Nigella's gingerbread

[SNOWmami]

I'm making Nigella's gingerbread for a Christmas fete, but I want to replace the lemon icing with something more festive.

I was pondering just doing standard glace icing, but with crushed up candy canes sprinkled on it, a bit like peppermint bark. I think this will look lovely, but I'm not sure about the combination of the peppermint flavour and the gingerbread.

Any suggestions for Christmassy icing?

Mixed spire. I make chocolate over christmas with it, and it goes beautifully with ginger.

MIxed into the icing?

Hmmm. Tempting. Do you need to be a bit restrained with it? Perhaps a chocolate and spice icing?

With gold sprinkles

Yes, just buy the mixed spice and put it right into the icing. 'Tis right Christmassy. :)

It would be wrong, I suppose, to make myself some fairy cakes for the sole purpose of trying out spicy icing?

I would do a cinnamon glace icing. Just stir cinnamon and vanilla into the icing sugar and milk/water

And decorate with something pretty like silver balls or non-parielles

Thanks Smash, that also sounds very tasty. I do love a silver ball. And 'cinnamon glace icing' sounds so tempting!

I made an orange and cinammon glace icing for a spiced chocolate cake a few weeks ago. Just icing sugar, cinammon and orange juice - it was lovely!

Do you know, I had a moment of inspiration in bed at about 5 o'clock this morning about using orange juice in place of lemon juice to make the icing - glad to hear it's delicious! I think I'll go with orange and cinnamon, with some orange zest in the gingerbread mixture to help to tie it all together.

Now, about this spiced chocolate cake....

All sounds yummy! And you have just reminded me that I have been planning to make Nigella's gingerbread. Have just had a request through for bake stall at DS's school on Saturday too. May make 2.

I invented it and it was very nice - took it to work and it didn't last long!

I made a sponge mix with:

8 oz butter
8 oz demerara sugar
4 eggs
8 oz plain flour
teaspoon baking powder

then added ground ginger, cinammon, splash of orange juice and a tiny bit of chilli flakes.

Baked it - it took a v long time, then topped with the icing as above.

Oh and cocoa - maybe 2-3 tablespoons?

Sounds divine! Love a bit of chilli and chocolate.

Wonder if I can pull off a spiced chocolate fudge cake?

Am sure you can - I'll be round there in about an hour, okay? :)

Do make two Buda and one for me - it lasts for ages, especially if you make sure it's still just a touch sticky when you get it out of the oven.

I am going to Pimp My Gingerbread with silver balls and gold sparkles. Oh how I wish I had some of that disco glitter stuff.

crumbled up flake to look like bark? Set in vanilla icing?

Not sure when I will get to do them. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. Will send you one SNOWmami. Virtually of course.

Mmmmmm. Flake.

.

Bet that would be excellent on/ around a yule log, like bark-y woodland floor. With some coconut mushrooms also.