Lebkuchen

Nürnberger Lebkuchen (German Honey Gingerbread)

Soft, spiced German honey cakes studded with almonds and finished with a dark chocolate glaze. The traditional Nürnberg version is baked on a thin wafer (Oblaten) so the bases stay tender and never crisp.

Prep

25 min

Cook

18 min

Total

43 min

Serves

20

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz / 1 cup) honey, dark, mild flower honey; mild so it doesn't fight the spices
• •100 g (3½ oz) dark brown sugar, or muscovado
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter
• •2 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, Ceylon or cassia
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground cloves
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground allspice
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground cardamom, optional but traditional
• •ground mace or nutmeg, ½
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground ginger
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •250 g (9 oz / 2 cups + 1 tbsp) plain flour (Type 550), German Type 550 if you can; otherwise use all-purpose
• •5 g (1 tsp) baking powder, or 1 tbsp Hirschhornsalz / potash for the classic dense chew (heat to 60°C/140°F to deactivate)
• •150 g (5 oz / 1 cup) blanched almonds, finely ground; hazelnuts also traditional
• •60 g (2 oz) candied orange or lemon peel, finely minced, optional
• •1 g (1 tsp) lemon zest, from 1 unwaxed lemon
• •2 g (1 tbsp) Kirsch or rum, optional, for flavor
• •1 g (1 large) egg, room temperature
• •20 g (20 pieces) round wafer (Oblaten), about 7 cm / 2¾ in diameter; the traditional Nürnberg base
• •150 g (5 oz) dark chocolate (70%), for glazing
• •15 g (1 tbsp) neutral oil or cocoa butter, to thin the glaze

Steps

1. 1 Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Lay the wafer rounds (Oblaten) on the sheets with a little space between them; these are the traditional Nürnberg base and stop the bottoms from hardening.
2. 2 In a small saucepan, combine honey, brown sugar and butter. Warm gently over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cardamom, mace, ginger and salt. Cool to lukewarm (about 35°C / 95°F).
3. 3 In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder (or potash) and ground almonds. Stir in the candied peel, lemon zest and Kirsch if using.
4. 4 Whisk the egg into the cooled honey mixture, then pour it into the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until a thick, sticky, glossy dough forms. Cover the bowl and rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge; the dough will firm up and the flavor will deepen.
5. 5 Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan 150°C / 300°F).
6. 6 Scoop about 1 heaped tablespoon (25 g) of dough per Lebkuchen and place it on a wafer round. With wet fingertips (keep a bowl of water nearby), press the dough out to the edge of the wafer, leaving a smooth, slightly domed top. Keep the dough thin at the edges so it bakes through.
7. 7 Bake on the middle rack for 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the tray once. The Lebkuchen are done when the tops are a deep golden brown, the surface looks set and dry, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. They should still feel soft; they firm up as they cool.
8. 8 Slide the Lebkuchen on their wafers onto a rack and let them cool completely on the wafer — they are supposed to be soft and chewy, not crisp.
9. 9 Make the glaze: melt the chocolate with the oil in short bursts in the microwave or over a bain-marie, stirring until smooth. The glaze should coat the back of a spoon but still drip slowly.
10. 10 Dip the flat top of each cooled Lebkuchen into the chocolate (or spoon the glaze over them), letting the excess drip off. Place on parchment and let set at room temperature, or in the fridge for 10 minutes.
11. 11 Store in an airtight tin, layered between parchment, for at least 2 to 3 days before eating; the flavor and texture improve with resting. Keeps 3 weeks at room temperature.