This authentic German Lebkuchen Cake comes together in less than an hour and will make your kitchen smell of cinnamon, cardamom, and everything Christmassy and nice. This is not like American gingerbread - it's a German Gingerbread Cake, also known as Gewürzkuchen, a simple sheet cake made with ground almonds (affiliate link) and unique lebkuchen spice. It's so moist and delicious that every bite tastes like a German Christmas!

German gingerbread cake decorated with almonds on a chopping board that is set on a white backgorund

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What makes Gewürzkuchen different?
How to make it
Recipe Variations
How to serve
Storage Instructions
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Recipe

What makes Gewürzkuchen different?

This gingerbread cake is often called Gewürzkuchen in German. Gewürz is the German word for "spices". You pronounce Gewürzkuchen as GE-VUR-TS-KOO-KEN.

Another name for this cake is Lebkuchen cake. Lebkuchen is the German word for gingerbread and it appears in a range of different cakes and cookies in Germany. The characteristic of these cakes is that they are flavored with a strong spice mixture, called Lebkuchengewürz.

This Lebkuchen cake is made of simple sponge batter, flavored with a Lebkuchen spice mix, and topped with a thin layer of chocolate. The Lebkuchen spice mixes contain cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cardamom, ginger, anise, and allspice. See here my recipe for homemade Lebkuchen spice.

This German spice cake is typically eaten in winter around Christmas time. It is a lot moister than the typical German Lebkuchen and has a lighter texture. It is a simple chocolate gingerbread cake that is not overly sweet but full of flavor.

Gewürzkuchen on a chopping board which sits on a red tea towel. Christmas decorations are surrounding it and you can see a jar of gingerbread spice

How to make it

Ingredients:

4 medium eggs
230 g caster sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link)
150 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
350 g flour (Germany type 405, UK Plain flour, USA Pastry Flour)
2 teaspoon baking powder (affiliate link)
1 pinch of salt
30 g unsweetened cocoa (affiliate link)
250 ml milk
150 g ground almonds (affiliate link)
4 teaspoons gingerbread spice. For the most authentic flavour I recommend our homemade lebkuchen spice

For the glaze and decoration

150 g dark chocolate glaze
50 g whole almonds

Recipe Steps:

Preheat your oven to 180°C or 356°F top to bottom heat.
Line a baking tray (30 x 40 cm / 12 x 17 inches) (affiliate link) with baking parchment and grease the edges with butter.
Using a handmixer or stand mixer combine the eggs with the sugar, vanilla sugar, butter and mix until creamy. (This should take about 5 minutes)
Combine the flour, baking powder (affiliate link) and cocoa in a bowl. Using a flour sieve, sieve the flour mixture into the dough. This will make your gingerbread cake light and fluffy, as it adds air to the dough. Pour in the milk and add the salt, lebkuchen spice / gingerbread spice and ground almonds (affiliate link). Mix until you achieve a smooth dough.

Pour or spread the dough with a pallet knife into the prepared baking tray. Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes. The exact baking time varies by oven. To check if the dough is done, use a stewer to prick the cake in the middle. If it comes out clean, it is done.
Leave to cool completely before decorating.
In the meantime, place a some water (500 ml/ 16 fl oz) in a saucepan and add the raw almonds. Bring the water to boil and cook the almonds for around 2 minutes before removing them with a sieve. Rinse in cold water. The skin of the almonds should now simply slip off.
Melt the dark chocolate glaze in a water bath. Pour the melted chocolate over the cooled cake, and spread evenly with a pallet knife.
Before the glaze hardens, place the almonds in an X formation on the dark chocolate (see image). Leave to cool. Once the cake is cooled you can slice the cakes into rectangles or squares.

Lebkuchen Cake Recipe Steps Collage of 4 images. 1. Almonds being boiled in water. 2. almonds being skinned. 3. chocolate glaze is being melted in a waterbath. 4. Decorated Gingerbread Cake slices

Recipe Variations

Instead of baking this cake in a sheet try, you can use a loaf form. You will need to bake the cake for longer, approx an hour.
Replace the ground almonds (affiliate link) with ground hazelnuts (affiliate link) if you wish
To make the cake extra chocolaty, you can add 100 g of dark chocolate drops into the dough.
Instead of the dark chocolate glaze you can also prepare a lebkuchen icing. Here you used 150 g icing /confectioners sugar (sieved), 1 teaspoon Lebkuchen spice and 5 tablespoons of milk. Mix together and you will get a lovely white glaze.
Decorate the cake with festive sugar sprinkles instead of the almonds. The almonds are the more traditional way of decorating them.

German Gingerbread Cake on a plate In the background there are more slices on a cake stand t hat sits on a red twel

How to serve

This cake is served in Germany in the afternoon with a cup of tea or coffee and orange juice for the children. I have seen some people have whipped cream to go with the cake, but this is just optional.

Storage Instructions

This cake will stay good for up to three days. Store in the fridge, or at room temperature, in an airtight container. So it is suitable for preparing ahead. At least a day in advance, and your guests will still enjoy this moist pound cake.

This German gingerbread cake is perfect for freezing. In an airtight container, it will last up to three months.

Easy German Lebkuchen Cake (Gewürzkuchen)

What makes Gewürzkuchen different?