Piernik is a traditional Polish gingerbread loaf cake that is often baked as a Christmas dessert. The moist cake gets its deep flavor from a generous amount of honey and spices (there's no molasses at all). It's filled with layers of marzipan paste and Damson plum jam and glazed with a rich chocolate ganache. Finished with chopped pecans and crystallized ginger, this cake makes a spectacular addition to any holiday table.
Line a 4 x 9 inch Pullman pan (or standard loaf pan) with parchment paper and include an overhang to allow for easy removal after baking. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (177° Celsius, Gas mark 4). Place rack in center of oven.
To a 3 quart (2.8 liter) saucepan, add butter, olive oil, sugar, honey, spices, cocoa powder and espresso powder Melt over low heat, whisking frequently. Do not boil. Remove from heat once butter is fully melted.
When mixture is lukewarm to the touch (not hot), add milk and vanilla. Whisk to incorporate.
250 mL (1 cup) whole milk, 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Add eggs and whisk to combine.
2 large eggs
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into batter. Whisk well to fully incorporate flour. Don't worry about making the batter perfectly smooth; there may be small lumps. Just make sure there are no flour pockets remaining.
180 grams (1½ cups) all purpose flour, 90 grams (¾ cup) rye flour, 1 Teaspoon baking soda, 1 Teaspoon baking powder, ¾ Teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch and a toothpick has just a few crumbs attached, but no gooey batter. Cool on a baking rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan to finish cooling.
Cake Filling (Marzipan)
To the bowl of a food processor, add the almond flour and powdered sugar. Pulse briefly until combined. Add almond extract and rose water. Pulse again about 8-10 times. Add egg white, and process until mixture comes together in a ball. Divide the marzipan into two halves. Seal and refrigerate or freeze one half (you only need half for this recipe). Leave the other portion covered with plastic wrap at room temperature.
168 grams (1½ cups) almond flour, 180 grams (1½ cups) powdered sugar, 1½ teaspoons almond extract, 1 teaspoon rose water, 1 large egg white
Cake Assembly
Once fully cooled, trim the cake. If desired, cut the rounded top off so that a brick-shaped rectangle remains. (Feel free to keep it in an untrimmed loaf shape without trimming the rounded top. The trimmed rectangular shape is simply for looks. Leaving it whole means more cake and less work!)
Trim the cake into 3 even layers. I like to score the outside edges with a long serrated knife and then follow the score-marks to cut through the middle of the cake.
Roll the marzipan into a rectangle shape between two sheets of parchment paper until approximately ½ inch thick. Use a knife to push it into the size that matches the dimensions of the trimmed cake. Place the bottom layer of cake onto a baking rack (if glazing the cake; if not, place on serving platter.) Place the marzipan rectangle on top of the first layer of cake.
Place the second layer of cake on top of the marzipan layer. Cover the second layer of cake with a generous layer of plum jam, extending it out nearly to the edges. Place the last layer of cake on top. Line up the layers so that the cake is straight. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to chill briefly.
160 grams (½ cup) plum jam
Honey Chocolate Ganache
In a microwave safe container or small (1 quart) saucepan, heat cream and honey until almost simmering. Remove from heat and add finely chopped dark chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, and then gently and slowly whisk (to avoid incorporating bubbles) until all chocolate has melted and no lumps remain. Let cool until whisk begins to leave trails in chocolate.
250 mL (1 cup) heavy cream, 63 grams (3 Tablespoons) honey, 140 grams (5 ounces) dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used a 72% chocolate bar)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the baking rack with the cake on top of the baking sheet. Starting in the middle of the cake, pour the chocolate ganache over the cake. Move the pan as needed to to cover the entire top and sides of the cake with ganache. Use a large metal turner / metal spatula to carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. Slide the spatula out slowly, without lifting, to avoid marring the glaze.
While glaze is still soft, sprinkle chopped pecans onto the entire top surface. Stud the top with small bits of candied ginger. If being served more than a few hours later, store in refrigerator. Remove cake from refrigerator 2 hours before serving, and serve at room temperature for best flavor and texture.
If using a standard loaf pan, there's no need to trim the long sides of the loaf to make a perfect rectangle. After trimming the top, slice the layers as written and stack them with the widest at the base and the narrowest at the top so that the cake forms a subtle pyramid shape. This will allow the glaze to run down the sides of the cake.Marzipan note: this recipe makes double the amount of marzipan needed. It's easiest to make the larger amount because it's challenging to split an egg white. If you prefer to make a half batch, simply beat the egg white lightly and measure out half the quantity. A single large egg white weighs 30 grams, so you would need 15 grams for a half recipe.Recipe adapted from Wellington Bake House.