Soft and luxurious, yet surprisingly light, this cake tastes like a northern European Christmas. It makes me want to curl up by the roaring fire, knitting project in hand, a tall glass of cold milk and a piece of this cake on the side table. Made with dates and honey, it’s free of refined sugars and full of spices. The buckwheat and almonds add a nutty flavour, which pairs beautifully with the dark chocolate. I imagine this is much closer to the original gingerbreads that the Franconian monks made with their home-grown honey and cherished spices, bringing together therapeutic ingredients in a bread that would last a long time. – Maria
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced). Line the base and side of a 25 cm round springform tin.
Process the dates in a food processor for only a few seconds on high speed, until they are broken down into very small pieces, but not yet turning into a paste. Set aside.
Using electric beaters, cream the butter and honey in a large bowl, about 1½ minutes. Be careful to not over-cream as the mixture can split. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dates and beat in briefly.
In a separate bowl, combine the almonds, flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices, vanilla, zests and chocolate. Add a few heaped tablespoons of the dry mix to the butter mix and fold it in. Add a dash of milk to the butter mix and fold in. Continue alternating between the two, finishing with dry mix. Transfer the batter to the tin and smooth out the top.
Place the pistachios on a clean tea towel, then fold the tea towel over to cover them. Using the base of a jar or something similar, crush the pistachios until you have a mixture of small and large pieces, but not too small. Sprinkle the pistachios over the top of the cake batter.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin before turning out onto a serving plate. Store in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 10 days.
To make the ganache, heat the thickened cream and pour it over the dark chocolate, broken into small pieces. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then pour over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with chopped roasted pistachios.
