Nuremberg Lebkuchen
A starry December night, the roofs of the houses covered by the snow, the Christmas's songs from the Christkindlesmarkt, one cup of Glühwein in one hand and a Lebkuchen in the other one. This is how Lebkuchen like to show its romantic side :)
The name "Lebkuchen" comes maybe from the old German word "lebbe" (very sweet) and therefore means "sweet cake" or from the Latin word "libum" (flatbread). Originally, the Lebkuchen was made as a honey cake in monasteries, since honey was a by-product of church candle production. Commercial production began in the 13 th or 14 th century and had existed in Nuremberg since 1643. Honey, an important ingredient for Lebkuchen production, was the only sweet in the Middle Ages that was available in large quantities.
Modern recipe uses sugar instead.
RECIPE FOR NUREMBERG LEBKUCHEN:
Ingredients for about 120 pieces with a diameter of 5 cm each.
For the dough:
- 470 g sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- 480 g hazelnuts (one half coarse and one half finely ground)
- 50 g coarsely chopped walnuts
- 100 g finely chopped orange peel
- 100 g finely chopped lemon peel
- grated zest of one untreated lemon and one orange
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger tuber in syrup
- 1 teaspoon each of ground spices: cinnamon, clove, allspice, coriander, mace, cardamom, nutmeg
- 2 packets of baking wafers (5 cm diameter)
For different glazes:
- Punch glaze : 130 g powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons rum, 2 tablespoons red wine.
- Chocolate icing : 20 g dark or whole milk couverture.
For decoration:
- Different nuts and candied fruits.
PREPARATION:
Mix the sugar, eggs and vanilla sugar with the help of an electric hand mixer until the mixture has doubled and the sugar has dissolved. Then mix in the nuts, orange peel, lemon peel, lemon and orange peel, ginger and spices. Cover and leave to rest in a cool place for 24 hours.
The next day, with wet hands, shape small balls about 15 g in weight from the Lebkuchen mixture and place them on the wafers so that a three to five millimeter wide margin remains free. Place the wafers on a baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° C for 12 to 15 minutes until surface light brown. The well-risen Lebkuchen must not be completely cooked on the inside because it should still draw in and stay soft. Let the finished Lebkuchen cool on a rack. Set aside a third of the Lebkuchen; they remain “natural”, that is, without glaze.
For the punch glaze, stir the sifted powdered sugar with rum and red wine until smooth. Dip another third of the Lebkuchen individually with the upper side (not the wafers) in the punch glaze. For the chocolate glaze, melt and temper the couverture and dip the remaining third of the Lebkuchen in with the upper side.
Let the glazed Lebkuchen dry side by side on a rack. As long as the glazes are still soft, they can be decorated with nuts and candied fruits. Store the finished Lebkuchen in a tin can. Cover the pastry with a piece of parchment paper and place a few apple peels on top. This keeps the Elisen Lebkuchen soft and juicy. After about ten days, Lebkuchen cookies are optimal and can be eaten :)
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