Pain D’Epices is the French version of gingerbread: flavored with honey, orange, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. This spice cake is incredibly moist, chewy and flavorful. Topped with cream cheese frosting for some extra fun! Bonus point? It gets even more flavorful on day 2, making it the perfect make-ahead Holiday cake!
Pain DEpices (French Spice Cake)
Hey guys! Today I’m sharing with you this Pain DEpices recipe, also known as French Spice Cake or Spice Bread. It’s pretty much the French take on gingerbread so it’s a holiday thang.
What does it taste like? Imagine a mix of honey, orange, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg packed in an incredibly moist and chewy cake. Ah yes, if you love chewy, you’re gonna *love* this cake!
I topped it with a creamy and tangy 2-ingredient cream cheese frosting which is not a very French thing to do as they would usually just bake it in a loaf pan and slice it but I wanted to make it extra cute for Christmas!
Wanna know the best thing about this cake? It gets even more flavorful on day 2 or 3 so it’s a great make-ahead Holiday cake!
Ingredients
- Honey. Use good quality honey because this is where most of the flavor is coming from!
- Orange jam. Again, I recommend using a good quality brand to get the best flavor! I also recommend picking one that has some candied orange bits in it for some extra fun! Check out the slice picture down below and you’ll see some candied orange peel peaking through! So good!
- Flour. Use all-purpose flour for this recipe!
- Baking powder. To make it rise!
- Milk. Room temperature milk. I tested this recipe with both cow and soy milk and both work so I recommend using one of the two.
- Oil. Stick to a neutral oil like vegetable, sunflower, or canola.
- Cinnamon.
- Ginger.
- Nutmeg.
- Cloves.
- Salt. For extra flavor and balance.
- For frosting and decorating (optional): cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, wafer cookies (like Loacker wafers), rosemary, cinnamon sticks, shredded coconut.
How to make pain d epices
- Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the honey and orange jam. If your honey isn’t liquid melt it until liquid (but do not allow it to boil) and then add in the jam and stir until combined.
- Sift the flour and baking powder and salt into the honey mixture.
- Add the milk, oil, and spices and mix until just combined.
- Bake. Pour into your prepared pan and bake until brown on top. To test for doneness, poke the center of the cake with a toothpick, if it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, it’s done. Allow to come down to room temperature and frost or enjoy as is. This cake gets even more flavorful on day 2 or 3 so it’s a great make-ahead Holiday cake!
- Frost. Combine room temperature cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix and frost the cake using an off-set spatula, a knife, or the back of a spoon. Frost and decorate when ready to serve because you’ll have to refrigerate any frosted leftovers and this cake tends to dry up a bit when chilled!
- Decorate. To make the snowy house, spread some of the frosting on the wafer then place it on the cake as pictured. To make the snowy logs, spread some of the frosting on the cinnamon sticks and place them close the house. To make the trees, insert the sprigs into the cake to secure them in place, then place any extra sprigs over the cake to represent bushes. Sprinkle with shredded coconut. Serve!
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes! This cake gets even more flavorful on day 2 or 3 so it’s a great make-ahead Holiday cake!
However, you should only frost this cake when you’re ready to serve it as the frosting needs to be refrigerated and the cake will dry up a bit once chilled so make sure you bake it, store it at room temperature for a day (ideally) or two, then frost when ready to enjoy it.
How do you store Pain Depices?
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days (unfrosted).
If frosted, store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week but keep in mind that the cake will dry up a bit when refrigerated so only frost it when you’re ready to serve it.
HAPPY COOKING!! I hope you'll love this delicious Pain D’Epices or French Spice Bread recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love:
- Russian Chocolate Salami (Shokoladnaya Kolbasa)
- White Chocolate Blueberry Bread Pudding
- Custard Cream Horns
Pain D’Epices (French Spice Cake)
Ingredients
For The Pain D Epices
- 3/4 cups (250 g) honey (liquid or melted until liquid and cooled to almost room temperature – do not allow to boil)
- 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp (250 g) orange jam
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 7 tbsp (100 ml) milk (cow or soy – room temperature)
- 3 tbsp (20 ml) sunflower oil (or vegetable, or canola)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For Decorating (optional)
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2-3 tbsp (57 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 wafer cookie (cut in half)
- 1 stick cinnamon (cut)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup (23 g) shredded coconut
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C).
- Combine the honey and orange jam in a large bowl. If your honey isn't liquid melt it until liquid (but do not allow it to boil) and then add in the jam and stir until combined.
- Sift the flour and baking powder and salt into the honey mixture.
- Add the remaining ingredients: milk, oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and mix until just combined.
- Bake. Pour into your prepared pan and bake until brown on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until brown on top. To test for doneness, poke the center of the cake with a toothpick, if it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, it's done. Allow to come down to room temperature and frost or enjoy as is. This cake gets even more flavorful on day 2 or 3 so it's a great make-ahead Holiday cake!
- Frost. Only frost when ready to serve. Combine cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until combined and fluffy and frost the cake using an off-set spatula, a knife, or the back of a spoon.
- Decorate. To make the snowy house, spread some of the frosting on the wafer and place them on the cake. To make the snowy logs, spread some of the frosting on the cinnamon sticks and place them close the house. To make the trees, insert the sprigs into the cake to secure them in place, then place any extra sprigs over the cake to represent bushes. Sprinkle with shredded coconut. Serve!
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