My Little Dream

by Mande
(Grand Junction, CO)

This is my very first Gingerbread house! I made it in front of an audience at a local Gingerbread House Competition. It was like a throw-down between me and another baker. I won and I am ecstatic about it! The floor plan came from a book. I just started a cake business in February and work out of a rented/shared commercial kitchen. This house is my store front, or what I dream it will be once I am ready for that! Everything is edible but the two display windows. I could not make them clear enough out of sugar to see all the goodies inside and it was too late to get gelatin sheets so I had to use transparency sheets. The rest of the windows are Crystal Light Candies, I found at WalMart, with snow flake sprinkles. I made the little gingerbread houses out of caramels, an idea from the book. The plate of cupcakes, wedding cake and chocolate cake are gumpaste and royal icing. The roof is Cookie Crisp Cereal, Honey Gram Swirls, and some purple cereal my son wouldn't eat. The sign is an edible image on fondant. The awnings are gumpaste. It was so nerve racking decorating this while people watched! We had a time limit of 3 hours to do it and I can't believe I pulled it off! No one ever knew it was my first gingerbread house! I don't think they would have invited me to compete if they knew, LOL!