Ingredients
Chocolate buttercream
Royal icing
Method
1.Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease oven tray. Grease swiss roll pan; line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm (2 inches) above sides.
2.To make gingerbread man: Pour golden syrup into small heatproof jug; stand jug in small saucepan of simmering water until syrup warms and softens. Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Stir in sifted dry ingredients and warmed syrup. Knead mixture on floured surface until smooth.
3.Using pattern from pattern sheet, roll dough on greased oven tray until it’s the size of the gingerbread man pattern. Cut gingerbread man from dough while still on tray. (Make gingerbread biscuits with any leftover mixture.) Bake gingerbread about 20 minutes. Cool on tray.
4.Make the cake according to directions on packet; spread mixture into swiss roll pan. Bake about 20 minutes. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.
5.To make butter cream; beat butter until white as possible, gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar then milk, then remaining icing sugar. Beat until smooth. Stir sifted baking cocoa into butter cream, tint with brown colouring.
6.Level cake top; turn cut-side down. Position gingerbread man on top of cake; using sharp knife, cut out gingerbread man shape from cake. Position cake and biscuit on cake board. Secure cake to board with a little butter cream; secure gingerbread man to cake with a little butter cream. Spread chocolate butter cream over sides of cake; coat thickly with chocolate sprinkles.
7.Brush gingerbread man lightly, and evenly, with jam to give a glaze. While glaze is still wet, decorate with red, green and yellow Smarties for buttons. Cut marshmallows in half; use bases for eyes. Push brown smartie halves into marshmallows for eyes. Position yellow mini M&M for nose, and thin strips of licorice for mouth and eyebrows.
8.To make the royal icing; sift the icing sugar through a fine sieve. Lightly beat the egg white in a small bowl with an electric mixer intul mixture is just broken up; do not whip into peaks. Beat in the icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time, to get the required consistency.
9.Spoon royal icing into piping bag; pipe around edge of gingerbread to outline. Pipe a dot on each button.
Equipment: rolling pin, oven tray, 23cm x 32cm (9-inch x 13-inch) swiss roll pan, 35cm x 40cm (14-inch x 16-inch) rectangular cake board, pastry brush and small paper piping bag.
Note
