Gingerbread from Saarland

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 125 g forest honey
• 125 g beet syrup (Fenner Harz)*
• 250 g sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 500 g flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pack of gingerbread spice
• 2 packets of baking powder
• ¼ tsp ammonium bicarbonate
• 250 ml milk
• Block chocolate
• Almond(s), halved

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

A Christmas breakfast cake – light and moist

* In Saarland, sugar beet syrup such as Grafschafter Goldsaft is sold under the traditional name “Fenner Harz.” Separate the eggs. Melt the honey, sugar beet syrup, and sugar either on the stovetop or in the microwave. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. The mixture should be just warm, not hot. Then stir in the four egg yolks. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, gingerbread spice, baking powder, and ammonium chloride. Then stir the flour mixture alternately with the milk into the honey mixture. You should end up with a thick, homogeneous batter. (Since beaten egg whites will be folded in later, the mixing bowl should not be too small.) Grease the baking pans well. The batter is generously large enough for a standard drip tray. However, I like to use different shapes, such as ovenproof dessert bowls or different-sized casserole dishes, to create different cakes that are ideal for individual gifts. Preheat the oven to 175°C (top and bottom heat). Beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form and carefully fold them into the batter. Either spread the batter on the baking sheet or pour into the baking tins. Caution: The batter will rise quite high! Therefore, only fill the baking tins about halfway. The baking time, of course, varies depending on the tin. After about 30 minutes, I regularly do the skewer test: pierce the batter with a wooden skewer or toothpick – if no batter sticks to it, it’s done baking. Let the cakes cool slightly and then turn them out of the tin. While the gingerbread is still warm, cover it with melted chocolate if desired and decorate with halved almonds. The chocolate prevents the cakes from drying out too quickly and keeps them fresh and moist for up to 3 weeks after baking. Since the gingerbread is baked entirely without fat, we like to eat it spread with butter like a breakfast cake.