Honey cake bread-and-butter pudding is ultimate Rosh Hashanah riff

We meet again, honey cake.

Yes, in the past it has felt a little like honey cake was my nemesis.

The last time I wrote about this somewhat divisive Rosh Hashanah dessert, I handed off a fall-spun version that would beat out most bubbes’ loaves — and doubtless about any store-bought sample your guests might show up with. This was the Honey Pumpkin Praline Date Cake, a rabbi- and pro baker-sanctioned recipe adapted for the occasion.

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Back then, Rabbi David Kay lifted the guilt of generations from my heart with his words: “honey cake has been called ‘the fruitcake of the Jewish kitchen.’ It’s an icon of the holiday but many people don’t really like it.”

So. Much. Truth. The ones I grew up with were bricklike.

My own adapted recipe was the only honey cake that’s ever really blown my skirt up.

Until now.

Some like it not. A Rosh Hashanah honey cake for the less enthusiastic

I’ve been stalking British Instagram chef Ben Rebuck for ages, saving recipes as I do so many others I’ve shared here over the years. Of late, on his regular “Jew-Ish” cooking posts — which feature fusion that runs Jewish dishes through other cultures’ filters or the other way ’round — I’ve seen pupil-dilating creations like Gochujang schnitzel, Kosher carbonara (vegan Parmesan! lamb bacon!) and a latke okonomiyaki topped with pastrami.

Ridiculous.

But when I spotted the Honey Cake Bread & Butter Pudding, I bumped the current column up a couple weeks so I could have an excuse to make and eat it share it with you all in a timely fashion.

Honey Cake Bread & Butter Pudding is something relatively simple you could make for dessert if you’re celebrating this year. There’s just enough time. More likely, it’s a phenomenal way to dispatch of what are possibly multiple gifted honey cakes in your home that are presently turning into doorstops.

It is Friday morning. I just had the dessert you are looking at for breakfast. And while yes, in flavor I can recognize it as honey cake, it is something altogether different.

It is a beautiful dichotomy that I need to get out of my house as quickly as possible, but there is a chance I might fork-stab anyone who actually tries to take it.

It is a confusing and delicious place to be.

Bread and butter pudding, I have learned, is a little different from what we know as bread pudding. With history in England and Ireland, this dish is often a little more artfully arranged — with bread sliced into triangles and a bit softer and more custardy/loose within — where bread pudding is a bit denser.

I overbaked mine just a smidge and ended up somewhere in the middle. I am not mad about it, nor will you be if you do the same. This is a forgiving dish in all areas, save calorically.

Buttering the bits that stick out above the surface is a brilliant move. These are some of the best bites in the lot. The sesame-sensational addition of tahini and halva offer up superfood power and fat grams you shouldn’t bother considering. Just enjoy.

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Rebuck includes instructions on halva-tahini whipped cream, but I just opted for the canned stuff, setting the warm hunk of pudding down on a drizzle of tahini before dispensing a cloud of Reddi-wip on top, adding a bit more halva (arguably the most delicious thing on the planet) and crushed nuts for color and crunch. I forgot the orange zest I’d saved for garnish.

Pity, as it would have made the photos prettier.

In his Instagram vid, Rebuck tastes the plate and the expletives spring forth with delight.

I did the exact same in my own kitchen, but I will spare you the color.

You will have your own sailor-mouthed epiphany to contend with when you try this.

And you will break the generational cycle of honey cake haters in your family for all time.

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: [email protected], For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.

Honey Cake Bread & Butter Pudding

Recipe by Ben Rebuck  (instagram.com/reels/DctUdkPImvc)

INGREDIENTS

Pudding
350-400g honey cake (12-14 oz.), cut into chunky pieces
20g unsalted butter (approx. 1 tablespoon), plus extra for greasing
70-80g vanilla halva (4-5.5 tablespoons), broken into small chunks
30g pistachios (4 tablespoons), roughly chopped

Tahini Custard
300ml whole milk (roughly 10 oz.)
150ml heavy cream (roughly 5 oz.)
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
35g light brown sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
45g tahini (about 3½ tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
Good pinch of salt

Honey Glaze
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon orange juice or water
Pinch of flaky salt

Tahini and Halva Whipped Cream
150ml heavy cream
1 tablespoon tahini
30g halva, finely crumbled
1 teaspoon honey, optional
Pinch of salt

To Finish
Extra pistachios
Crumbled halva
Orange zest
Vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream

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Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 300°.
2. Cut the honey cake into chunky pieces, spread onto a tray and bake for 10-15 minutes until slightly dried out but not crisp.
3. Leave to cool, then increase the oven to 325°.
4. Butter a baking dish and add half the honey cake, followed by half the halva and pistachios.
5. Add the remaining cake, keeping a few pieces sticking up so they go golden and crisp, then scatter over the rest of the halva and pistachios.
6. For the custard whisk the tahini with a splash of milk until smooth, then gradually add the rest of the milk.
7. Whisk in the cream, eggs, egg yolk, brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, orange blossom water and salt.
8. Pour the custard slowly over the honey cake, pressing everything down gently so it can soak up all that goodness. Leave for 25-30 minutes.
9. Drizzle or brush the exposed pieces with the melted butter, then bake for 35-45 minutes until golden on top, set around the edges and still slightly wobbly in the middle.
10. Warm the honey with the orange juice and flaky salt, then drizzle over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven.
11. Finish with more pistachios, crumbled halva and orange zest.
12. Serve warm with whipped cream.