said before eating it is: May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year. A head of a fish, ram, or other kosher animal, is served. This symbolizes the desire to be at the “head of the class” this year. A pomegranate is eaten, symbolizing the wish to have a year full of mitzvot and good deeds as a pomegranate is filled with luscious seeds.

I am definitely NOT a Jewish expert or scholar. I’m not even Jewish. But I do like to learn new things about all cultures, and especially their foods. What I am learning about the foods of this major Jewish holiday is that people like to eat various sweet foods in hopes of a happy, prosperous new year. Honey cakes, apple cakes, apples, challah are some of the delicious foods eaten and enjoyed during these festive times.

I made a Jewish apple cake for no other reason other an I liked the recipe, though I love learning about all the traditions that surround the cake and and the celebrations too. A friend of mine asked if it was called a Jewish apple cake because the apples came from Israel. No. That was just the name on the recipe and it is the time of the Jewish year to celebrate new beginnings. As you know, I celebrate almost everything with food, as do so many other people and cultures That is one of the beautiful characteristics of food. It has such a special meaning to all of us, for so many reasons. Food is life and life should be celebrated.

Jewish Apple Cake

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180* C.

Spray a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.

2 1/3 cups sugar, divided

2 tsp cinnamon

4 1/2 cups Gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 3/4 cups flour

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

Combine 1/3 cup of sugar, the cinnamon and apples together and gently fold in so all the apples are coated with the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Combine all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Mix the remaining sugar and oil together. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla. Add 1/2 the flour and mix, 1/2 the orange juice, and repeat until everything is blended together.

Gently fold the apples into the batter, then spoon into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the center is set.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan and serving. I dusted mine with a sprinkling of powdered sugar too.

Enjoy the festivities and the new year’s celebrations and Shana tova or Happy New Year. Jewish, Gentile, or something else, have a great day, and a great year. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.