Gingerbread House Failure!

I know we don't like to show them off too often, but cake fails are important to remember, they happen to all of us and can often be quite funny. I do need to make a whole post dedicated to them because sometimes, things just go wrong.

Last year I made the gingerbread house below. I loved it, we make one every year and was looking forward to getting more creative with one this year, stain-glass windows, maybe a porch...that sort of thing. With last year's one I even made the board a little festive with sifted icing sugar and chocolate Matchsticks with a dollop of icing on top for effect.

The one I tried to make is slightly different...basically it fell apart! We tried to all of the gingerbread in a bit of a rush and it shows, some bits were too soft, some too brittle...a shambles basically which is odd as we've never failed at one before. The stain-glass windows were brilliant, made with smashed up Fox's Glacier Mints...but the fruit ones. I used heart cut out windows as I thought that would be cute and stole the idea of framing them with mini candy candy canes from a fellow blogger. I even cut a whole out the back of one of the sides so I could slip in a tea light to shine through the 'glass'. As you can see I usually prop them up until dry with whatever household objects I can find that fit.

I covered the roof in giant Milkybar buttons to look like tiles, this look amazing...but was pretty heavy! This didn't help really when it came to it. Soft gingerbread + heavy chocolate = destruction. It actually stood completely fine until I came to finishing the decoration, I could have decorated the sides first but wasn't really sure how I wanted to do it so I'm glad I didn't waste any time doing that! :).  So I went to move it to a different table, that's when I notices it started to sink....this is when I went to support it only to realise that there was no way at all I could save it, for as soon  as I were to let go it would slowly die....and it did. In the end I just had to let it happen, I was annoyed I have to admit, but as we're away all of Christmas I suppose it doesn't matter, alas it just wasn't meant to be.

But there is a sliver lining, I said how much I hated that the edges of my gingerbread house never end up completely straight and wished you could get cutters. Of course Norway is the land of gingerbread and we were my second cousin's house today where she happened to have two sets! So I got given them both, heaven! I will give it another go, Christmas or not I shall find a reason, so stand by for gingerbread house take 2. Pin It Now!