New Year's Gingerbread Lantern House
Baking and Desserts | Italian cuisine
⏳ Time
8 hours
🥕 Ingredients
12
🍽️ Servings
8
Description
This house can be enjoyed for another 2–3 weeks after preparation — during this time, it retains its flavor qualities.
Ingredients
- Water - 1½ glasses
- Sugar - 4½ glasses
- Margarine - 14.1 oz
- Chicken Egg - 8 pieces
- Wheat Flour - 63.5 oz
- Powdered Sugar - 2 glasses
- Salt - ½ spoons
- Ground Cinnamon - ½ spoons
- Activated Baking Soda - 2 spoons
- Nutmeg - ½ spoons
- Cardamom - ½ spoons
- Grated Ginger Root - ½ spoons
Step by Step guide
Step 1
In a deep frying pan, caramelize two cups of granulated sugar without water over low heat until it turns brown. Immediately and very carefully (without leaning over the pan!), constantly stir the melted sugar with a wooden spoon, and gradually add 1.5 cups of boiling water in small portions to dissolve the burnt sugar. Add another two cups of sugar and dissolve them thoroughly. Incorporate 400 grams of margarine. Transfer the mixture to a large pot (at least 4 liters), allow it to cool to a warm temperature, and then add 3 eggs and 5 egg yolks, well beaten with a fork. Next, add 0.5 teaspoons of salt and a mixture of ground spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom, along with 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Gradually add flour until the dough thickens and no longer sticks to your hands (about 1.8 kg). Let the dough rest in a cool place to mature for about one day (if you're in a hurry, let it sit for 1–1.5 hours at room temperature, then place it in the freezer for 20–30 minutes).
Step 2
Draw and cut out templates for the future house from paper (make sure to calculate the dimensions very precisely). It's better to make one side of the house with a larger opening so that it's easy to insert a string of lights for illumination in the finished version.
Step 3
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3–4 mm. Place paper templates on top and cut out the outlines of the house parts. Cut out openings for the windows and doors. Fill the window holes with crushed hard candy (for this, place colored lollipops in a sturdy bag and crush them with a hammer or something similar).
Step 4
Bake the pieces at 356°F for about 15 minutes, then let them cool. The candies we used to fill the window openings will melt and form what will be the windows of the future house.
Step 5
Once all the parts are completely ready, prepare the sugar syrup (caramel). Combine 100 grams of sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, and a pinch of citric acid in a metal bowl or saucepan over low heat. Heat until fully dissolved. While the glaze is still hot, dip the edges of the house parts into it and quickly assemble them. You will need to hold the house in place for quite a while, so you can prop up the walls from different sides with something heavy (like kitchen jars).
Step 6
Decorate the house with royal icing (for this, whip 3–4 egg whites with 2 cups of powdered sugar). Decorate as desired (with candies, gummies, or decorative toppings). For more detailed pattern drawing, you can use a pastry bag.
Step 7
Allow the house to dry, then you can place a garland inside, serve it right away, or beautifully package it as a gift for friends and family.
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