French Spice Bread (Pain d’épices)

Honey-based spice breads and cakes have been produced in one form or another throughout Europe since the Middle Ages. For good reason: The hygroscopic honey retains moisture, ensuring the breads remain moist during storage. Its antibacterial properties also act as a preservative. Meanwhile, the spices—and therefore the flavor—only improve with time. We wanted a lighter, less sweet alternative to the more common gingerbread, something that tasted as good straight up as it did toasted and topped with butter and marmalade for a quick breakfast or afternoon-coffee accompaniment. This French version is just that. For a fruitier version, add 1 cup golden raisins, chopped dates, figs or dried apricots. Melting the butter in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave, then using the same cup for the honey, made it easy to measure out and add the honey; it slid right out. For maximum spice flavor, we used pepper and three kinds of ginger. If you can’t find crystallized (candied) ginger, just skip it; the cake still will be delicious. And if you can’t find ground mace, substitute ¼ teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and allspice.