Gingerbread and orange panettone recipe

1. Line a dinner plate with nonstick baking paper. Peel the orange with a vegetable peeler, then slice the zest into thin strips. Juice the orange; set aside.
2. Put 45g caster sugar in a pan with 3 tbsp water; heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add the orange strips; simmer for 3 mins. Remove from the syrup; put on the plate to cool. Put the 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl, add the orange strips and toss to coat, using your fingertips to curl some of the pieces; set aside.
3. Meanwhile, put the butter in a mixing bowl with 2 tsp orange juice. Whisk until creamy, then add 170g icing sugar in batches, whisking until smooth and spreadable. Add an extra 1 tsp orange juice if it’s too thick. Blitz the ginger nuts to fne crumbs, then stir through the buttercream.
4. Spread a small amount of buttercream on the bottom of the panettone, then put on a cake board or plate (this will stop it from moving). Use a cutlery knife to spread the buttercream over the whole panettone; use a damp palette knife to smooth, occasionally wiping clean and re-dampening.
5. Whisk the egg white in a bowl until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 125g icing sugar, then whisk for another 3-4 mins until the icing holds soft peaks. Spoon most of it over the panettone so it drips down the side, reserving about 2 tbsp.
6. Stand 3 of the gingerbread men on top of the icing, so they’re leaning against each other. Stick the rosemary sprigs between them; scatter with the golden galaxy sprinkles and the orange curls.
7. Dip the feet of the remaining gingerbread men in the rest of the icing and stick around the bottom edge, dotting the backs with icing if needed. Serve immediately or let the icing set for 4 hrs or overnight, then dust with icing sugar. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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