Gingerbread cuckoo clock recipe

Love making a gingerbread house at Christmas? Well, you're certainly going to want to try this impressive gingerbread cuckoo clock.

Not only is the gingerbread clock entirely edible, but it also has clock hands that can move so you can set the time. It would be a wonderful festive centerpiece on a Christmas table or brought out with the Christmas cake at tea time. But it's not just good-looking, this gingerbread house tastes great too. The biscuit has a ginger zing while brown sugar adds a warming complex flavour, Christmas in every bite. Use our gingerbread cuckoo clock template to make your clock with precision.

Ingredients

For the gingerbread:

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 175g dark brown soft sugar
• 550g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1tbsp ground ginger
• 100g golden syrup
• 75ml water

For the decoration:

• Cocktail sticks, one cut to 3cm
• 1 medium egg white
• 250g icing sugar, sieved
• Small piping bag
• Jelly Tots, or other sweets for decoration
• 200g marzipan

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar until soft. Add the remaining gingerbread ingredients and combine. Wrap and chill for 30 mins.
2. Meanwhile, trace and cut the following shapes or print the template onto A4 paper and trace each element: Roof: 18x12cm / Side: 8.5x14cm/ Front: (top)15x(side)14x(base)15.5cm 3 x circles in 4cm 6cm 12cm diameters / A short 5cm and long 6cm clock arm / Cuckoo (smaller than the window)
3. Heat the oven to 180C Fan/Gas 6. On a flour-dusted worktop roll out half the dough at a time to a thickness of 3mm.
4. Transfer to a baking tray and use the stencils to cut out the dough, doing the front, sides and roof twice. If you have round cutters use these to stamp out the circles. Peel away the offcuts; re-roll. 
5. From the front panel cut a window and cut this in half and bake it to use as shutters. Use a cocktail stick to poke a hole through the centre of each circle, the end of the clock hands and the front panel through the centre of each circle is and where the clock will sit. Emboss the dough with shapes, if liked, before baking for 12 mins. 
6. While warm, re-pierce the holes with a cocktail stick, then set aside to cool.
7. Meanwhile, make the icing. Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat the egg white until foamy. Sift over the icing sugar and mix in. Mix in a tsp of water at a time to give you a thick icing. Beat for 5 mins until smooth and glossy. Transfer some to a piping bag and the remainder to a Tupperware container, cover with a damp kitchen towel and chill.
8. Lay the back panel flat with the best-looking side facing down. Position the long side of the roof panels against the outside rim of the back panel so the tops align to make a ridge. Spread icing over the inside seams to stick them in place. We used tins of food to keep the gingerbread in place while the icing dried. Attach the long edge of each side panel to the back panel and the short side to the roof.
9. Thread the cut end of the 3cm cocktail stick into the hole of the smallest circle. Stick this in place. Poke this through the hole in the front panel, from the back to the front. Thread on the largest circle, then the remaining circle, sticking with icing. This will become the clock face.
10. Snip a small end of the piping bag and use it to decorate the front with icing and sweets. Once set, thread the hands, then a sweet onto the cocktail stick to secure.
11. Stick the front panel onto the back securing at the sides and under the rafters. Cover and leave to set overnight.
12. Stick the bird in place and roll out the marzipan to a 2mm thickness. Cut out rounds to use as roof tiles. Starting from the bottom, stick these with icing in alternating lines until both sides of the roof are covered. Finish by covering the ridge.

Top tips for making a gingerbread cuckoo clock

Covering the roof with marzipan (or even fondant icing) 'tiles' is a beautiful way to conceal dodgy construction, so if yours comes out a little wonky don't worry as it's bound to look spectacular when it's finished.

Here are some more of our top tips when it comes to making this showstopping gingerbread cuckoo clock.

In this recipe, we use a stand mixer with various attachments. If you’re looking for a stand mixer our Food Editor Jessica Dady's KitchenAid Stand Mixer review explains more about the Artisan KitchenAid mixer and why it's the perfect machine for the job.

KitchenAid Mixer Design Series 4.7l Blossom Artisan - View at KitchenAid

This stand mixer comes with four stainless steel mixing accessories to make baking and mixing much easier. There are 10 speeds and it comes with a five-year guarantee which is certainly handy to know. Featured in Pistachio colour with a copper bowl.

Like this? We've got plenty more gingerbread recipes to inspire including a classic gingerbread men recipe, deliciously sweet Welsh gingerbread by Paul Hollywood, and even an epic gingerbread cake with brandy buttercream too.