Mini Gingerbread House

Re-create the magic of Christmas with this fairytale mini gingerbread house.

To Prep. 4:10
To Cook. 0:25
MAKES: 10 houses
Equipment

You’ll need 10, 15cm square cake boards

Ingredients

150g butter, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup treacle
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups Lighthouse cake, biscuit and pastry plain flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
Pure icing sugar, for dusting

Royal icing

4 egg whites
6 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

Place butter, sugar and treacle in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Transfer to a bowl. Cool for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Sift ginger, spice, baking powder and flour into a bowl. Add half the flour to butter mixture. Stir well. Add egg, stirring to combine. Stir in remaining flour until a sticky dough forms. Divide dough in half and shape into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut 20, 7.5cm x 8cm rectangles from dough, re-rolling scraps. Place on prepared trays, 2cm apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and just firm to touch. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Roll remaining dough between 2 sheets baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut 20, 7cm (sides) x 8cm (base) triangles from dough, re-rolling scraps. Place on prepared trays, 2cm apart. Using a 1cm x 2cm rectangular-shaped cutter, cut a door from half of the triangles. Reserve cut-outs and any dough scraps. Bake triangles for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and just firm to touch. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Place cut-out doors on trays. Roll scraps between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Using assorted Christmas shape cutters, cut 10 shapes, such as trees, wreaths and snowmen. Using a 1.5cm star-shaped cutter, cut 10 stars. Place on tray, 2cm apart. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden and just firm to touch. Stand on trays for 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Make royal icing:

Lightly whisk egg white in a bowl. Gradually add icing sugar, whisking until smooth and combined. Stir in lemon juice (cover icing with a damp sheet of paper towel to prevent it from drying out).

To assemble:

Spread about 2 tablespoons royal icing onto 1 cake board to cover. Place 2 triangles (1 with cut-out) on board, about 7cm apart, pushing into icing to secure. Spoon half the remaining royal icing into a large piping bag fitted with a 3mm plain how to gingerbread houses nozzle. Pipe icing onto edges of triangles. Attach rectangles to form a roof. Pipe royal icing along edges of house and across top of roof to resemble icicles and snow. Attach doors to house with icing. Repeat with more icing and house pieces.

Enjoy!

Notes
Make gingerbread up to a week ahead of assembly. Keep in airtight containers.

Recipe by Kim Coverdale
Photography by Andrew Young