Friday 22 November 2013

Dominostein- gingerbread cubes with marzipan and apricot jam



If you love gingerbread and marzipan and you have time on your hands, why not make those delicious, little treats? Sold during Christmas in Germany and Austria are usually made with gingerbread, jelly and marzipan covered in chocolate.  I have used my delicious apricot and amaretto jam, instead of jelly but you can use any jam you like. Yum!


Ingredients:

For the gingerbread:
  • 70g honey
  • 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 35g butter
  • 1 small egg
  • 90g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp (heaped) bicarb. of soda
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
For the middle layer:
To cover:
  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

Add brown sugar, honey and butter into a small saucepan and leave over a low heat until the butter has meted and the sugar dissolved.  Set aside to cool a little.

Place flour, bicarb. of soda, cocoa powder, spices and an egg in a bowl, then add the syrup (it can be still warm) and mix until smooth and well combined.

Line a 20cm x 20cm loose based tin with baking parchment and poor in the mixture, it will be very thick and not much of it,  don't worry- it is enough.  Carefully spread the mixture over the base of the tin- try to make it as evenly as possible.  If the mixture is very sticky you can dip a spoon in water and use the back of the spoon to spread the batter.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C for about 10minutes, until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Leave to cool a little in the tin, then take it out and leave to cool completely.

When the gingerbread is cooled, cut it in half, then cut each half horizontally, to create two layers.
Spread the jam on the bottom layer, then roll out marzipan and place on top of the jam, cover with second layer of gingerbread. Do the same for both halves, then place them back in the cake tin, cover with baking parchment and press with something heavy (for example ceramic baking beans).  Leave the whole thing in the fridge over-night.

Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie, then add 1/2 tbsp of oil and stir.  Take your cake out the fridge and cut into small cubes (about 2cm x 2cm), Dip each cube in chocolate and leave on a wire rack to set.

Enjoy!

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