December 1, 2013

48*52 Lebkuchen-Kuchen (Gingerbread Cake)

Some things or words cannot really be translated. The German "Lebkuchen" is such a thing. Gingerbread just isn't really the same thing but I guess it's what comes closest.

Since today is not only December 1st but also the 1st of advent, I wanted to bake something christmasy. But not cookies yet - I'm just not ready for them (and all the effort going into them). So this cake sounded quick, easy, and christmasy. What more could I ask for?

Lebkuchen-Kuchen (Gingerbread Cake)

400 g (3 cups plus 2 tablespoons) flour
300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
1 pack (15 g or 4 teaspoons) Lebkuchen (Gingerbread) spice 
1 pack (17 g or 4 teaspoons) baking powder
5 eggs
250 g (2.2 sticks) butter
250 ml (1 cup) water, lukewarm
  • Combine all ingredients, except for the water, and mix until combined. 
  • Add water slowly and mix until dough is smooth. 
  • Pour into prepared baking tin and bake at 180°C (360°F) for 40-50 minutes.
My modifications:
I used rice flour. Just because I wanted to try it. So my version is gluten-free.
I also cut back on the sugar and only used 200 g (1 cup) instead of 300 g (1 1/2 cups).

The taste:
Okayish. It's probably the rice flour (which I have never baked with before so I don't really know) but I just didn't like the consistency. It was very sandy, if you know what I mean. And the Lebkuchen/gingerbread taste wasn't as strong as I expected and hoped for. And it needs some kind of frosting.
I think I should just ignore all cakes or muffins that have something to do with Lebkuchen, because I was already disappointed last year...

Have you ever been disappointed by the same flavor in a different recipes?


No comments:

Post a Comment