MAKE AHEAD
Bake the cakes up to 1 month ahead, cool, wrap in cling film then freeze. Defrost and assemble with the filling to serve.
Gingerbread cuckoo clock
A festive project that doubles up as decoration that’s sure to wow.
Serves 8-10 • Prep 2-3 hrs, plus cooling and overnight setting • Cook 12 mins
For the gingerbread:
150g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark brown soft sugar
550g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1tbsp ground ginger
100g golden syrup
75ml water
For the decoration:
Cocktail sticks, one cut to 3cm
1 medium egg white
250g icing sugar Small piping bag
Jelly Tots, or other sweets
Small decorative bird
200g marzipan
1 For the gingerbread, beat the butter and sugar until soft. Add the remaining gingerbread ingredients and combine. Wrap and chill for 30 mins.
2 Meanwhile, download and print the template from goodto.com/recipes/gingerbread-cuckoo-clock, trace and cut out the shapes on baking paper.
3 Heat the oven to 180C Fan/Gas 6. On a flour-dusted worktop, roll out half the dough at a time to a thickness of 3mm.
4 Transfer to a baking tray and use the stencils to cut out the dough, doing the front, sides and roof twice. If you have round cutters, use these to stamp out the circles. Peel away the offcuts; re-roll.
5 Use a cocktail stick to poke a hole through the centre of each circle, the end of the clock hands and the front panel where the ‘x’ is. Emboss the dough with shapes, if liked, before baking for 12 mins. While warm, re-pierce the holes with a cocktail stick, then set aside to cool.
6 Meanwhile, make the icing. Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat the egg white until foamy. Sift over the icing sugar and mix in. Mix in 1tsp of water at a time to give you a thick icing. Beat for 5 mins until smooth and glossy. Transfer some to a piping bag and the remainder to a Tupperware container, cover with a damp kitchen towel and chill.
Lay the back panel
