The spirit of the holidays come alive in this delicious and moist gingerbread cake.  Toasted almonds, candied citrus, and rum soaked currents mingle with Lebkuchengewürz (German gingerbread spice) to make a most memorable combination of flavors.  Topped with a lemon zest frosting, this cake is truly full of the essence of an old world Christmas.

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Old World Gingerbread Cake

The spirit of the holidays come alive in this delicious and moist gingerbread cake.  Toasted almonds, candied citrus, and rum soaked currents mingle with Lebkuchengewürz (German gingerbread spice) to make a most memorable combination of flavors.  Topped with a lemon zest frosting, this cake is truly full of the essence of an old world Christmas.

Course Cakes, Dessert

Cuisine German

Keyword cake, Gingerbread Cake, Holiday baking

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 slices

Author Christoph

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake

• ½ cup dried currants
• 3 Tablespoon spiced rum optional
• ½ cup toasted almonds finely chopped
• ½ cup candied orange & lemon peel
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Lebkuchengewürz*** is a German gingerbread spice that can be purchased on Amazon or make your own.
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter soften
• 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ½ cup dark molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ cup buttermilk

Lebkuchengewürz***

• 2 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground green cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground star anise
• ¼ teaspoon ground mace
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Lemon Zest Frosting

• 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup meringue powder
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 – 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Gingerbread Cake

• Position shelf in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan and line with parchment leaving the side to hang over the edge of the pan.
• Toss currants together with rum in a small bowl and set aside to hydrate while you prepare the batter.
• Place the almonds in a dry skillet over medium high heat to toast, when cool pulse them in a food processor until finely ground (do not process into almond butter) and set aside. Pulse the Citron until finely ground and set aside.
• Sift together flour with baking soda, salt, and spices.
• In a large mixing bowl cream together brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add molasses mix until well combined. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and extract. Add to butter mixture and beat until completely incorporated.
• Add about half of the dry ingredients to the wet along with half the buttermilk and mix until combined. Repeat with the balance of the flour and butter milk. Fold in the almonds, citron, and currants (including any remaining rum).
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool for 5 minutes. Lift cake out of the pan using the parchment paper handles and allow to completely cool before frosting.

Lebkuchengewürz***

• Combine all the spices together and store in an airtight container for up to a year.
• For the best tasting blend use whole spices and toast them lightly in a dry skillet to enhance their flavors before grinding. Take care not to burn the spices when toasting as they can become bitter.

Lemon Zest Frosting

• Combine powdered sugar, meringue powder and lemons zest in a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice a little at a time mixing well after each addition until the frosting is a nice thick yet spreadable consistency. Spread over the top of the completely cooled cake. Decorate with cinnamon sticks and citron if desired.

Notes

Brandy can be used in place of Rum if you prefer or alcohol can be omitted completely.