Tia’s eerily realistic gingerbread house: “It took 30 hours, but it was worth it”
Why save the joy of building a gingerbread house just for Christmas? Finnish Tia crafted a chilling Halloween gingerbread house for her family.
Where did you get the idea to make a Halloween gingerbread house?
I was looking for inspiration for Christmas-themed gingerbread projects but accidentally stumbled on a website featuring miniature Gothic-style houses. The architecture in those photos really stood out, and I wanted to try something similar with gingerbread.
How did you plan the house?
I created a rough design based on the miniature models but didn’t plan it out too precisely. The final shape kind of developed on its own as I made the templates from cardboard. I taped together a cardboard house to check if everything fit properly.
How long did it take to make the house? What was the most challenging part?
It took about 30 hours in total, but it was worth it! Most of that time was spent decorating, though making the templates and assembling the model also took several hours. That was the trickiest part. You have to measure the template pieces carefully so they fit together—this saves time when building the gingerbread house.
What was the most fun?
It was all really fun and relaxing. The best part was once the house was assembled and I could finally plan the decorations, brainstorm ideas, and test new techniques. It was amazing to see this fragile concept turn into a finished house. The outcome exceeded my expectations!
How did you get the house to be so dark in color?
I painted it with regular food coloring, thinned with alcohol. I used many different shades because I wanted the surface to appear rotten, worn, and old. I used an airbrush machine designed for decorating cakes and pastries to apply the color.
How big did the house end up being? Did you end up using a lot of dough?
The house and yard sit on a 40×40 centimeter base, and the height is just under 50 centimeters (16 in×16 in and 20 inches, respectively). Surprisingly, I only used about 1.5 kilograms of gingerbread dough. I chose store-bought dough because the house was for us, and I wanted to get started right away.
”Baking is relaxing and inexpensive therapy.”
Have you made gingerbread houses before?
Ever since I was little, I’ve made a gingerbread house for my family every year. A few years ago, I really got into more ambitious gingerbread projects. Now I’m already drafting the templates for a big pastry-shop-themed gingerbread house for Christmas!
You make fantasy cakes and other pastries for a living. Was the Halloween gingerbread house a custom order or just for fun?
About a year ago, I decided to turn my beloved hobby into a profession: I run a small home bakery called TiaNCakes in Pori, Finland. I mostly make fantasy cakes along with more traditional coffee-table treats.
But this Halloween gingerbread house was just for fun. Baking and working with my hands—especially with such a playful theme—is relaxing and inexpensive therapy.
All photos in this story were taken by the interviewee.
