Christmas Calendar 2016 - Gingerbread cake with liquorice twist

Another great cake for some Christmas afternoon tea full of the many fantastic Christmas spices with a touch of liquorice (it is only at touch, so my friends in Horsens could relax reading this blog post).

I found this recipe in the magazine Isabella (issue 6/2016). I have made a few modifications, as I would not find all the needed ingredients in my local supermarket, and I did not want to spend another 1 hour going to a second supermarket to see, if they had the mentioned ingredients in the original recipe.

I found it quiet intriguing, that the recipe contains both baking soda and baking powder, so I talk with one of my colleague at work, who is baker, for what reason two types of baking powder was used. The use of baking soda is used as baking powder, when used in recipes with buttermilk, which is not the case here.
However, baking soda also gives a more dark colour in chocolate cake, so the amount of cocoa powder can be reduced. And this cake, where is used plenty of brown spices and sugar, so I think the baking soda in this cake is used to give a more dark colour in the final cake.

Gingerbread cake with liquorice twist: - 2 smaller cakes

• 1,75 dl water
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 260g (cake) wheat flour
• 2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of liquorice powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 110 g butter - soft
• 90 g sugar
• 100 g dark syrup
• 50 g liquorice syrup
• 2 eggs

1. Heat up the oven to 180'C.
2. Bring the water to boil, pour into a glass and add the baking soda into the glass.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, liquorice powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.
4. Add butter and sugar into a second mixing bowl, where it is whipped into a airy mass.
5. Add the syrups and water-baking soda into the butter-sugar mass, while the whipping is continued.
6. Afterwards add in the flour and spice mix into the dough, and whip add.
7. Finally add in the egg, and whip again.
8. Pour the cake dough into 2 small or 1 big form.
9. Bake the cake at 180'C for 30-40 minutes.
10. Check with a pin, that the cake is baked, prior to removing it from the oven.
11. Let the cake cold down, before you slice it.
12. Enjoy a slice of cake together with a nice cup of tea.