2 cups honey (0.5 liters)
2 cups sugar (400g)
1 cup unsalted butter (250g)
3 eggs
½ cup milk (125ml)
3 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
7.5 cups all-purpose flour (1 kg)
3.5 oz Christmas spice mix (50g)
2 cups plum jam (0.5 liters)
2 cups cherry plum jam (0.5 liters)
Glaze:
6 tbsp milk
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp cocoa powder
3.5 oz chocolate for decoration (100g)
Christmas Spice Mix:
1.75 oz cinnamon sticks (50g)
0.5 oz dried ginger (15g)
0.5 oz cardamom pods (15g)
0.5 oz cloves (15g)
0.35 oz nutmeg (10g)
0.35 oz allspice (10g)
0.35 oz star anise (10g)
0.18 oz black pepper (5g)
First, prepare the Christmas spice mix. Break the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces, and chop the dried ginger as finely as possible since it can be quite hard. Then, grind everything together in a coffee grinder. You may need to do this in batches, as it might take about five rounds. Mix everything thoroughly and transfer it to an airtight jar.
Dough.
In a large bowl, combine the honey, sugar, and butter, and place it over a double boiler. Heat while stirring until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture becomes smooth. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, and Christmas spice mix. Bring the milk to a boil and set it aside. Gradually add the cooled honey-sugar-butter mixture to the dry ingredients, beating until smooth, then pour in the hot milk. Knead the dough until it is firm and shiny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 weeks to let it mature.
On the day of baking, take the dough out of the refrigerator 2 hours before you start. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide it into three equal parts. Roll each part out to a thickness suitable for your baking pan, then place it in the pan lined with parchment paper (I rolled it directly in the pan on lightly floured paper). Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C) and bake each layer for 15 to 20 minutes. The layers should rise nearly double and turn golden brown. Let the layers cool.
Once cooled, wrap the layers in foil and refrigerate for another 3 to 7 days. When ready to assemble, remove the layers from the refrigerator, unwrap them, and cut each layer in half, resulting in 6 layers. Mix the plum jam with the cherry plum jam and generously spread it between the layers to create two cakes with three layers each. Wrap the assembled cakes in foil again and refrigerate for an additional 2 to 5 days.
The day before serving, prepare the chocolate glaze by melting all the ingredients together over a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cakes and sprinkle with grated chocolate on top.