Gingerbread Man
About this build
A recipe from a 1970s children's cookbook becomes a giant gingerbread figure, decorated with marzipan, chocolate and coconut.
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What the original account establishes
These notes distinguish the recorded result from quantities or settings the contributor did not specify. Follow each source link to the original passage.
- The recipe came from a 1970s children’s cookbook: 100g (4oz) plain flour, 25g (1oz) brown sugar, 50g (2oz) margarine, 75g (3oz) golden syrup, 1 teaspoon ginger and ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, which the account warns you will end up doubling; the decoration was lots of marzipan, 1 bar of chocolate, silver balls, desiccated coconut and writing icing, about 7 quid in all. With no scales, the book’s rule that 1oz is a tablespoon was used, but a helper measured with a dessert spoon, so the supposed dough came out as thick cream and was rescued with more flour, plus extra sugar and ginger for taste. The mix was spread on greased trays as a round head and two rectangular arms, ran out, and a second batch made the torso and legs; everything baked for 15 minutes at gas mark 4 and stuck rock solid to the trays, to be chipped off with knives and a bendy spatula. Assembled on the coffee table, the next day’s hangover work added marzipan hat, coat, cane and star glasses, a coat covered in melted chocolate and coconut for fake fur, a leftover meringue on the cane, writing icing, a chain and more silver balls. Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4 · Source 5 · Source 6 · Source 7 · Source 8 · Source 9
Notes from the contributor
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Add everything else and mix it up good and proper. Problem! Supposed “dough” is more of a thick cream! Realise Gav has been using a dessert spoon to measure ingredients so its all a bit wrong… just keep adding more flour ‘til it looks doughy! Add a bit more sugar and ginger so it tastes nicer!
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The original account
Take one old faithful recipe from a 1970’s children’s cookbook….
100g (4oz) Plain flour
25g (1oz) Brown sugar
50g (2oz) Margarine
75g (3oz) Golden syrup
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
But you’ll end up needing to double this!!
Decoration:
Marzipan (lots of)
Chocolate (1 bar)
Silver balls
Desiccated coconut
Writing icing
Estimated cost: 7 quid
Begin by mixing rum and coke for all. Drink rum while arguing whether to double the recipe or not. Liam thinks a recipe for 12 gingerbread men will be plenty…
Problem! No weighing scales! However, clever 70’s book is telling us 1oz is a tablespoon so off we go!
Cream margarine and sugar until your hand aches while everyone else has a White Russian!
Add everything else and mix it up good and proper. Problem! Supposed “dough” is more of a thick cream! Realise Gav has been using a dessert spoon to measure ingredients so its all a bit wrong… just keep adding more flour ‘til it looks doughy! Add a bit more sugar and ginger so it tastes nicer!
Grease all available baking trays and spread out mix onto one in a circle to make a giant gingerbread head. Spread more mix onto another tray in 2 rectangles for arms. Problem (again!) the mix has run out (Liiiiiiammmm…) so start again and make another batch. Spread this on more trays to make a torso and legs. Put all pieces in oven for 15 mins at gad mark 4. Have another White Russian.
Pimp head seems to emit some kind of pimp aura in the oven!
Hurrah! All parts of pimp are baked! And also stuck rock solid to the trays! Chip off using various knives and bendable spatula type things! Patience is a virtue… too hasty and they just break!
Arrange on the only surface in the house big enough for this pimp daddy of all gingerbread men… the coffee table!
Commission a marzipan fashion designer to make pimp clothes and decorate liberally with silver balls for bling! Feel too drunk to continue productively. Admire work done so far and go down the pub!
Next day (complete with hangover) roll out large sheets of marzipan and make hat, coat, pimp cane and pimp gold star glasses. Pimp that coat by covering with melted chocolate and coconut for a fake fur effect. Add fur trim and feather to pimp hat. Top pimp cane with one of the meringues left from the night before’s sweet binge! Decorate with writing icing… add more bling with a pimp chain and more silver balls!
Et voila! Gingerbread pimp daddy is complete!
