With Christmas just around the corner, we’re getting closer to indulging in our favourite festive treats that are reserved for the Christmas period. If I had to choose just one cake to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one – my mum’s Gingerbread Loaf Cake, in Poland known as Piernik. The perfect combination of warming spices and sweet chocolate, the flavours work together to hug you with Christmas warmth and cosiness.

Ingredients for a Gingerbread Loaf Cake

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of plain flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 250g warm honey
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 30g gingerbread spices
• 1/2 cup milk

How to make a Gingerbread Loaf Cake

Start by separating egg whites and yolks. Using an electric whisk, mix together the egg yolks with sugar.

Add baking soda dissolved in a few teaspoons of lukewarm water. Add flour, butter, honey, milk and spices. Mix until all ingredients are combined well.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks. Gently stir them into the rest of the ingredients with a spatula.

Cover the mixture with a cloth and leave in room temperature for a few hours, or best – a day.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Transfer the batter to a loaf tin. Bake the gingerbread loaf cake for around 50 minutes (test it with a skewer to make sure it’s fully cooked), then remove from the oven.

Let the cake cool in the tin. Still in the tin, decorate the gingerbread loaf cake with a generous layer of melted chocolate. I typically melt together 50g of milk and 50g dark chocolate. You can also sprinkle the chocolate with flaked almonds.

Enjoy!

Also see:

• Christmas
• Food
• Sweet