The Christmas Table: Christmas recipes and tutorials A celebration of all things Christmas! | Page 120

Gingerbread
house

T

he delicate combination of traditional spices with the addition of cardamom
and white pepper is what gives this ginger bread recipe its unique and
delicious flavour and I guarantee you won’t be able to stop at just one piece.

Ingredients:
375g (12 ounces) unsalted butter,
softened
1½ cups (330g) firmly packed brown sugar
1½ cups (540g) treacle
3 eggs, at room temperature
7½ cups (1.125kg) plain (all purpose) flour
3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking
soda)
3½ tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon mixed spice
3 teaspoons ground cardamom
1½ teaspoons ground white pepper
Gelatine Leaves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease and line three 26cm x
38cm (swiss roll) pans.
2. Using a ruler, lead pencil and some firm paper or card, cut out
the following shapes to create templates for your gingerbread
house:
- Two 16.5cm x 11cm rectangles for the side walls
- Two 19cm x 13cm rectangles for the roof pieces.
- Draw two 16.5cm x 19.5cm rectangles for the front and back
pieces.
- Using a ruler mark a line at 11cm on each of the longer sides
of the front and back pieces.
- Now draw a line from each of the 11cm points to the centre
of the closest shorter side to create a gable.
- Trim the marked gables from the rectangles with scissors.
- Cut two 2.5cm x 5cm rectangles for the chimney pieces,
trimming one of the shorter sides to an angle the same as
the gable pieces – this will ensure that the chimney stands
straight of the angle of the roof.
3. Beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until
light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the
treacle, beating until mixture is smooth. It is normal for the
mixture to look curdled at this stage.

120 | Gingerbread house

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