Learn how to make a Gingerbread House with a bit of help from Tessa’s Bakery
Ingredients
- Spiced Gingerbread Biscuits
- 100g cake flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 50g Muscovado Sugar
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 75g butter
- 2 tbsp candied peel, finely chopped or Christmas fruit mince
- Royal Icing
- 85 grams of pasteurized egg whites (Egg whites of 2 eggs)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups icing sugar
Instructions
Spiced Gingerbread Biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Mix together the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients and combine to form a dough (you can do this in a stand mixer using the dough or paddle attachment).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2 cm thick.
- Cut out shapes using a sharp knife or cookie cutter then place on a baking tray. We use Treat Boutique’s Gingerbread House cutter – but you can download templates online.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before icing.
Royal Icing
- In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy.
- Add confectioners’ sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks.
- This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired.
- For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired. If using storage bag, clip corner. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Instructions on Assembling Gingerbread House
Step 1: Cookies and Icing
Bake cookies and make royal icing following the recipes above.
Step 2: Construction
Fill your piping bag with icing. Position the house on the cake board or plate, keeping in mind to leave enough room to decorate around the house with trees, gingerbread men, sweets etc.
Glue sides, front and back of house together at corners using your royal icing. This is the glue that keeps the structure together, be fairly generous but don’t use too much as it will cause the house to slide.
Place an object against the pieces to prop up until icing is dry. Once the structure has dried, glue the two roof panels to the pitched roofline of the house and once again allow to dry.
Step 3: Decoration
Here’s the fun part! Using your icing bag or spatula ice the roof and let your imagination run wild. Anything goes! Pipe doorways, windows, wreaths on the side panels, lay candy stepping stones, etc.
Step 4: Finishing Touches
Decorate and flood gingerbread trees, snowmen, gingerbread men etc. Using a spatula use the remaining icing to cover the cake board and decorate the board with your trees, gingerbread men, gingerbread snowmen and any other decorations you wish.
