We’re Doing The Showstopper! #GBBOBloggers2018 @SageAppliances
Flipping ‘eck, that was a job and a half!
We went for the showstopper again, but this time it was a joint effort between the super wonderful husband and myself.
The kids went to Belper for the weekend to stay with family so we decided it would be a good time to get baking.
Edible Landscape Showstopper
Anyone who knows me knows my most favourite time of the year is Christmas and seeing that it’s very nearly Christmas time, we made a Winter wonderland home using gingerbread, choux pastry, fudge, sponge cake and shortbread!
One day we would love to live somewhere snowy (well, I would, maybe not Ant so much!), in a log cabin, by a stream, with mountains in the background and trees all around us. This was our inspiration for our edible landscape.
Sharing The Work
Ant made the choux pastry mountain and the fudge path.
I made the gingerbread house, lavender shortbread 3D Christmas tree and Mary Berry’s tray bake cake.
I also did some sculpting from sugar paste using pictures and tutorials I found on Pinterest.
For the snowman, I used a tutorial from Martha Stewart but I changed our snowman a bit because I only wanted 2 snowballs, not 3 and I wanted him to have a proper top hat, oh, and a smile!
The deer was done using a tutorial that isn’t written in English, but it didn’t matter because the pictures were good enough for me 🙂
Finally, the robin was an afterthought because I had some brown sugar paste left from the little deer and some red from the snowman’s scarf and I just happened to spot this picture while browsing Pinterest.
We Only Bought…
The sweet rocks, mini smarties and the white icing which I used to cover the cake and make the snowman, deer and robin. Everything else was made by us :o)
It was a massive job that took us two days to complete and left us totally shattered last night! It was lovely working together, though.
I have to admit, I couldn’t stop going into the kitchen just to look at it! I’m now really sad because after not being able to touch it until I’d taken lots of photos, the kids and Ant have now done this to it….
Before I go, I have to say that I’m currently on a very strict diet with Slimming World (it’s not extra easy, it’s a special diet that helps get you back on track when you’ve fallen off the wagon!) and over the last 2 days I haven’t eaten 1 cake crumb or even licked a bit of icing from my fingers. Somehow I’ve resisted gingerbread, choux buns, fudge and my favourite ever, shortcake!
I’m very proud of myself!!
I’d like to thank Jenny and Helen for hosting again this year. We’ve baked along every week and really enjoyed seeing all the other bakes. I’m a little bit sad that Bake Off is done for another year.
Previous Bakes
Below you can find links to all our previous bakes in 2018.
Week 1 – Grantham Gingerbread
Week 2 – Apple Streusel
Week 3 – Naan
Week 4 – White Chocolate Blancmange
Week 5 – Sticky Ginger Cake
Week 6 – Steak & Guiness Banquet Pie
Week 7 – Vegan Chickpea, Mushroom & Tomato Tartlets
Week 8 – Danish Rye Bread
Week 9 – Patisserie
I’m baking along with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps and Helen from Casa Costello
For more Great British Bake Off Bloggers’ posts, click here
Fabulous I love it. So impressed its a great idea well executed That would make an amazing centrepiece on Christmas day. I have loved seeing your bakes and you are so much braver than me attempting the show stoppers.
I just love this, it is super cute and so festive and fun. So many pretty colours and elements, and I love the team effort between you and Ant. Well done you for not being tempted to eat any of it – I would have not had such strong willpower.
Thank you so much for baking along this series, it has been great seeing your bakes. Thanks to Ant too. Your support is appreciated.
Good luck with the judging xx
I love the little fondant figurines you’ve made, the deer is so sweet. I love the robin too, what a lovely idea to make it. Well done for making something this big and complicated. You should be so proud!