Piernik is a Polish gingerbread loaf. It’s a loaf cake spiced generously with gingerbread spice mix, layered with plum jam, and topped with chocolate glaze. It’s seriously one of my favorite Polish desserts. It’s so deliciously spiced and moist. If you haven’t tried it yet, I promise – you’re in for a treat! It’s a super easy Christmas dessert, you don’t even need a mixer to make it!
Polish gingerbread cake
Piernik is a traditional Polish Christmas dessert. You could call this particular recipe a “last-minute” gingerbread cake.
The most popular and traditional Polish gingerbread cake is more time-consuming to make. The cake batter is made with a large amount of honey, seasoned generously with gingerbread spice, and left in the fridge for 5-6 weeks (!) to develop flavor, then it’s baked, layered with plum jam and marzipan, then left to soften for a couple of days. Finally, it’s glazed with chocolate ganache just before serving.
This recipe is just a simple gingerbread loaf recipe that is ready to eat right after baking!
See all our Polish Christmas recipes.
Ingredients
This recipe is similar to many gingerbread loaf recipes. It doesn’t have any molasses in it because it’s not a well-known ingredient in Poland (you won’t find it in a regular grocery store).
This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of gingerbread spice mix, this is not a typo! Yes, this loaf is really well-spiced and this is how Polish people like it. I used my homemade gingerbread spice mix but you can also use store-bought. Homemade is just more aromatic.
You can omit ground coffee if you don’t have it, it just adds another layer of flavor to the cake but you can’t taste it.
Here’s what you need to make piernik:
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C), no fan.
Add gingerbread spice mix, cinnamon, cocoa powder, honey, sugar, butter, oil, plum preserves, salt, and ground coffee into a medium/large pot.
STEP 2: Heat over low heat until all the ingredients are well-combined and hot but not boiling.
STEP 3: Add the milk, heat over low heat, whisking until all the ingredients are well-combined and warm.
STEP 4: Take the pot off the heat and add the eggs, whisk until combined.
STEP 5: Whisk in baking soda.
STEP 6: Sift the flour into the pot.
STEP 7: Whisk until just combined (don’t overmix the batter).
STEP 8: Pour the mixture into a 9×5 inch loaf pan (23×13 cm or similar) lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a cake tester/wooden skewer comes out clean.
Place the cake on a cooling rack and leave it to cool for at least 30 minutes.
STEP 9: Cut the cake horizontally with a serrated knife in half.
Spread the plum jam on the bottom half of the cake, top with the upper half.
STEP 10: Make the chocolate glaze: heat the cream until very hot and add the chopped chocolate.
STEP 11: Take the pot off the heat, stir until the chocolate is dissolved. If the chocolate is not melting, put the pot back on the burner and heat it over low heat until the chocolate is melted.
STEP 12: Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake until it’s coated on all sides. Sprinkle with chopped nuts on top. Set aside until the glaze is set.
Cut into slices and enjoy!
Storage
This cake keeps very well. Store it wrapped tightly in plastic foil for up to 3-4 days. I’m keeping it in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
It also freezes well.
More Polish desserts
- Sernik – Polish cheesecake recipe
- Chrusciki recipe (Faworki or Polish angel wings)
- Sweet cheese pierogi
- Rogaliki recipe (orange walnut rugelach)
- Fluffy sweet steamed buns with blueberry sauce (Pampuchy)
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Polish Gingerbread Loaf (Piernik)
Ingredients
for the cake batter:
- 2 tablespoons gingerbread spice mix
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons honey 60g
- 1 cup light brown sugar 200g
- 1 stick butter 115g
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons plum jam
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee optional
- 1 cup milk 240g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups (310g) flour spooned and leveled
additionally:
- 1/2-3/4 cup plum jam
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to sprinkle
chocolate glaze:
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate 115g
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C), no fan.
- Add gingerbread spice mix, cinnamon, cocoa powder, honey, sugar, butter, oil, plum preserves, salt, and ground coffee into a medium/large pot and heat over low heat until all the ingredients are well-combined and hot but not boiling.
- Add the milk, heat over low heat, whisking until all the ingredients are well-combined and warm. Take the pot off the heat and add the eggs, whisk until combined.
- Whisk in baking soda.
- Sift the flour into the pot. Whisk until just combined (don’t overmix the batter).
- Pour the mixture into a 9×5 inch loaf pan (23×13 cm or similar) lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a cake tester/wooden skewer comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack and leave it to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Finish:
- Cut the cake horizontally with a serrated knife in half.
- Spread the plum jam on the bottom half of the cake, top with the upper half.
- Make the chocolate glaze: heat the cream until very hot, add the chopped chocolate, take the pot off the heat, stir until the chocolate is dissolved. If the chocolate is not melting, put the pot back on the burner and heat it over low heat until the chocolate is melted.
- Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake until it’s coated on all sides. Sprinkle with chopped nuts on top. Set aside until the glaze is set.
- Cut into slices and enjoy!
Notes
- If you’d like it sweeter, use milk chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate for the glaze.
- If the cake has cracked on top just even out its surface slightly with a serrated knife. After glazing the cake, it won’t be noticeable.
- You can omit ground coffee if you don’t have it, it just adds another layer of flavor to the cake but you can’t taste it.
- How to measure flour: I’m using the “spoon and level method” so 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/12 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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