Christmas Cake - Feeding time over

I have been feeding my Christmas cake approximately every other day for the last 3 – 4 weeks.  Every time I open the box I get the most heavenly scent waft up.  I can’t wait to try a slice.  From past experience of Christmas cake making, over the last two years, it always seems to be a moment of disappointment when I cut into the cake.  Year one I hadn’t cut/chopped the ingredients small enough.  Year two wasn’t too bad but the cake was very dry.  We shall see what happens in a couple days time.



This weekend was time to decorate.  I removed the cake from the box and turned it upside down on to a cake stand.  This makes it easier to turn round as you work on the cake.
 
In a bowl I mixed a tablespoon of caster sugar with a splash of water and a splash of brandy to make sugar syrup.  I then brushed this over the cake to make it sticky and ready to apply the marzipan.

I used some shop bought white marzipan to coat the cake.  I split the marzipan into 2 and roll the first half into a long strip to coat the outside of the cake.  I used the first thing that came to hand to measure the circumference of the cake, a pair of oven gloves.  The type joined in the middle and not the glove type.  I wrapped the gloves around the cake and then checked this against my rolled out marzipan.  My marzipan was a little short but I had run out of work surface so had to use what I had.  I cut one straight edge along the length and then wrapped this carefully around the cake with the straight edge along the base.  I then got a pair of scissors and cut the excess from the top edge.   The bits I cut off, I then squidged back together and made an extra bit to fit into the gap.  I did the same again and cut a straight edge then laid it on to the side of the cake.  Where the marzipan overlapped I laid one over the other and carefully cut through both layers of marzipan with a sharp knife.  I removed the cut ends and the edges then fitted perfectly together.

I rolled the top out from the remaining marzipan and used the tin that I baked the cake in as a template to cut around.  When this was placed on top of the cake it also fitted perfectly.  I then gently patted it all over and checked the seams/joins where all perfect as well.

Christmas Cake - All ready for icing...

All ready for the icing…