Decorating a Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
20cm fruit cake
4tbsp  Apricot Jam
2 x 250g packs  Marzipan
550g  Icing Sugar
1 medium  egg white
50g liquid glucose

Extra sifted icing sugar for dusting the worktop
Gold ribbon, bay leaves, artificial berries and ivy


Instructions:
Heat the jam in a pan until it thins down, sieve to remove large pieces. Brush a thin layer over the top and sides of the cake. Take one pack of marzipan and knead until soft. Roll into a ball, lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll to a circle of 20cm.
 
Place on top of the cake and trim to fit. Knead the second pack as before and roll into a long strip as high as the cake and 60cm in length. Press onto the sides of the cake and trim off any excess. Blend all the edges together so the marzipan appears smooth. Leave for 24 hours before icing. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Reserve 50g of icing sugar.

Make a well in the centre of the icing sugar and add the egg white and liquid glucose. Draw the icing sugar into the centre of the bowl and mix until all the icing sugar has been incorporated. Use clean hands to knead the icing into a smooth ball. The icing should not be sticky.

Sit the cake on an upturned plate. Sprinkle worktop lightly with icing sugar and roll out the icing to make a neat circle approximately 30cm in diameter. Roll the icing carefully round the rolling pin, lift onto the cake and unroll.

Smooth the icing onto the marzipan, pressing it gently so it adheres. Smooth with your hands until it fits the cake and trim any excess icing from the base with a sharp knife. Dust the cake with the reserved icing sugar.

Tie a gold ribbon around the side of the cake and finish with a bow, trimming the ends in a V-shape. Take a cluster of bay leaves and some artificial berries or cranberries and place on top of the cake. Pin some trailing ivy to the base, taking care to avoid touching the cake. To make a rope, twist two coils of icing together and place around the cake. Finish with icing sugar.

Variation:
If the cake has been baked and you would prefer not to marzipan or ice it, brush with a thin layer of sieved warmed apricot jam, and top with organic walnut halves and blanched, peeled organic almonds, brush with a little more apricot jam. Tie a red or green ribbon around the sides.