How To Ice a Christmas Cake

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Icing a cake is actually easier than it looks! So don’t be afraid to have a go if you haven’t tried this before, and even if you have, you might find some tips here to help you improve!

Feel free to email us your own comments or experiences with cake decorating as well!

You can buy ready made icing and almond paste, and with a bit of colour and design you can make a great looking Chrismas cake!  By the way, the ideal time to ice your Christmas cake, is 2-3 weeks before Christmas Day.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp apricot jam or honey
• 450g/1lb almond paste
• 450g/1lb ready-to-roll royal icing
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

If you are using apricot jam, heat it gently in a small saucepan or microwave and sieve out the solids to make an apricot glaze. Use the apricot glaze or honey to act as a ‘glue’ to hold the almond paste in place. Take a small amount of almond paste and roll it into a long, thin sausage shape, about 1cm/½in diameter. Press this around the edge of the risen surface of the cake, using the glaze or honey to glue it in place. This helps to stabilize the cake when you ice it.

Dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the almond paste in a circle just larger than the cake, about ½cm/¼in thick. Brush with the honey or glaze. Place the unrisen, bottom side of the cake on to the glazed paste and trim around the edge evenly with a knife. Turn it back over so it is paste-side up. The underside of the cake now becomes the top.

To cover the sides, roll out a long, rectangular strip of paste wide enough to cover the side height. The length should be three times the diameter of the cake. (For example, for an 18cm/7in diameter cake, make the strip 54cm/21in long.) Brush the strip with glaze or honey, lay the cake on its side at one end and roll it up in the paste, lining up the top and bottom edges. Press lightly to secure it to the cake.

Place the cake on the serving plate. Knead the icing with your hands until pliable and roll on a surface dusted with icing sugar to a circle about 35cm/14in in diameter. Brush the top of the almond paste with cooled boiled water to help the icing stick. Using the rolling pin, carefully pick up the icing and lay it over the cake. Press it gently on the top and sides. There may be folds of excess icing running down the sides. These should be trimmed and the icing pressed into place. Wet your fingers in the water to smooth over any uneven patches in the icing and trim along the bottom edge. Save any trimmings for decorating the cake.

Cut out shapes such as holly leaves and berries, or poinsettia, from the leftover icing and place them on a clean surface. Using a clean paintbrush, paint on the food colouring of your choice. Brush the undersides of the shapes with a little water and stick on to the cake.