This recipe for Perník, a traditional Bohemian gingerbread infused with classic Czech spices, is baked on a sheet. The spices enrich its flavor, providing a delightful surprise with every bite.
I decorated the surface of the cake with a grid of fruit jam. The marmalade adds a juicy flavor to the cake while looking nice.
➤ The Czech word perník (pernik) translates into English as gingerbread. Perníčky (small, tiny shapes made of spiced honey dough) can be translated as gingerbread cookies.
MYT TIP: Try also this Czech makovec poppy seed cake (it tastes heavenly!)
Ingredients
To make Czech gingerbread perník slice, we need:
- All-purpose flour
- Eggs; remove them about half to an hour before baking and let them come to room temperature
- Coarse sugar
- Homemade gingerbread spice mix; anise seeds, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest - preparation described below
- Baking powder
- Oil; sunflower or rapeseed
- Milk; ideally lukewarm
- Cocoa; dark, Dutch type
- Marmalade; for the decorative grid, preferably a tangier one (e.g., currant)
Next, take some fat and a tablespoon of flour to line the baking tray. Also, a pastry or other sturdy plastic bag to pipe the marmalade grid over the gingerbread batter poured on the baking sheet.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix
Here are the ingredients you need to prepare homemade gingerbread spices:
How to make it:
- Grind anise, allspice, and cloves in a spice grinder (electric or manual). Strain the ground mixture through a coarse sieve to remove any tough spice residue.
- Add ground cinnamon.
- Wash the orange and lemon carefully and grate about a teaspoon of fresh zest from each citrus. Add this too to the mixture and stir.
➤ The gingerbread spice mix is now ready to use.
Making Gingerbread Slices
STEP 1: Grease a baking tray and dust it with flour.
STEP 2: With an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs with the coarse sugar until foamy. Be patient; it will take five minutes.
➤ TIP: Eggs that you take out of the fridge half an hour to an hour in advance and let them come to room temperature will be much easier to whip!
STEP 3: In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and cocoa.
STEP 4: Gradually add the flour, milk, and oil to the whisked eggs. Beat slowly with an electric mixer. Finally, stir in the gingerbread spice blend.
STEP 5: Pour the gingerbread batter onto the prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to level the surface.
STEP 6: Heat the marmalade in a saucepan so that it is warm but not hot. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir into a semi-liquid mixture. Fill a pastry bag with a cut-off tip (about 1/4 inch / 0.5 cm) with the marmalade mixture thus prepared. Use the bag to make a slanting grid across the surface of the pastry.
STEP 7: Bake the gingerbread in a preheated oven at 340 °F (170 °C) for 30 minutes.
Serving
Let the gingerbread cake cool down completely, and then cut it into slices of approximately 3x3 inches (7x7 cm). Serve with a good cup of coffee or tea.
Baking Sheet
I baked the gingerbread slice on a 12x14 inch (30x35 cm) baking sheet. Feel free to use a bit larger baking sheet; the resulting gingerbread won't be as tall. You may need more jam for the grid.
Useful Tips
- The gingerbread slice will puff up quite a bit on the baking sheet, but the jam grid will compress the dough, creating a nice plastic effect on the surface.
- Use a more distinctive marmalade. The marmalade gives the gingerbread cake a significant flavor boost. I mixed plum jam with currant jam.
- Warmed marmalade will be easier to pipe. If it's too stiff, thin it with a bit of water while heating. Whisk well to a smooth mixture with no clumps.
More sweet recipes:
- Coconut meringue cookies – Czech kokosky
- Plum dumplings – with poppy seeds
- Czech apple slice – hraběnčiny řezy
Recipe Card
Perník Gingerbread Slice
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Gingerbread Slice Batter:
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ Tablespoon baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder Dutch type
- ½ cup sunflower oil (or canola)
- 1 ½ cups milk lukewarm
Gingerbread Spice Mix:
- 3 pieces cloves
- 1 teaspoon aniseed
- 2 pieces allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest freshly shredded
- 1 teaspoon orange zest freshly shredded
Miscellaneous:
- 1 cup fruit jam preferably a tangier one; for the decorative grid
- ½ Tablespoon solid fat to grease the baking sheet
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour to dust the baking sheet
Instructions
Preparing gingerbread spice mix:
- Grind 1 teaspoon aniseed, 2 pieces allspice, and 3 pieces cloves using a spice grinder, either electric or manual. Sift the ground mixture through a coarse sieve to eliminate any remaining tough spice residue.
- Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Thoroughly wash the orange and lemon, then finely grate the fresh zest from each citrus. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon orange zest to the gingerbread mixture and stir well.
Making gingerbread Perník slice:
- Grease a baking dish with 1/2 Tablespoon solid fat and dust it with 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat 2 eggs with 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar until the mixture becomes foamy. Be patient; this process will take about five minutes.
- In a bowl, combine 3 cups all-purpose flour with 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder and 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, 1 1/2 cups milk, and 1/2 cup sunflower oil to the beaten eggs, mixing slowly with an electric mixer. Finally, stir in the gingerbread spice mix.
- Pour the gingerbread batter onto the prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to smooth and level the surface.
- Heat 1 cup fruit jam in a saucepan until it is warm but not hot. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir until you achieve a semi-liquid consistency. Fill a pastry bag with a ¼ inch (0.5 cm) cut-off tip with the prepared jam mixture. Use the pastry bag to create a diagonal grid pattern across the surface of the pastry.
- Bake the Perník gingerbread cake in the preheated oven
350 °F for 30 minutes.
Notes
- SERVING: Allow the gingerbread cake to cool completely, then cut it into slices approximately 3x3 inches (7x7 cm) in size. Serve with a good cup of coffee or tea.
- BAKING DISH: I baked the gingerbread on a 12x14 inch (30x35 cm) baking dish. You can use a slightly larger baking sheet if desired; the gingerbread will be thinner, and you might need more jam for the grid pattern.
- The gingerbread slice will puff up significantly on the baking sheet, but the jam grid will compress the dough, creating an attractive textured effect on the surface.
- Use a more distinctive jam for an enhanced flavor. The jam adds a significant flavor boost to the gingerbread cake. I mixed plum jam with currant jam for a unique taste.
- Warmed jam is easier to pipe. If it's too stiff, thin it with a bit of water while heating. Whisk well to create a smooth, clump-free mixture.
Soni
From the recipe itself it's felt that the result will be delicious
Petra Kupská
Oh, thank you for your lovely comment! I believe this gingerbread really tastes very good, if you decide to try it, you won't be disappointed 🙂
Michelle Baker
My son made this today, and it is sooooo delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Thank you so much for your comment, Michelle! I am delighted to hear that!
P.
Baked around 5 times now, the recipe simply works and is exactly how it's meant to be - taste and texture-wise. I use the lazy shop-bought gingerbread spice mix and always add dark chocolate topping at the end too! 🙂 Perfection, thank you.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
I am very happy to hear that the recipe is such a success. Thank you for the comment and feedback!