Gingerbread brownie: A fragrant twist to spice up your winter
The smell of gingerbread is mostly associated with December, but hardly anyone uses up an entire packet of spice mix. If you don't want it to sit until December and risk losing its flavour, only to end up in the bin, make this delicious cake. Bake it once, and you'll be repeating it every week until the end of winter.
This soft, fragrant cake with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom can be enhanced with the addition of chocolate. This type of brownie is sure to be a success for anyone. For extra flavour, you can add dried fruits soaked in liqueur or strong tea to the mixture. I've tested both versions with chopped apricots and cherries - both are excellent!
How long can you store spices?
Many people are likely to have leftover spices in their kitchen cupboards after the holidays. Cloves, cardamom, and the ever-popular cinnamon, as well as convenient mixes like gingerbread spice, cannot last indefinitely once opened. Over time, their most valuable component, the aroma, dissipates. So if you're expecting an aromatic cake a year after opening the spices, you might be bitterly disappointed. Another reason it's better to use them sooner rather than wait until spring cleaning is the risk that moths or other kitchen insects may nest in them, ultimately ending with the product in the bin.
Recipe for gingerbread brownie
An addition of dried fruits soaked in liquid (liqueur or strong tea) will make the cake even more moist and tasty.
Ingredients:
- 200g of butter,
- 100g of milk chocolate,
- 100g of white chocolate,
- 3 eggs,
- 150g of sugar,
- 100g of plain flour,
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder,
- 1 teaspoon of gingerbread spice,
- a pinch of salt,
- dried apricots or cherries (optional),
- icing sugar for dusting.
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23x23 cm baking tin with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the chopped chocolates after a moment. Set aside to cool.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat them until frothy while gradually adding the sugar. It should form a light, well-aerated cream.
- Add the sifted flour, along with the baking powder and gingerbread spice. Mix on a low speed.
- Pour the prepared gingerbread brownie batter into the tin.
- Add the drained, previously soaked fruits on top, gently pressing them in.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- After cooling, dust with icing sugar.
