A gingerbread house is a perfect way to get in the mood for Christmas (if that is your jam). If it seems like I’m skipping over Thanksgiving, I am.  But, if you need to decorate a cake for Thanksgiving, you can find an easy turkey cake tutorial here.  I couldn’t resist the gingerbread house kits that I found on sale at JoAnn and definitely did not want to wait until Christmas to decorate it. You see, I am a bit of a Christmas fanatic, so I convinced my son to decorate it with me. Which meant he became the project manager and I did all the heavy lifting.

Nevertheless, as I was decorating this thing, I made notes of some tips and tricks that can help you decorate a gingerbread house that stands up well.  I am perfectly aware of all the disasters that can occur with decorating a gingerbread house mainly keeping the structure up.  I also created mini-tutorials for the windows, fondant wreath (you can find another version here) and Christmas tree.

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Materials needed:

• Gingerbread house kit
• Christmas M&M Candy
• Peppermint candy cane
• Holly and berries candy
• Gum Drops
• Sour punch straws
• White fondant (see the recipe for Marshmallow fondant)
• Red fondant
• Forest green fondant
• Scissor
• Xacto Knife or regular knife
• White candy melts
• Powdered sugar
• Wilton light bulbs

Tips for Decorating a Gingerbread House

My number one tip for making the house stand is to put the base structure together first.  Then, add the roof.  While the royal icing that came with the kit is great, It doesn’t hold quick enough.  Therefore, I suggest using white candy melts, which is my second tip. Add the candy melt to the corners of the house and place it into the refrigerator, then add the roof.  The picture shows royal icing but the structure came down right after the roof was added :(. 

My third tip is to consider adding the door and windows first before putting the house together.  This makes it so much easier than trying to level windows on the standing structure.

Tip number four, use royal icing for the roof but do not go overboard with the candy or the structure will come crumbling down.  We used gum drops for the top of the roof and colored sprinkles along the sides.

How to make the Fondant Windows

• Roll out some white fondant and cut out six rectangles.  Use the back of the knife to score a cross on the window.
• Put to the side and roll out some red fondant.  Use the knife to cut really small strips for red fondant.
• Squeeze a few pieces of fondant together, add water to the white fondant, then add to the top corner.  Curve it a bit to make it look like a curtain.
• Cut some more red fondant strips and add them underneath the top of the curtain.  Trim off the excess.
• This is optional, but you can add holly and berry in the center of the window.  Add candy melts to the back of the window and add to the house in the front and the sides.

How to make the Door

• Roll out red fondant and cut a large rectangle.
• Then roll white fondant for the door. I used the Wilton button mold for the door.
• Attach the white fondant to the red fondant and add a red berry for the door handle.
• Cut strips of red fondant and place on top in a circular shape.
• Use two candy canes to make columns for the side or roll out two red fondant sausages and add white strips of fondant. Add two hollys and a berry to the door.
• Optional, add the decorative trip to the top of the door.

How to make the Fondant Wreath

The fondant wreath is very easy, you will need red fondant and some holly and berries.  Roll out the red fondant, then use a piping tip to remove the center.

Cut around the center to form the base of the wreath. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Add some water to the fondant and begin adding the holly and berries.

Add to underneath the roof and the center of the house.

How to make the Fondant Christmas Tree

Roll out forest green fondant into a sausage.  Then taper it at the top and press down to make it look like a tree.

Use a scissor and trim all around.

Once again it does not have to be perfect, powdered sugar will be added on top.

How to make the Walkway

Place the gingerbread house on the final board.  Add some royal icing to the door area.  Then add the M & M candy in whatever pattern you desire.

Add some holly to the side.  Then add the powdered sugar on the board.  Sprinkle on the roof, so that it comes down on the door, wreath and windows.  Then sprinkle over the trees.

Feel free to add decorations as you see fit.  My son made the snowman and you might recognize Santa from my red truck.  The candy cane tree needs its own tutorial.  Use the extra gumdrops as designs on the front as well.

That’s it for the gingerbread house.  Are you planning to decorate one for the holidays? Leave a comment below.

Stay tuned for more Christmas Cake tutorials.  As always happy caking.