Polski 
A serious rival to the German lebkuchen (which you love!). This time, I’m inviting you to try Nuremberg lebkuchen – different from the ones you already know, also known as Elisenlebkuchen. The tradition of baking them dates back to the 14th century. At the time, Nuremberg was one of the major cities on Europe’s trade routes, giving it easy access to anise, ginger, almonds and other exotic goods. This was what allowed Nuremberg lebkuchen to be transported by merchants and, over time, become famous all over the world.
These lebkuchen are baked on edible wafers (Oblaten), which prevent them from sticking to the baking tray and help them stay fresh for longer. The dough consists almost entirely of nuts and dried fruit: nuts, especially almonds, candied citrus peel and a very small, almost negligible amount of flour. They are soft as soon as they come out of the oven, and the following day they practically melt in your mouth and taste even better… Once baked, you can glaze them or coat them in chocolate. And of course, don’t forget the almonds traditionally used to decorate Nuremberg lebkuchen!
Makes 20 lebkuchen, 9 cm in diameter.
Ingredients for Nuremberg lebkuchen:
- 150 g fine brown sugar
- 50 g runny honey*
- 120 g egg whites (from 3 large eggs)
- 250 g ground almonds
- 50 g chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
- 20 g plain flour
- 20 g mixed spice
- 10 g baking powder
- 50 g marzipan, grated
- 25 g candied orange peel, finely chopped
- 25 g candied lemon peel, finely chopped
Additionally:
- 20 edible baking wafers (Oblaten), 9 cm in diameter
- 60 blanched almonds, for decoration
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
In a bowl, mix the egg whites (do not whisk them first) with the honey and sugar until combined. Add the ground almonds, chopped hazelnuts, plain flour, mixed spice, baking powder, grated marzipan and candied citrus peels. Mix well until combined (you can use a mixer). The resulting dough should have the consistency of a thick paste. If the dough is too runny, add a little more ground almonds or flour; if it is too thick, add a little egg white.
Arrange the wafers on two baking trays. Place the dough on the wafers, approximately 1.2–1.5 cm thick, leaving a 1 cm border around the edge of each wafer (the lebkuchen will rise during baking and cover the entire wafer). Press 3 almonds into each lebkuchen.
Leave the trays at room temperature for 24 hours, uncovered, so that the lebkuchen can dry out.
After this time, bake at 180–190°C for approximately 12–15 minutes, until browned (do not bake for too long, otherwise the lebkuchen may become bitter). During baking, open the oven door 2 or 3 times to release the steam. The lebkuchen will be very soft when they come out of the oven. Leave them to cool slightly on the baking trays, then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cool, glaze them.
Ingredients for the icing:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 tbsp hot water
Mix the sugar with the water using the back of a spoon until smooth and runny.
*If your honey is firm rather than runny, warm it gently until liquid, then leave to cool.
Nuremberg lebkuchen can be stored for up to 3 months in an airtight container. They remain soft throughout.
Enjoy!
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