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EveryMasala

Sweet and baking blends

Lebkuchen spice (Lebkuchengewuerz)

The German gingerbread blend of cinnamon, clove, coriander, anise and cardamom.

Lebkuchen are soft German gingerbread cakes closely tied to Nuremberg and Christmas markets. Their blend, Lebkuchengewuerz, often includes cinnamon, clove, coriander, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, anise and mace.

What goes in

Cinnamon: 38%38%Clove: 15%15%Coriander seed: 15%15%Allspice: 8%Cardamom: 8%Anise: 8%Ginger: 8%13parts

Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.

  1. Step 1: Toast Toast the coriander and anise lightly.
  2. Step 2: Grind Cool and grind them with the clove and cardamom.
  3. Step 3: Blend Mix with cinnamon, allspice and ginger.
  4. Step 4: Blend Sift the blend.
  5. Step 5: Rest Rest the finished blend for a few days in a closed jar.
  6. Step 6: Store Store in a small jar until baking season.
  7. Cinnamon: 38%38%Clove: 15%15%Coriander seed: 15%15%Allspice: 8%Cardamom: 8%Anise: 8%Ginger: 8%
    Finished Lebkuchen spice (Lebkuchengewuerz), by share.

Medieval roots

Honey cakes with spices were made by monastic and city bakers in the Middle Ages, when spices travelled to Europe along long trade routes. Nuremberg's guild of bakers helped make the cake famous.

Use

Besides lebkuchen, the blend flavours other Christmas baking in Germany, such as Printen and Spekulatius.

Where it is used

LebkuchenPrintenHoney cakeMulled wine

The spices in it

CinnamonBase.AniseSweet seed.CardamomPerfume.CloveThe dried flower bud of a tropical tree, prized for its intense warmth and numbing bite.CorianderThe leaves and dried seeds of an annual Mediterranean herb used in cuisines worldwide.AllspiceThe dried green berry of a tropical tree, named for its blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes.GingerThe pungent rhizome of a flowering plant, widely used as a spice and folk medicine.

More on EveryMasala

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Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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Every Monday: seven spices you may not know, what is cooking this week, and one blend explained step by step.