Decorating a Celebration cake

Prep Time: 0:50
Cook Time: 0:00
Serves: 12

Ingredients / Shopping List

1 jar apricot jam

250g white almond paste

250g ready to use icing 

Prep to Cook:

Rolling pin, Cling film, round bladed knife, tablespoon, basin,  pastry brush, cake board

 

Prep:

Unwrap the cake and position it on a cake stand.

Sieve the apricot jam to remove fruit lumps.  Warm the sieved jam in the microwave.

Using a pastry brush coat the cake and cake sides with apricot jam.

Lay a large piece of cling film on the work surface.

Press the marzipan block until it is more pliable and form a ball.

Cover the ball of marzipan with another layer of cling film.

Roll the marzipan to a circle bigger than the top of the cake.

Peel the marzipan off the bottom layer of cling film and lift over the cake.

Position the marzipan centrally over the cake.

Gently stroke the cling film from the centre down the sides of the cake.

Work the marzipan down the sides of the cake using a rolling pin over the cling film.

Once the marzipan is down the sides, peel off the cling film.

Neaten the marzipan edges using a round bladed knife.

Repeat the same process with the roll-out icing.

Stick decorative items, such as rolled and cut icing shapes to the surface with a little water.

Mark the icing with textured surface such as a cheese grater to add effects.

Wrap the whole cake with cellophane.

Check it out!

Ready-made marzipan is cheaper than home-made and is always a good consistency.  Once the marzipan is covering the cake the icing can be put on.  Ready made icing can be bought rolled out and ready to use.  Alternately you can use a block of icing and roll it yourself.

Recipe Science

Cooks Know How:     Glycerine makes icings soft and pliable and easy to roll out.  Marzipan or almond paste makes a coating that seals a cake to help it keep moist.  It gives a smooth layer and prevents the cake from discolouring the icing.  The smooth paste is an excellent surface upon which the icing can be applied.  Decorating cake makes it suitable for a specific occasion or person.  Many cake decorations can be purchased or created by using portions of the ready-roll icing.  Marzipan and icing add calories to the cake.