Jewish holidays rather famously tend to revolve around ceremonial foods, or simanim, andRosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is no exception. We eatpomegranateseeds so that we may be fruitful, the head of a fish so we may be mindful, and honey-dipped apples so that our year ahead will be a sweet one. Apple cake is one of the staple dishes of Rosh Hashanah, and I’ve often thought that, while quite good, it could be even better, so I set out to improve it with a sweet secret weapon—toffee sauce.
After a religiously ambiguous upbringing, I first began observing Rosh Hashanah when I was 30 years old. At the time, I found an abundance of apple cake on the menus of the Rosh Hashanah meals I ate with my friends’ families, and, while I never found a bad version, per se, I noticed that the texture was often simultaneously moist in spots and, bafflingly, too dry in others—a sad result of overbaking to compensate for the water content in the apples. There also wasn’t a ton going on in terms of flavor beyond the subtly tart apples and a hint of cinnamon. The versions I tried seemed to be calling out for some kind of frosting or, better yet, a buttery sauce to permeate the warm cake and add a rich, fudgy texture to each bite.
While musing on how to improve this classic while still honoring it, I looked to some of my favorite cakes for inspiration. Sticky toffee pudding is one of those desserts that I’ll order every time I get the chance, and with its rich date flavor and velvety toffee sauce, I saw it as the dessert that apple cake could become with just a little tweaking. So I set out to combine the best elements of both desserts in a warm, luscious union, just in time for the upcoming holiday.