Drum Machine Gingerbread

It's up to you.

13 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Preparing the mould and weighing

   Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and set it to 160°C in conventional oven setting (no fan). Line the bottom and walls of a 24-cm cake pan with baking paper, letting two strips pass for demoulding; the paper avoids adding butter off the list. Weigh the ingredients of the dough separately and keep those of the decor aside for the next day.

2. Melt honey with milk

   Pour the 150 ml of milk into a small saucepan, then add the 200 g of honey, the 80 g of brown sugar and the 50 g of butter cut into small pieces. Heat over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes by stirring with a spatula, scraping the bottom as well. Cut the heat as soon as the butter is melted and the mixture is homogeneous: it is not necessary to boil it.

3. Tie before adding the egg

   Pour the contents of the saucepan into a bowl so that it cools down faster. Wait for it to be below 40°C, either warm and not hot; use a thermometer if you have one. Break the egg in a small bowl, check that it does not contain a shell and beat it with a fork for 15 seconds. Pour it into the warm mixture, whisking for 30 seconds, until the egg filaments disappear.

4. Spread the baking powder in the flour

   In a second bowl, pour the 250 g of flour, the 10 g of baking powder, the 6 g of sweet four-spice and the pinch of salt. Mix these dry ingredients with a whisk for 20 seconds, going all the way to the bottom. This step avoids clumps of baking powder and overly spicy bites; if you see lumps of flour, crush them before adding the liquid.

5. Form the dough without working it for too long

   Dig a hollow in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour about a third of the liquid mixture. Slowly whipped from the center to the edges, then add the rest twice. Finish with the spatula scraping the walls and bottom; stop as soon as there is no more dry flour. The dough should be thick but flowing, without trying to lather it.

6. Fill and Bake

   Pour all the dough into the prepared pan and scrape the bowl with the spatula. Smooth the top, then very gently tap the bottom of the mold twice on a folded cloth to chase big bubbles. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Do not open the door for the first 35 minutes to let the cake set up.

7. Recognizing the end of cooking

   From 45 minutes, stick a skewer in the middle of the cake, to its thickest part. It can carry a few wet crumbs, but no liquid paste; if it comes out coated, extend by 5 minutes and check again. If the top colours too quickly, cover it with baking paper secured by the edges of the tin, keeping the paper clear of the heating element.

8. Unmould without breaking the cake

   Remove the mould with oven gloves and leave it on a heat-resistant surface for 15 minutes. Then lift the cake using the strips of paper and place it on a wire rack. Gently spread the paper from the sides to let the steam escape. Wait at least 1 hour, and more if the center is still warm, before packing it.

9. Let it rest until the next day

   Once the cake is completely cold, wrap it in baking paper and then in a tightly closed box. Let it sit for about 12 hours at room temperature, in a cool, dry place. This rest makes the cut sharper and allows the aromas to spread. Prepare the decor on a cold cake: a support still hot would pour the chocolate on the sides.

10. Equalize the top without reshaping the shape

    The next day, place the cold cake on a board and hold it gently with one hand. With a bread knife, saw only the top bump in small horizontal movements to get a flat surface; keeps a height of about 6 cm. Put the offcuts in a small plate to serve them next to. The cake retains its long shape and bare flanks.

11. Prepare the six buttons

    Chop 80 g of dark chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan containing a little hot water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Melt over a very low heat, stirring. Remove the bowl when the chocolate has almost melted and stir off the heat until smooth. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Take 30 g of melted chocolate to form six discs about 2 cm in diameter on baking paper, with a small spoon. Keep the remaining 50 g in the bowl; let the discs firm up for 20 minutes flat, without peeling them off too soon.

12. Only scratch the top and draw the lines

    Spread the 50 g of dark chocolate reserved on the top of the cake with the back of a spoon, stopping a few millimeters from the edge to leave the sides visible. Melt the 40 g of white chocolate separately at low heat, then pour them into a cornet. Draw three parallel lines thick in length, on one half of the top; use the rest of the white for small sticking points of the buttons.

13. Install the buttons and their pieces of orange

    Delicately detach the six cold black discs by removing the paper under them. Lay them in a flat row on the free half of the top, fixing them with a small drop of white chocolate. Cut the 20 g of candied orange into six large dice or small groups and fix a group on each disc with a drop of white. Let it take 30 minutes before cutting; serve any chocolate leftovers and offcuts next to it.