Icy Christmas cakes recipe: Mini glazed cakes from 1969 - Click Americana (2024)

FAQs

Do you turn Christmas cake upside down to ice? ›

Turn the cake upside down as this gives you a perfect flat surface to start with. You then need to sieve the apricot jam so it is totally smooth as you don't want lumps of apricots under your marzipan and icing. Warm the jam slightly and get a pastry brush ready.

Brush the cake with a colourless alcohol (vodka is a good option) or cold boiled water to help the icing stick. Start by laying the icing at the back of the cake and lower it down to the front. Use the flats of your hands to smooth the icing over the cake. Neatly trim away any excess icing.

You don't have to use marzipan (brush the cake with sieved and warmed apricot jam instead), but the natural lumpiness of fruit cakes means your finish won't be as smooth, and dark-coloured oils and liquids in the cake might 'leak' out and discolour the icing over time (a problem if you want to store the cake for more ...

Leave the Christmas cake covered in marzipan in a cool, dry place. Allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before covering with fondant icing, and at least two days before covering with royal icing. Home-made marzipan takes a little longer to dry out than shop-bought marzipan.

The traditional coat of almond icing (marzipan) should be put on the cake a week before you want to ice it, to allow its oiliness to dry out. Cover the marzipan surface with a clean tea cloth and store out of the tin or container. Icing is best left to the last few days – in my case often until Christmas Eve.

You can use rum, brandy or whisky for spice, or if you like citrus flavours, try an orange liqueur. Cherry brandy and amaretto will also work well if you prefer these.

Mastering how to ice a Christmas cake successfully involves using a couple of tools. You will need a smooth rolling pin (the longer the better) and a little cornflour. A ball of string is also very helpful, as is a dry pastry brush.

Always cover a fruitcake with marzipan before covering it with fondant or royal icing to keep moisture in the cake and stop oils from seeping into the outside covering and causing discolouration. If you are covering a fruitcake with marzipan, use boiled, sieved apricot jam to stick it to the cake not buttercream.

Quick Christmas Cake decorations

It is a soft icing that dries so it is often better to just put it on the top of your cake. I used a long length of liquorice around mine but the decorating is up to you. You can leave the sides free of icing.

How do you ice a Christmas cake like snow? ›

Brush cake with a little whiskey or brandy and apply the ready to roll as per the almond paste above. Alternatively, spread cake with the instant royal icing and use the back of a spoon to raise the icing to give a snow effect!

You can, but you run the risk of the marzipan not being really dried out. That can lead to some oil from the marzipan seeping into the icing and discolouring it. If you don't mind that, it shouldn't be a problem.

Can you ice a Christmas cake without using marzipan? Yes. If you paint the cake with apricot jam, you can use a fondant icing and just fix it on with the jam.

Otherwise the oils from the marzipan can seep into the icing, causing discolouration. As you need the marzipan to dry out, we do not recommend wrapping the cake at this point or storing in an airtight container.

Remove cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for just 20 minutes. Invert the slightly cooled cake onto a cake stand or serving plate. Some of the juices from the topping will seep over the sides—that's ok. You can slice and serve the cake warm, but the slices will be messy.

You want the bottom of the cake, which is the flattest part of the cake, facing up. The frosting will help “glue” the cake to the plate, making sure it won't move around as you frost.

Here's our top advice on how to ice a Christmas cake. We love the traditional pairing of a layer of marzipan covered with a layer of fondant, although you may prefer icing over marzipan with royal icing, which gives a harder finish.