To celebrate Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), which begins at sundown on Friday,  El Al Airlines is serving apples and honey – a New Year’s Tradition – and honey cake to travelers departing JFK and Newark airports in the U.S. and Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.

The treats will be served the day before the holiday and the day after; the airline does not fly on Rosh Hashanah (or on Yom Kippur).

Chef Steven Weintraub, executive chef of Borenstein Caterers, which provides EL AL’s meals, was kind enough to share his honey cake recipe.

HOLIDAY HONEY CAKE RECIPE:

1 cup of honey

½ cup of sugar

4 whole eggs

1 cup of coffee, black and room temperature

¾ cup of vegetable oil

1 fresh orange, grated fine (include juice pulp and skin)

4 – 4 ½ cups of flour (adjust flour amount to ensure mixture is moderately loose)

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

A pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)

1 cup of raisins

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix honey, sugar, eggs, coffee, oil and orange thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add dry mixture into liquid mixture.  Blend well.  Fold in raisins.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 greased baking pan or into a 36 muffin tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour.  After 45 minutes of cooking, check periodically.  Let cool on a wire rack.

This recipe serves 20.

If you want to make enough for an entire plane – get out your calculator.  It takes 75 pounds of honey cake to feed a 777 and 115 pounds of honey cake to feed a 744.