I have made several attempts at gingerbread, without telling myself that I have found the recipe… But this time, I can say that I have finally made the perfect Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe!

Usually my tests were a little dry or not very tasty but this gingerbread ticks all the boxes: it is ultra soft, with a great smell and delicious, well-balanced flavors.

I’m going to give you all my tips for making your own gingerbread at home!

Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake Recipe

What spices do you need to make old fashion gingerbread?

cinnamon,
star anise,
nutmeg,
cloves,
ginger

But, you have to find the right balance of perfumes according to your tastes… I’ll give you mine just below…

What ingredients do you need to make this delicious homemade Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake Recipe?

honey, I have a real preference for chestnut honey in this recipe because it is very fragrant, goes very well with spices and provides a brown color that I particularly like
brown sugar
semi-salted butter
organic citrus zest: organic lemon and orange
spices are almost the most difficult to measure… For my part, I wanted to rediscover the flavors of childhood, of a gingerbread that we tasted at the local market… My spice balance is this: 1 g of gingerbread mix + 2 g of speculoos mix + 1 g of cinnamon + 2 star anise stars
some water
semi-wholemeal flour and rye flour
baking soda or baking powder (the first will give a very brown color to your gingerbread)
maple syrup for example, if you want to brush the top of your gingerbread. This gives it a nice shiny side but also allows it to retain its softness.

The quantities indicated in the recipes detailed below are for a small gingerbread, to make it I used a 21 x 9 x 7 cake mold.

How to store your homemade gingerbread?

First of all, it will be entirely possible to freeze it if you want to keep it longer.

If you want to eat it in the next few days, I advise you to wrap it entirely in cling film. It will thus keep all its scents and softness for several days.

I even advise you to prepare your gingerbread at least 24 hours in advance, it will only be better. Served as dessert, breakfast or snack, you will enjoy…

And if it has become too hard, you can always make breadcrumbs and put it in your desserts, on your fruit salads or clementines in syrup, or use it on toast if you know how to slice it…

What other recipe ideas might you also like?

Equipment

1 cake mold 21 x 9 x 7

Ingredients

150 g water
150 g honey (for me chestnut honey)
40 g whole sugar
100 g semi-salted butter
1 organic lemon for the zest
1 organic orange for the zest
4 g spices (1 g of gingerbread mix + 2 g of speculoos mix + 1 g of cinnamon)
2 or 3 anise stars
75 g flour
75 g rye flour
5 g baking powder or baking soda
Maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

In a saucepan, put the water, honey, sugar, butter, spices, star anise and citrus zest.
Bring everything to the boil, mix, cover and leave to infuse (turn off the heat) for 25 minutes.
In a salad bowl, put the flour and the yeast.
Pour the spicy liquid mixture by filtering it through a sieve and mix to obtain a smooth paste.
If you use baking soda and not yeast, you will need to leave the dough at room temperature for about 4 hours so that it can then rise well when baking.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Butter and flour a cake mold or line it with a sheet of baking paper.
Pour the dough inside and bake for around 35 minutes.
Check by sticking a knife into the gingerbread, it should come out clean, otherwise continue cooking for 5 minutes and check again.
Once out of the oven, let the gingerbread cool before unmolding it.
Once unmolded, wrap it in cling film until it cools.
You can also brush with maple syrup using a kitchen brush to give it a shiny appearance.

If you ever make my Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe and you like it, don’t hesitate to tag me on Instagram @tangerinezest so I can see the result and share it myself…

Finally, just to let you know I am French and I translate my recipes, be indulgent if you see syntax errors and do not hesitate to leave me a comment so I can correct it. I hope you will like my recipes and enjoy your visit to my food blog!

Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake Recipe