French Gingerbread Cake Recipe (Soft Pain d’Épices) 2026

Isabel Gaines
French Gingerbread Cake Recipe (Soft Pain d’Épices) - grandgoldman.com
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Spiced bread, originally known as pain d'épices in French, is a recipe that combines a mixture of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, anise, and pepper with rye flour and honey. This is how this traditional bread was originally made, although over time, it has been adapted by adding egg, butter, or a combination of both to the dough.

To make this recipe, we opted to add egg to the dough, as it results in a silky yet compact crumb, just as it should be in this type of bread. Furthermore, for the dough, we used a combination of rye and wheat flour to make the bread more airy without losing its essential character.

In this bread recipe, the quality of the honey is important, as it's used in a large quantity and its flavor will be noticeable in the final result. If your honey has crystallized, you can liquefy it by gently heating the jar in a double boiler, provided it's glass. This way, you can easily mix it with the egg and milk.

 

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As for the spices to use, we have opted for the usual ones in this recipe, although feel free to add any that you have on hand or that you like the most.

The spice bread improves with age, so we recommend baking it the day before you plan to serve it. Then store it in a sealed container wrapped in cling film to keep it fresh for a few more days.

We like to serve gingerbread at different times of the day: at breakfast or as a snack , although it is also ideal to serve as an appetizer accompanying a cheese board or a selection of pâtés.

 

Homemade spice breadFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

 

Recipe Information

  • Preparation time : 5 minutes
  • Cooking time : 50 minutes
  • Total time : 55 minutes (plus cooling time)
  • Servings : 12
  • Category : Pastry
  • Type of cuisine : French
  • Calories per serving (kcal) : 177

 

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Ingredients for spiced bread

  • 120g of wheat flour
  • 120g of rye flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of anise powder
  • Half a teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1 pinch of ground cloves
  • 1 pinch of ground black pepper
  • The zest of 1 orange
  • 100 ml of whole milk
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 340 g of honey

 

Necessary utensils

  • 12 x 23 cm elongated mold

Ingredients for preparing spice breadFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

 

How to make spice bread

Preheat the oven to 175°C. In a bowl, mix 120g of wheat flour, 120g of rye flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground anise, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, a pinch of ground cloves, a pinch of ground black pepper, and the zest of 1 orange.

We mix the dry ingredients with a spatulaFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

 

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In another bowl, beat 100 ml of whole milk with 2 medium eggs.

We beat the milk with the eggs in another bowlFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

We gradually add 340g of honey and mix well.

We add the honey to the milk and egg mixtureFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Add this mixture to the bowl of flours and mix just until all the ingredients are combined. Pour the mixture into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

 

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We pour the spiced bread mixture into the moldFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Bake the spiced bread for 50 minutes at 175°C (350°F) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.

We bake the spice breadFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe

We unmold the spice bread and let it cool completely on the wire rack before serving.

Spice breadFrench Gingerbread Cake Recipe | An idea of Walfos

 

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Easy-to-prepare summary

  1. We mix the wheat and rye flour with the baking soda, spices, and orange zest.
  2. On the other hand, we beat the milk with the eggs
  3. We add the honey
  4. We combine this mixture of milk, eggs, and honey with the one prepared at the beginning and mix it together.
  5. We bake the spice bread for 50 minutes at 175ºC
  6. Once baked, let the spice bread cool and serve it cut into portions.

 

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Isabel Gaines

Author

Isabel Gaines

As a former restaurant owner turned reporter, Isabel brings a unique perspective to Grand Goldman. With decades of experience, her articles on cooking and homemaking are both informative and engaging, reflecting her deep knowledge and love for all things culinary.



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