Piernik (Polish Honey Cake) (00142)

12 oz runny honey
7 oz sugar – golden granulated is best
8 oz melted margarine
1 teacup/small mug very strong black coffee (cool)
1 lb wholemeal flour – either SF, or with 2 teasp baking powder
1 heaped teasp mixed spice
2 large eggs or 3 medium

optional – some mixed cake fruit

Beat eggs and sugar in a bowl until fluffy
Gradually beat in the cooled, melted, margarine.
Mix spices with flour and stir in alternately with coffee.
Finally stir in honey (and fruit if used).
Put into a square tin, as deep as a meat roasting tin. A 9 inch square is suitable for these quantities. Line the tin with greased foil or butter wrappers.
Bake at Gas 4 for 30 mins, then turn down to gas 3 for 20 mins, and finish at Gas 2 after that. It should be cooked after about one hour and a quarter, but test to check. Leave in tin to cool.

If you make it without fruit, it can be sliced in half and sandwiched together with powidl (plum paste, usually from Poland or Czech Republic). For Easter it would be also coated thinly with dark chocolate, but you need to have observed lent vigorously for that.