Ontbijtkoek - Dutch Spice Bread

This is very close to the Honey Cake that as a kid I’ve always eaten. My next loaf will have a little anise in it as well. I think anise will make it even more authentic,

This is a great recipe for an everyday treat. I have used this same recipe for years and it's always perfect. I use a sprayed and floured 3 X 3 X 10" pate mold to bake it......it is the perfect amount of batter for this mold. The secrets , though, are to fully preheat the oven to 300 degrees and after a full hour baking, turn off the oven, crack the door open and leave the cake to cool in the oven for at least a half hour. It will slide right out of the mold and not sink in the middle. The Dutch eat it sliced and buttered ( by itself or on a piece of buttered bread).....but it's wonderful sliced 1/2" thick and toasted, then spread with butter or cream cheese with crystalized ginger folded into it. YUMMM! Really hard to wait for it to cook and cool, it smells so wonderful.

Very close to the ontbijtkoek that I'm used to. Baking time was perfect. I used 3 tsp of mixed spice as I didn't have ground cloves. Might add more ginger next time (personal preference). Will add sultanas and nuts next time and/or chopped crystallized ginger. Thanks for posting

This is SUPER fragrant. It is a heavily spiced bread that tastes somewhat like gingerbread. Wonderful flavor. Lovely smell and tastes wonderful. I would have given five stars but had a few minor baking problems. The pan just seems too small for the amount of batter and the cooking time was off for me. It took much longer than one hour and mine fell in the middle of the bread. I was worried when I put that much batter in the pan (it was less than 1/2 inch from the top edge of the pan). Sure enough, it rose nicely but then sank later. Also, some batter spilled out over the edge and to the bottom of my oven. I will definitely make this again but will use a larger bread pan next time. With that change, and adjusted baking time, this is easily a 5+ star recipe.