The chef shares his tips for decorating your Christmas cake!
Ingredients
- 1 x 8 inch Christmas Cake
- 4 tbsp marmalade or apricot jam
- 150g marzipan Almond paste
- 3 egg whites
- 600g icing sugar
- 1 tsp liquid glucose
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Decorating Christmas pieces
Method
- Ideally, until about 2-3 week before Christmas, decorate the cake.
- If you prefer a soft icing wait until two to three days maximum before eating the cake. This will keep the icing softer.
- Warm some apricot glazer or marmalade in a small saucepan.
- Brush a layer of marmalade. Keep aside.
- Then roll with some icing sugar the marzipan to a 5 mm thick. Cut a circle to fit the top of the cake and place over the cake.
- Prepare the royal icing. Whip the egg white until light and foamy, slowly continue to beat the egg with a tablespoon of icing sugar at the time, until all the sugar is added and well combined. Add the lemon juice and glycerine. And continue to beat until very stiff.
- The glycerine will help the icing stay softer when settling for a few days. Beat well until light and fluffy with a smooth shinny glow.
- Then, spoon and spike the royal icing over the marzipan.
- Decorate with classic Christmas decoration and wrap around the side of the cake with a Christmas Ruban and some twine.
- Leave to settle for a day minimum before enjoy and slicing.
