Dominosteine
Gingerbread, jelly and marzipan cubes
Dominosteine: Dresden layered gingerbread, jelly and marzipan cubes
Dominosteine were invented in Dresden in the 1930s as an affordable Christmas treat and are still bought by the box across Germany through December: a cube of soft gingerbread, a layer of tart fruit jelly and a layer of marzipan, all coated in dark chocolate. Homemade ones are fresher and less sweet than the boxed kind and make a beautiful gift. The jelly is set with pectin, not gelatine, so they suit vegetarians. The mistake people often make is cutting the slab while the jelly is still soft, which smears the layers; leave it overnight. Chef's tip: trim the edges of the slab before cutting so every cube has three clean, sharp stripes.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 18
Ingredients
For the gingerbread base
- 3 ½ oz runny honey
- 1 ¾ oz soft brown sugar
- 1 oz butter
- 6 ½ oz plain flour
- 2 tsp gingerbread spice mix
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp milk
For the jelly layer
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the marzipan layer
- 7 oz marzipan
- 1 tbsp icing sugarfor rolling
For the coating
- 10 ½ oz dark chocolatechopped
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a 20 × 20 cm square tin with baking paper. Warm the 3 ½ oz runny honey, 1 ¾ oz soft brown sugar and 1 oz butter until melted, then cool until lukewarm.
8 minStep 2: Mix the 6 ½ oz plain flour, 2 tsp gingerbread spice mix, 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp baking powder. Stir in the honey mixture, 1 egg and 3 tbsp milk to a thick, soft batter. Spread it evenly in the tin.
8 minStep 3: Bake for 15 minutes until risen and springy and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
15 minStep 4: Bring the ¾ cup redcurrant or sour cherry juice, 7 oz jam sugar with pectin (2:1) and 1 tbsp lemon juice to a rolling boil in a pan and boil hard for 4 minutes, stirring. Drip a little on a cold plate: it should wrinkle when pushed after 30 seconds.
6 minStep 5: Pour the hot jelly over the cooled gingerbread in the tin and leave for 1 hour until set and no longer tacky.
5 minStep 6: Knead the 7 oz marzipan briefly and roll it out on a surface dusted with 1 tbsp icing sugar into a 20 cm square, 4–5 mm thick. Lay it on the jelly and press gently. Cover and leave overnight at room temperature so the layers firm up.
10 minStep 7: Lift the slab out, trim 5 mm off each edge with a sharp knife and cut into 3 cm cubes, wiping the knife between cuts.
10 minStep 8: Melt the 10 ½ oz dark chocolate with the 1 tbsp coconut oil over barely simmering water, then cool until just warm. Dip each cube with a fork, tap off the excess and set on baking paper. Leave 2 hours until hard; keep in a cool tin for 3 weeks.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dominosteine take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 18 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of runny honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
- What can I use instead of soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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