Walnut Whip Swedish Gnome /Gonk Tutorial

I’ve got a cute Swedish Gnome tutorial for you today – How to make your own Walnut Whip Swedish Gnome or Gonk as they are sometimes known. Great for a small gift for someone or a table setting on Christmas Day. Best of all the whole thing is edible and really quick – Only took me 20 mins from start to finish.

So what equipment is needed?

With all of my tutorials I try to make sure as little specialist cake equipment is needed as possible. I use homemade edible glue (in the little see through pot above) which saves money on shop bought. Make your own by following our How to make edible glue tutorial.

I also use a small palette knife for cutting fondant but a regular kitchen knife is perfectly fine instead. 

The silver board is a 4″ – I always have a stock of these in as they come in so handy for displaying little gifts.

The only thing missing from the picture is a small piping bag. I didn’t use any nozzle – I just cut a small opening. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can make one out of some greaseproof paper/baking parchment.

How to make a edible Swedish Gnome

1. Take off the walnut from the top of the whip and trim down the excess chocolate used to attach it.
2. Add a tiny bit of black fondant to a large plum sized ball of white fondant and mix together to make grey.
3. Flatten down a strawberry sized piece of white fondant and brush glue over it. Add 2 malteser sized balls of black fondant and flatten down with your finger on one side (these are his feet). Attach with more edible glue brushed onto the board. (In the main picture I have also covered the whole board with some white fondant and extra snowballs of fondant)
4. Roll the grey fondant into a long flat sausage and wrap around the walnut whip that has been brushed all round with glue.

5. Make up a small amount of royal icing (very stiff icing sugar will just about do but royal icing is better – You can buy boxes of it very cheaply in supermarkets) and pipe short peaks from the bottom of the walnut whip up to the top.

6. Mix a small amount of red & white fondant together to make a pink malteser sized ball and stick to the top of the walnut whip while the royal icing is still wet.

7. Roll a large plum sized ball of red fondant and shape into a long thin cone that is very pointed at the end.

8. Flatten down the top of the cone and attach to the top of the walnut whip with some edible glue.

9. Roll out a large malteser size ball of red fondant into a long flat sausage (I mark it with indentations using a sterilised screw/nail but just make marks with the back of a knife if you don’t have one)

10. Fold the edges of the flat sausage over to meet in the middle and attach over the join of the hat. 

I finish off with a tiny holly leaf and berries using a small cutter I have but this is optional.

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