HASSELTSE SPECULAAS

Makes 14-22 speculaas

Peperkoek and speculaas are the Low Countries’ gingerbread. They exist in three main styles: the kind that is printed with a carved wooden mould, the free-form kind that requires no tool per se, and the cake that is baked into loaves (either free-form or in a wooden frame; now usually metal).

Hasseltse speculaas is a free-form soft speculaas with mild flavour that comes from the town of Hasselt. What is distinctive about this speculaas is that it has tears in its surface created by the bicarbonate of soda. It isn’t a Hasseltse speculaas without it and you can only obtain the right kind of cracks by resting the dough. There are many stories about the origin of this speculaas, none of them true and none of them spectacular.

Ingredients

325g dark brown sugar

175g unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

10g ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves or allspice

A pinch of sea salt

500g white rye or plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

50ml full-fat milk

Method

Whisk the sugar and butter in a bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, until creamy, then add the egg, spices and salt and mix until well absorbed. Combine the flour and the bicarbonate of soda and add them scoop by scoop until the mixture is well blended.

Knead until you get a smooth dough, cover and set aside to rest in a cool place for at least 24 hours and up to 1 week. You can bake your speculaas immediately too, but you will not get the characteristic cracks in the finished cake.

Preheat the oven to 230C. Do not use the fan setting.

Measure chunks of 50g and roll them into balls (for 22 pieces) or you can make bigger ones if you prefer. Flatten the balls slightly into an oval and place them, with ample space left between, on a baking tray lined with baking paper, as they will flatten out as they bake. You will either need more than one tray, or you can keep part of the dough for the next day.

Bake for 15-18 mins until slightly darker around the edges, then leave them on a wire rack to cool. When cooled, store in an airtight container.

Stale speculaas can be used in stews or as a crumble.

Recipe from Dark Rye and Honey Cake by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books)