Piernik (Polish gingerbread) Recipe

Preheat your oven to 160 °C (140 °C fan/gas 3). Grease and line the base and sides of a deep 20 cm cake tin with baking parchment.

In a medium saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and butter. Cook this mixture over medium heat until everything is fully melted and smooth. Remove it from the heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour and all the ground spices.

Once the melted honey-sugar-butter mixture has cooled, whisk in the eggs. Pour these wet ingredients over the dry flour and spices, whisking them together until you have a smooth batter. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a dry cake.

Pour the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 50–55 minutes, or until the cake is risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cake is completely cool, use a large serrated knife to carefully slice it into 3 layers. Spread the plum jam evenly across the two bottom cake layers, then reassemble the cake. Set it aside while you prepare the glaze.

In a medium pan, combine the double cream, dark chocolate, and honey. Cook this over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted and you have a smooth, pourable mixture. Place the cake on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined baking tray, then pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring it's completely covered. Use a fish slice to carefully transfer the glazed cake to a serving plate and allow the glaze to set.

If you like, dust with a little edible gold powder for decoration. Uniced, this cake will keep for up to 5 days. Once iced, store it in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days; for the best texture, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature before serving.