Preparation method

Biscuit dough:

• Preheat oven to 180 C
• Cream the butter, sugar and molasses until light and fluffy
• Beat in the egg yolks
• Combine the flour, bicarb, ginger crystals, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves
• Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well to form a ball
• Trace the patterns onto waxed paper and cut out (see template for pattern)
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough in batches to 1/2cm thickness
• Place the templates on the dough and cut out
• Draw lines into the dough to form shingles on roof pieces
• For the side walls, use the edge of a ruler into the remaining pieces
• Keep pieces covered to prevent drying out
• Bake on lined baking sheets for 12-15 minutes or until browned
• Cool gingerbread for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely
• Return the front and side pieces to baking trays lined with grease-proof paper
• Increase the oven temperature to 200 C
• Crush sweets finely, keeping colours separate
• Spoon crushed sweets into window cut-outs
• Bake on the middle shelf for 3-4 minutes or until the sweets have melted
• Cool completely on cooling racks

Cinnamon royal icing:

• Beat the egg whites with the vanilla essence and cream of tartar until frothy
• Add the sifted sugar and cinnamon and beat until combined, smooth and shiny
• Beat for 5 minutes or until stiff and glossy
• Keep the icing covered with cling wrap touching the top layer

Assembly:

• Church:
• Place some icing into a small piping bag with a small round nozzle
• Pipe icing along the cake base and one side of front of church and join the side wall
• Position at right angles and pipe along the inside edge for added stability
• Secure the structure to allow the Icing to dry
• Repeat with second side of wall and back of church and let dry completely
• Church steeple:
• Pipe icing along one side of front of steeple base and one adjoining side wall
• Position at right angles and pipe along the inside edge for added stability
• Hold in place until set
• Repeat with remaining side and back of steeple base
• Repeat for steeple and let dry completely
• Roof:
• Pipe icing along top edges of church walls and position roof pieces on top
• Pipe icing along the joining edges
• Hold up the roof pieces until completely dry
• Pipe icing onto edges of steeple and attach to the roof
• Windows and dormers:
• Assemble window and door roofs
• Position small roof pieces at angles to each other, forming seven dormers
• Pipe cinnamon along the joining edges and let it dry completely
• Pipe icing onto the edges of roofs and attach over windows
• Hold in place and secure (about 1 minute)

Trees:

• Place 100g of fondant in a bowl and colour with a drop of green food colouring
• Colour the remaining fondant a darker shade of green
• Roll out each of the fondants to 1/2cm thickness on a icing sugar dusted surface
• Using a small round 2cm cutter, cut out enough circles to cover ice-cream cones
• Cut out strips about 1cm wide to place on the bottom each ice-cream cone
• Moisten the ends of the strips and attach to the cones
• Moisten the under side a circle and stick the circle to the strip of fondant on the cone
• Repeat to the top of the cone, alternating with the dark and light green fondant

Green grass:

• Mix together the water and green food colouring
• Place the coconut in a zip lock bag
• Pour the green liquid into the bag and shake until all coconut is covered

Decorate:

• Sprinkle the coloured coconut around and place the trees, as desired