Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network November 2015 | Page 116

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JEWELLED CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD HOUSE
INGREDIENTS
250g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
1 cup (250mL) golden syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
4½ cups (675g) plain flour
½ cup (50g) NESTLÉ BAKERS CHOICE COCOA
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
375g pkt NESTLÉ BAKERS CHOICE WHITE MELTS,
melted, plus a 375g pkt extra for decorations
Icing sugar mixture, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Grease and line three oven trays with baking paper. Using your
zippy electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and golden syrup together until devine and light and fluffy; add egg
and beat until just combined. Add flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves and stir until combined;
if you prefer use clean hands to bring the dough together to form a voluptuous mass. Turn onto a lightly floured
surface and gently and tenderly knead until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut paper patterns for gingerbread house: two 12cm x 19cm rectangles for the roof, two 10.5cm
x 16cm rectangles for the side walls, and two 16cm x 18cm rectangles for the front and back walls. Trim front
and back walls to form two 11cm high gables. OR Log onto www.bakerscorner.com.au and print out templates!
3. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper until perfectly 5mm thick. Peel away top paper and use patterns
to cut shapes from dough. Pull away excess dough. Slide baking paper with shapes on to oven trays. Bake,
your precious dough pieces uncovered for about 12-14 minutes or until shapes are just firm (they become
crisp after they cool).

STEP 1

STEP 2

4. While shapes are still warm and soft, use tip of sharp knife to cut out small windows from the side walls of the
house, then cut the door out of the front wall. Reserve the cut-out door piece. Trim shapes to straighten sides.
Transfer all shapes to wire rack to cool.
5. Place deliciously smooth melted NESTLÉ Bakers Choice White Melts into a piping bag fitted with a 3.5cm diameter
plain nozzle. Pipe icing onto the sides and roof panels to decorate. Set aside for 30 minutes or until firm.
6. To put the house together, pipe along the base and side of 1 wall panel. Stand on a flat serving platter, using
a straight sided glass to support the wall. Repeat with remaining wall panels to make the walls of the house.
Set aside for 30 minutes, or until completely firm.
7. Pipe around the top edges of the walls. Attach the roof panels. Pipe along the top of roof to secure. Set aside
for 30 minutes, or until completely firm.
8. By now, your amazing house should be coming together, use extra pkt of NESTLÉ Bakers Choice White Melts
to decorate house and make roof tiles on each side of the roof as shown. Attach the bottom row of NESTLÉ
Bakers Choice White Melts and allow it to overhang the edge of the ROOF. Continue working up, sticking a
row at a time, sitting the row above in the gaps of the row below, so the tiles sit in a diamond pattern rather
than straight lines down the ROOF.

STEP 2a

MAKES One House

STEP 3

9. Decorate the walls with remaining melted NESTLÉ Bakers Choice White Melts as shown in picture to make
one pretty gingerbread house.
Tip – re-roll dough scraps to make and bake gingerbread men if you like.

PREP TIME 2 hours (plus standing time)

COOKING TIME 15 minutes