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.

Great British Bake Off Bloggers 2018 Edible Landscape Showstopper

Sharing The Work

Ant made the choux pastry mountain and the fudge path.

Choux pastry mountain, stream, gingerbread house and deer - all edible
The choux mountain was taller but we had to leave it overnight so I could take photos in natural light and it shrunk a bit!!
Fudge path in front of gingerbread house

I made the gingerbread house, lavender shortbread 3D Christmas tree and Mary Berry’s tray bake cake.

lavender shortbread 3d Christmas tree

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!

sugar paste snowman

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 ๐Ÿ™‚

sugar paste deer

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.

sugar paste robins
sugar paste robin with a santa hat on
Every time I look at my little robin I notice how big his eyes are compared to the picture on Pinterest and it makes me laugh!

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.

Edible landscape - gingerbread house, choux bun mountain, fudge path, shortbread 3d Christmas tree and sugar paste snowman, deer and robin

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….

half eaten edible landscape!
I did rescue the snowman, deer and robin, though. I’m going to use them again at our Christmas Eve party!

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

Casa Costello

For more Great British Bake Off Bloggers’ posts, click here