PIERNIK (POLISH GINGERBREAD)

Piernik (Polish gingerbread) image

A classic Polish honey gingerbread cake is adapted by Edd Kimber. It's layered with plum jam and coated in chocolate with sprinkles of edible gold

Provided by Edd Kimber

Time 2h5m

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

140g unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing
300g clear honey
100g light brown sugar
375g self-raising flour
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground pepper
3 large eggs
200g plum jam
225ml double cream
140g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
3 tbsp clear honey
edible gold powder (optional)

Steps:

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Put the honey, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan and cook over a medium heat until fully melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Put the flour and spices in a large bowl and mix everything together.
Once the liquid ingredients have cooled, whisk in the eggs. Pour over the dry ingredients, whisking them together to form a smooth batter - be careful not to overmix as this can lead to a dry cake. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 mins or until risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, use a large serrated knife to slice the cake into 3 layers. Spread the jam across the 2 bottom cake layers, then reassemble the cake and set aside while you make the glaze. Put the cream, chocolate and honey in a medium pan and cook over a low-medium heat until the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth, pourable mixture. Put the cake on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined baking tray and pour over the glaze, making sure to cover the entire cake. Use a fish slice to carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate and allow the glaze to set. To decorate, dust with a little edible gold powder, if you like. Uniced, this cake will keep for up to 5 days. Once iced, enjoy within 3 days - just keep in the fridge, but remove before serving and eat at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 643 calories, Fat 32 grams fat, SaturatedFat 19 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 81 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 54 grams sugar, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 7 grams protein, Sodium 0.5 milligram of sodium