Zwiebelsuppe mit Lebkuchentorte-Croutons (German Onion Soup with Gingerbread Cake Croutons)

A recipe for Zwiebelsuppe mit Lebkuchentorte-Croutons (German Onion Soup with Gingerbread Cake Croutons)! This comforting onion soup is paired with homemade cake croutons packed with warming spices.

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Crazy Ingredient Challenge

Today is my second post for the Crazy Ingredient Challenge! Each month, a group of bloggers, led by Jutta of Hungry Little Girl, comes together to create unique recipes using two specific ingredients.

This month’s challenge combined Onion and Gingerbread Spice.

Zwiebelsuppe mit Lebkuchentorte-Croutons

I decided to showcase the flavors by bringing together two favorite German recipes, Zwiebelsuppe (Onion Soup) and Lebkuchen (German Gingerbread)!

I made Lebkuchentorte (Gingerbread Cake), cut the cake into small cubes, and dried them into croutons to flavor the soup.

This was actually my first time making homemade croutons. I was very happy with the final results! The honey-spiced cake complimented the clear soup nicely.

I usually don’t care too much about croutons, but I found myself reaching for more to add to the soup. Plus, baking the Lebkuchentorte made my whole house smell like gingerbread.

I made the croutons a couple of days in advance. Just store them in an airtight container after they have completely cooled.

For the soup, slice the onions as thin as possible. I carefully used a mandoline slicer to get the pieces as even as possible.

Looking for more Gingerbread recipes?

Try my:

• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
• Maple Gingerbread Scones
• Piparkakut (Finnish Gingerbread Cookies)

Check out what everyone else made:

• Red Onion Jam from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Spice Burgers on Onion Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Caramelized Onion and Gingerbread Spice Butter from Rants from My Crazy Kitchen

Zwiebelsuppe mit Lebkuchentorte-Croutons (German Onion Soup with Gingerbread Cake Croutons) Recipe

Lebkuchentorte adapted from The German Cookbook. Zwiebelsuppe adapted from Meine Bayerische Küche.

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Zwiebelsuppe mit Lebkuchentorte-Croutons (German Onion Soup with Gingerbread Cake Croutons)

A recipe for Zwiebelsuppe mit Lebkuchentorte-Croutons (German Onion Soup with Gingerbread Cake Croutons)! This comforting onion soup is paired with homemade cake croutons packed with warming spices.

Course Soup

Cuisine German

Keyword crouton, German, Germany, gingerbread, lebkuchen, onion, soup, Zwiebelsuppe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Lebkuchen-Croutons:

• 3/4 cup (185 grams) unsalted butter
• 8 ounces (227 grams) honey
• zest from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 1/2 cups (560 grams) all-purpose flour

Zwiebelsuppe:

• 1 pound (450 grams) yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter divided
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup (158 milliliters) white wine
• 4 1/4 cups (1 liter) chicken broth or light beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 1 garlic clove sliced
• Dried marjoram to taste
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

Croutons:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease a 9 inch (23 centimeter) spring form pan with additional butter and flour.
• In a large saucepan, add butter and honey over low heat. Heat just until butter has melted and honey thins, but does not come to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Stir in the lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, rum, and sugar.
• In a small bowl, beat together eggs and milk. In a medium bowl, combine baking powder and flour.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk mixture to the spiced honey: flour, milk, flour, milk, flour, mixing well after each addition.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 10 minutes before removing the spring form sides. Allow to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 200˚F (90˚C).
• Once the cake has completely cooled, slice the cake into 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeter) thick slices, then cut the slices into 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeter) cubes. Place the cubes on 2 large baking sheets in a single layer.
• Bake in preheated oven until dry and toasted, 3-4 hours. If using 2 pans, alternate racks every hour.

Onion Soup:

• Slice the onions as thinly as possible.
• In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons butter and oil over medium heat.
• Once the butter has melted, add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown.
• Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Let it simmer until reduced by half and pour in the broth.
• Add the bay leaves, lemon peel, and garlic slices. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for about 8 minutes.
• Season with marjoram, salt, and pepper. Remove the bay leaves, lemon peel, and garlic slices.
• Divide the soup among serving bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and top with gingerbread croutons. Serve immediately.