Wiggles and Honey Cakes

[Leiyah]

Ok -- for any of you who may be stuck watching The Wiggles.....especially the Aussies - seeing as The Wiggles are a Sydney based group =)

...

What exactly is a Honey Cake?

[Karlah]

Ive listed below a couple of recipies i found for Honey Cake, never eaten it myself. 
Luckily we havent got to the Wiggles yet, and Im pacing myself.  No need to rush into these things if you ask me.

Kar

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Exceptional Honey Cake
This honey cake is extra moist and finely spiced. It keeps well and can be made a few days in advance. The rye flour makes it wheat-free yet you'd never know the wheat flour was missing.

Ingredients 
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Honey
1 cup Caro Extra (1 heaped teaspoon Caro Extra mixed with 1 cup hot water)
½ cup Currants, optional
4 TBL Brandy
3 ¾ cups Rye Flour
1 TBL Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
2½ tsp ground Cinnamon
½ tsp ground Cloves 
½ tsp ground Allspice
1 ¼ cup Raw Caster (Superfine) Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar, packed
3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¾ cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
1 TBL Grated Orange Zest
½ cup Flaked Almonds, optional
 
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).

Using a glass-measuring cup, measure out vegetable oil and pour into mixing bowl and set aside.
In that same measuring cup, measure out honey. (This will allow the honey to slide easily out of the cup). Place honey in a saucepan along with the cup of Caro Extra and gently bring to the boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Cover currants with brandy to soak.
Sift rye flour into a bowl along with baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Put to one side.
In the mixing bowl with the previously set aside oil, add the sugars, vanilla and the eggs and mix with an electric mixer or alternatively mix vigorously with a large wire whisk.
Stir the dry ingredients alternately with the Caro Extra mixture and the orange juice into the egg mixture.
Fold in the orange zest.
Ladle cake batter evenly into two 9 by 5 inch loaf tins that have been sprayed with cooking oil, lined with non-stick paper and sprayed again.
Divide currants in two and stir into each tin.
Dress cake surface with flaked almonds, if desired.
Bake for 45-55 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back when gently pressed in the centre and a cake skewer comes out clean.
Let the cakes rest for 15 minutes before removing them from the pans.
 
Additional Information
Check the cakes as they bake so they don't burn. If you notice this happening, lower oven temperature slightly and cover with aluminium foil. The currants can be substituted with sultanas or raisins or left out altogether (in that case add the brandy to the batter by itself). For a slightly different variation in the spice, use ground ginger in place of the ground allspice. Caro Extra is a malted barley and chicory beverage used as a coffee substitute. Decaffeinated coffee or tea may be used in its place. Raw caster sugar may be substituted with regular caster (superfine) sugar. For a truly wheat-free cake, make sure the baking powder is wheat-free as well. If your family doesn't have a wheat allergy or intolerance, you may of course substitute plain (wheat) flour for the rye flour, but you'll be missing out on that something extra that rye flour adds. This cake may be baked in a 9 inch angel food, bundt or tube pan instead, for about 60 -70 minutes.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes not including baking times.

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Jewish Honey Cake
Chef: Suzanne Quintner

Serves nicely

You need:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oil (canola, sunflower, grapeseed)
4 eggs
1 cup strong cool black coffee
1 cup honey
350gms self raising flour, sifted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice

Method:
Beat sugar, oil and eggs until sugar is dissolved
Mix honey with black coffee and carefully add to above mixture alternatively
with dry ingredients
Bake in a large sprayed and lined pan at 170 degrees for approximately one hour.
If you are alcoholically inclined you can brush the hot cake with brandy or
whisky, though traditionally, this cake is not iced.
This cake keeps well and can be frozen successfully.

Serving Suggestion: More please..