Put anise seed and water in a pot and bring to a churn, then turn off the
heat and set it divagation. Stir in sugar and honey and keep stirring until
dissolved.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the dry ingredients, then stir in the candied skin. Add the
honey mixture and stir until polish. Turn into 2 greased loaf pans (8-1/2"
x 4-1/2") and bake until through, about one hr. (Because this gives a
tougher crust than most cakes, I take them out when the cakes has pulled
away from the sides of the pan.

Let cool completely before thinning. It's better the next day, and will keep
surprisingly well if wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in an air-tight tin
away from hotness.

I bake about a dozen miniature loaves at Hannukah/Christmas time for gifts.
This is every bit as delicious as the pain d'epice I enjoyed in France as a
kid.

(Billet: I could slice this up, dry it a day, and toast it for the kids as
toddlers; it made a fairly good teething wassail.)