Honey Cake with Almonds

Ingredients

• 180 g honey
• 80 g Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 80 g brown sugar
• 10 g potash (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 Organic lemon
• 80 g unpeeled almond kernels
• 300 g spelt flour (Type 630)
• 1 tbsp gingerbread spice
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 50 g candied orange peel
• 50 g candied lemon peel (sukade)
• 80 g mixed nuts (e.g., walnut, hazelnut, almond kernels)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Warm honey and 75 g butter slowly in a small pot while stirring constantly until the butter melts and blends with the honey. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

2. 2.

   Separate one egg, set aside the whites, and beat the yolk with the remaining egg and sugar in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer until frothy.

3. 3.

   Dissolve the potash in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water.

4. 4.

   Wash and dry the lemon, then finely grate about 1 tbsp of zest.

5. 5.

   Coarsely chop the unpeeled almonds in a food processor or blender.

6. 6.

   Add the almonds to the honey mixture along with the dissolved potash, lemon zest, flour, gingerbread spice, cocoa powder, candied orange peel, and candied lemon peel to the egg cream. Mix everything into a dough using the mixer’s kneading attachments.

7. 7.

   Grease a square baking pan (24x24 cm) with the remaining butter. Pour in the dough and smooth it with a rubber spatula.

8. 8.

   Mark 15 squares with a sharp knife and decorate with mixed nuts.

9. 9.

   Whisk the reserved egg whites with 1–2 tbsp water in a small bowl, then brush the dough with this mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 °C (fan: 160 °C, gas: level 2) on the middle rack for about 25 minutes. Let the honey cake cool and cut along the markings into pieces.