11 Rosh Hashanah Desserts for the Sweetest Start to the New Year

a slice of olive oil cake with citrus segments on a white plate — Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The main course is certainly important, but dessert is arguably the central part of the Rosh Hashanah meal. This is a time to break out the sugar—sweet foods are a must for the holiday, symbolizing a sweet year to come. Apple slices and honey may be the most traditional symbols of prosperity, but we figure adding an extra dessert or two to the mix must mean extra good luck, right? Below, we've got all the recipes you need to finish off your Rosh Hashanah dinner right, including classic honey cake, rugelach, and even a saffron-orange ice cream.

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Honey-Vanilla Almond Cake

Serious Eats / Jennifer Latham

This almond cake is light, tender, and incredibly easy to make. Beating egg whites at slower speeds forms a more stable foam with smaller, more uniform air bubbles, which gives the cake its airy texture.

Honey-Vanilla Almond Cake
Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

No, you don't need milk or butter to make a special occasion–worthy chocolate cake. The olive oil that replaces the butter here contributes both moistness and a nuttiness that complements the Dutch cocoa powder and black coffee. For a straightforward chocolate cake, try a basic, lighter-flavored olive oil that you'd use for everyday cooking. If you want a more unusual effect, opt for a bold, fuller-flavored olive oil whose peppery notes will complement the chocolate.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake
Easy Applesauce Cake

Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

This easy applesauce snack cake stays moist and tender for days. Plus: It's fragrant, pleasantly sweet, and complex enough to keep you coming back for another slice at snack time.

Easy Applesauce Cake
Baked Apples

Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja

Cinnamon-sugar, butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice melt together to create a sweet, gooey filling. Topped with a crispy crumble, these tender baked apples taste like the best of autumn.

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The Best Apple Crisp

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

With all of the other preparations you're likely facing in advance of a holiday dinner, no one could fault you for not having the time to make a pie. What you probably do have time for is an apple crisp, a dessert that's just as delicious as pie but much easier to make. A simple mix of apples, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and whiskey makes the filling, which we blanket with a nutty, buttery topping.

The Best Apple Crisp
Easy, Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

While it isn't the most traditional Rosh Hashanah dessert, we see no reason not to incorporate apple pie into your holiday festivities, and this recipe wins points for its low-tech, laid-back approach. No precooking the apples on the stovetop—simply macerate the raw fruit with sugar and spices, add a little tapioca starch for thickening, and dump it into our flaky pie crust, which will remain crisp even under such a juicy filling.

Easy, Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Tarte Tatin

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Tarte Tatin can be a tricky dessert to make: You have to nail the caramel and perfectly cook the apples without burning either, and when it’s baked and cooled, you have to invert the whole thing onto a plate. Luckily, after many tests, our senior editor, Genevieve, has developed a foolproof method for making the ideal tarte Tatin, and she walks readers through the process in this excellent recipe.

Tarte Tatin
Classic Rugelach

Serious Eats / Emily Dryden

These bronzed, buttery, flaky little pastries are easy to roll out, thanks to cream cheese added to the dough for extra sturdiness. They'll work well with a huge range of fillings—the secret ingredient is breadcrumbs sprinkled over the filling, which helps ward off runniness. This basic recipe uses a time-honored combination of chopped toasted walnuts, honey, citrus juice, and warm spices.

Classic Rugelach

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Saffron, Honey, and Orange Ice Cream

Serious Eats / Max Falkowitz

This ice cream is a balance of heady saffron, floral honey, and bittersweet orange zest. Instead of an assertive honey, try a lighter variety, such as acacia or alfalfa, to accentuate the floral character of the saffron threads.

Saffron, Honey, and Orange Ice Cream
Olive Oil Cake

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Need a delicious dessert that can be whipped up in just an hour's time? This simple, elegant olive oil cake is the ticket. Buttermilk lends structure to the batter and a pleasant light tanginess, while lemon zest and orange flower water add a subtle, sophisticated flavor profile. Since the flavor of the olive oil will predominate, it's best to use a high-quality one; we provide recommendations in our guide to buying olive oil if you're in the market.

Olive Oil Cake
Glazed Honey Cake

Serious Eats / María del Mar Cuadra

Despite being a Rosh Hashanah staple, honey cake can be a little, well, boring. Our version gives new life to the classic with apple, cinnamon, cloves, and whiskey, plus a dose of strong brewed coffee to give the cake extra depth. It's already fairly sweet, but we glaze the finished cake with warm honey for good measure.

Glazed Honey Cake