Winter wonderland Christmas cake

This showstopper will dazzle and delight

DECORATES 1 20.5cm (8in) round fruit cake PREP 45min, plus drying COOK about 20min

• Black, white, orange, red and yellow ready-to-roll icing

• 20.5cm (8in) round fruit cake

• 2tbsp smooth apricot jam

• Icing sugar, to dust

• 500g (1lb 2oz) marzipan

• 500g pack royal icing sugar (we used Silver Spoon)

• 100g (3½oz) Fox’s glacier mints, unwrapped

YOU’LL ALSO NEED

• Cocktail sticks

• Florist’s wire or string

• Ivory edible glitter or sparkles (optional)

• Ribbon, to tie

• Blue food colouring

1 For the penguins, use black icing to make an oval for the body and ball for the head. Flatten 2 pieces of black icing for wings, followed by a white flat oval for the stomach. Form beak and feet from orange icing. Brush water on feet, beak, stomach, wings and head, and stick to body. Use a cocktail stick to make indents for eyes.

2 For the polar bear, roll a white oval for the body and ball for the head – pinch it to form a snout. Roll 4 white sausage shapes for arms and legs. Brush water on head, arms and legs and stick to body. Make white ears and a black nose and stick to head. Prick eyes using a cocktail stick.

3 Make hats, scarf, presents and fish from coloured icing. Tie wire around cocktail sticks for fishing rods. Allow decorations to dry for at least 4hr or overnight.

4 Put cake on a serving plate and spread top and sides with jam. Dust the worktop with icing sugar and roll out marzipan to a 33cm (13in) circle. Position on top of the cake and smooth over sides. Trim.

5 Make royal icing according to pack instructions. Use a palette knife to swirl it over the cake, reserving a little for later. Shape a recess in the icing for the pond. Sprinkle glitter or sparkles over the cake, if using. Tie ribbon around the base.

6 For the pond, preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Cut a 28 x 28cm (11 x 11in) square of foil, fold in half, then shape into a cup. Put mints into foil, stand on a baking tray, then heat in the oven for 20min or until mints have melted. Working quickly, use a cocktail stick to stir a tiny amount of blue food colouring into the syrup, then pour into the pond recess.

7 Use reserved royal icing to stick figures on cake. Add tree decorations, if you like.

WHERE TO FIND

For ivory edible glitter, visit thecakedecoratingcompany.co.uk. Find similar trees (Green Plastic Fir Tree 9cm, 50p each) at cakecraftworld.co.uk.

In our November issue, we gave you the recipe for a fab fussfree Christmas cake. Now it’s reaching its full-flavoured peak, it’s time to add decorations…