MP3 Player Gingerbread

It's up to you.

14 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Prepare the mold and preheat

   Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 160 °C, conventional oven setting (no fan). Line the cake mould with 24 cm of baking paper, allowing two tabs to protrude to make it easier to unmould. Fold the paper into the corners so that it marries the mold: this line allows you to use the 50 g of butter from the list entirely in the dough, without additional butter.

2. Weighing the ingredients separately

   Weigh 250 g of flour in a large bowl. Prepare besides 10 g of baking powder, 6 g of four-spice mixture and a pinch of salt. Measure 150 ml of milk in a graduated glass; weighs 200 g of honey, 80 g of brown sugar and 50 g of butter. The chocolates are reserved for the cold cake decor, the next day.

3. Melt the mixture with honey

   Pour milk, honey and brown sugar into a saucepan. Add the butter cut into cubes and heat on low heat, stirring with a spatula, without boiling. Stop as soon as the butter is melted and you no longer feel large grains of sugar under the spatula. Scrape the bottom and corners of the pan so that the honey does not stay glued.

4. Let cool and prepare the egg

   Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid must return to the thermometer under 40 ° C: it must no longer be warm when in contact with the clean finger. Break the egg in a small bowl, remove any piece of shell, then beat it with a fork for 20 to 30 seconds to mix white and yolks. Do not pour the egg into the still-burning mixture, as it would begin to cook.

5. Mix the dry ingredients and then the liquids

   Add the baking powder, spices and salt to the 250 g of flour and then whisk dry in the bowl for 30 seconds to distribute them well. Pour the beaten egg into the fluid and tweezer for 20 seconds. Dig a hollow in the middle of the dry ingredients with the spoon: you will pour the liquids gradually to limit the lumps.

6. Form the dough without working it too much

   Pour about a third of the liquid into the trough. Mix with the whisk in small circles in the center, then add the rest in two by widening the circles towards the edges. Finish with the spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Stop as soon as there is no more dry flour; the dough should fall into a thick ribbon, and not be whipped for several minutes.

7. Filling the mold

   Pour the dough into the pan by scraping the bowl with the spatula. Spread gently to fill the corners and evens the top with the back of a spoon. Tap the mould once or twice on the worktop to remove very large bubbles. Place it on the oven rack and close the door without shaking it.

8. Cook and check the center

   Cook for 45 to 55 minutes at 160°C. From 45 minutes, push a skewer into the thickest part: it must come out without liquid paste, with possibly a few crumbs. If the top browns too much before the center is cooked, put a sheet of baking paper on it without pushing it down and continue in 5-minute increments.

9. Unmould and leave to satiate overnight

   Remove the mold with oven gloves and place it on a heat-resistant surface. Wait 15 minutes and then lift the cake using the paper and let it cool on a rack, about 2 hours. When it is completely cold, remove the paper and pack it. Keep it overnight at cool room temperature: the crumb will be easier to cut and the taste of spices better distributed.

10. Equalize the MP3 player

    The next day, place the unpacked cake on a board. Using the bread knife, remove the top bump in small saw movements to get a flat face. Round the four corners slightly, without digging the sides: keeps a low rectangle of about 24 x 10 cm and 5 cm high depending on the mold. Put the offcuts aside to serve them with the cake.

11. Only napping the top

    Chop 140 g of white chocolate with a knife and put it in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Place the bowl on a saucepan containing 2 cm of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently with the spatula and remove the bowl as soon as the pieces are almost melted; continue to stir off the heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl before moving it: no drop of water should enter the chocolate. Place the cake on its serving dish. Place the white chocolate in small spoonfuls at the center of the top and spread with the spatula towards the edges, in a thin layer of about 2 mm. Stop before the sides to leave the brown crumb visible. Keep the excess in the bowl rather than pouring a thick layer on the flanks.

12. Let the screen catch and spot

    Let the napping take 30 to 45 minutes in a cool room. Check that it no longer marks on contact with a clean finger before drawing. Find a 7 x 4 cm screen in the upper third of the rectangle and a 5 cm wheel in the lower third. Leave a white space between the two elements so that they remain recognizable.

13. Draw the screen and the wheel

    Chop 35 g of dark chocolate with a knife and put it in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Place the bowl on a saucepan containing 2 cm of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently with the spatula and remove the bowl as soon as the pieces are almost melted; continue to stir off the heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl before moving it: no drop of water should enter the chocolate. Pour the chocolate into a small baking paper cone or piping bag, fold the top and cut an opening of 1 to 2 mm. Test on a piece of paper: the chocolate should flow with gentle pressure, without running on its own. Hold the tip a few millimetres above the surface and guide it with your hand, without dragging the decoration. Draws the contour of the screen, then fills it up by bringing the lines closer together and gently equalizes with the tip of a small spoon. Then draw a black circle 5 cm wide for the wheel, keeping its center white. Do not add tiny inscriptions; these two forms are enough to evoke the reader.

14. Wait before cutting

    Let the decor freeze for 30 minutes flat before cutting slices. Presents the offcuts in a small plate next to the drive. Pick up the chocolate left in the bowls on a paper and let it harden for later use: a regular thin layer is better than a too thick top that would break when cut.