Chocolate Honey Cake שאָקאָלאַדער לעקעך

Chocolate lekekh. Since we were celebrating a birthday on yontif, mimetic candles are made of baby carrots and sour cherries, both from Stoneledge Farm

The honeycake recipe that I have been making for the last decade has some chocolate as a seasoning, but it is not really a chocolate cake. Here at last is the deeply chocolate honey cake you have all been waiting for. כּי לקח טובֿ נתתּי לכם

Chocolate Honey Cake

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare several cake or loaf pans.

Melt over simmering water

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Sift dry ingredients together:

24 ounces (6 cups) all-purpose flour (You may use part or all whole wheat pastry flour)

1 scant tablespoon ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons allspice

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup cocoa

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Blend together in processor or blender:

8 ounces (1 cup) pitted prunes

1/2 cup ginger preserves

In a mixer combine:

2 tablespoons instant coffee

1 cup boiling water

1 pound (about 2 scant cups) bamboo honey

1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces), or coconut oil, or vegetable oil

2 cups dark brown sugar (1 pound)

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons slivovitz

6 extra-large or jumbo eggs (added at last minute)

Combine the prune-ginger-mix into the coffee-butter mix and stir in the melted unsweetened chocolate. Gently fold the coffee-ginger-chocolate into the dry ingredients.

Then fold in:

4 grated pears (about 12 ounces pear pulp and juice)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or chips

Pour and scrape the batter into prepared loaf-pans and/or cake pans. Bake 15 minutes at 400, 15 minutes at 375, and 15 minutes at 350. The cakes are done when a tester comes out clean and they offer mild resistance to a touch.

This recipe yielded one large loaf cake, and eight small (8-inch) loaf cakes. I guess you could make half the amount, but the cakes stay good for two weeks, and in fact get better every day.