Perník (Czech Spice Cake)

Note: If you are baking this cake in the Czech Republic, you can get a spice mixture called “Prášek do perníku” (Perník powder) in every grocery store. As I live in Germany, I use either a local mixture of spices for Lebkuchen which is a bit different taste but still in the right direction, or I prepare my own mixture using ground spices as cinnamon, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, mace and anise.

Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF).

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, Perník powder, and brown sugar.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Combine ingredients in both bowls and mix until the batter is smooth. Add oil and mix again. Do not over-mix.

You can use a baking tray (25 x 39 cm) or any other baking form you like; we used a silicone rubber baking mold (25 cm in diameter). Grease the baking form with little bit of oil. Pour the batter into the baking form and bake for 45 minutes; start checking the cake after 30 minutes. Take a toothpick and insert it into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, or with only a few moist crumbs attached to it, the cake is done.

When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it stand and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake out of the pan. You can eat it plain, but I prefer to cover the Perník with chocolate.