Part 1 – How to make your cake
Part 2 – How to marzipan your cake
This project started a couple of months ago when I promised one of my evening classes I would teach them how to decorate Christmas cakes. Today I finally finished decorating them. I really enjoyed this project and plan to given them away as presents, but right now don’t know which one I’m going to keep for us as I love them all for different reasons.
I have so many other decorating ideas, but only made 6 cakes so the other techniques will have to wait. They may be small cakes, but they still take a while to decorate. Each cake requires about 200g of sugarpaste. The four cakes covered in sugarpaste all use the covering method you can find on The Pink Whisk’s blog. I also brush the cake lightly with freshly boiled water to help the icing adhere. Usually I cover the board then cover the cake, this is personal preference. You don’t have to cover the boards at all, but I find it looks neater and I have a particular aversion to the Christmas themed foil boards. To stick the sugarpaste/sugar florist paste decorations to the cake I use either gin or vodka as it’s quick drying, less likely to stain and sticks well. You can also use water, but I find gin/vodka works better. All of these designs are simple and can be easily replicated. No special equipment needed apart from maybe the odd length of ribbon and a piping bag. The cakes were made using one of my favourite recipes, steeped in Sloe Gin, then covered in marzipan over a week ago.
Christmas Present Cake
This is probably my favourite cake. It is simply covered in red sugarpaste then decorated with a bow made from sugar florist paste. This is a type of modelling icing that has a finer, stretchier texture and allows you to roll it a great deal thinner than sugarpaste. It also sets very hard. Icing flowers you see for sale are made from this and while yes it is edible it’s used more for decoration. I love working with sugar florist paste. Unless you are going to be using a lot just buy white florist paste and colour your own.
To make the bow take two identical lengths of sugar florist paste. Fold one of the lengths over itself in the middle. This will be the loose ends of the bow. Place the folded part of this length in the middle of the cake. Take the other length and fold both ends to the middle and pinch together. Get a smaller length of sugar florist paste and wrap around the middle of the bow to give the illusion of a knot. This is the bow loops. Stick this on top of loose part of the bow.
Holly Cut Out Cake
The green from this cakes comes from the green marzipan layer. This time don’t brush the marzipan with water when adding the sugarpaste as you’ll struggle to get the cutouts cleanly away from the marzipan. Cover the cake with sugar paste then using a holly cutter cut out the holly shapes. Using some water stick the remaining icing to the marzipan. Roll balls of red icing and stick in place with vodka.
Snowflake Cake
This cake started out slightly different, hence the snowballs trimming the bottom of the cake, then I saw these beautiful Victorian inspired Ice Crystal Cakes cakes on Peggy Porchen and decided I had to give these a go. It is piped on using royal icing and the silver balls are great new ones from Dr Oetker that don’t break your teeth. If I was to do these cakes again I would keep the decorative snowflake, leave out the decoration on the side, then just trim the bottom of the cake with simple ribbon.
Glitter Stars
Possibly the easiest of the cakes. Simply covered in white sugarpaste. Then I kneaded some gold lustre dust into a small amount of sugarpaste then once rolled out, dusted in edible glitter. Cut out the stars then stuck on with vodka. Edible glitter is always difficult to photograph. In real life this cake is very glittery! This is a very good cake to do if your icing has flaws. Stick a star over the cracks.
Florentine Topped Cake
No icing required here. Melt 15g butter with 15g golden syrup. Mix in 50g mixed fruit & nuts (Lidl do a particuarly fantastic bag of fruit & nuts that I’ve used here). Spoon topping onto cake then leave to set. Trim with ribbon.
Traditional Royal Icing
Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Christmas cake topped with break-your-teeth royal icing. I use Royal Icing Sugar as it is easier and more convenient. For a 3 inch cake like these you need about 100g royal icing sugar and 15ml of water. Using an electric whisk whip until you have soft peaks. If it doesn’t reach soft peak stage, add more icing sugar a tbsp at a time. When spreading the icing on you can either make it smooth or go old school and make peaks in the icing to make it look like snow. To make the icing harder add a dash of lemon juice, to make it softer add a bit of glycerine. The robin comes from one of the cakes I made on Holly Bell’s cupcake course. Can you spot the foot prints in the snow? There were made with the end of a skewer.
So how have you decorated your Christmas cake this year?
UPDATE: 29/11/2012
A primary school in Beverley, East Yorkshire have been making these cakes as part of an enterprise project. They will be selling the cakes to raise money for school. I think you’ll agree they have made some wonderful cakes.
12/12/2012
Natalie has emailed me the pictures she’s made with cakes baked in Moshi Monster tins. She packed them up and gave them as gifts to friends.
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Sally
December 8, 2011 at 7:52 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
The snowflake cake is my favourite and has given me lots of ideas for my full-sized Christmas cake. Loved this series and will make minis next year. How long before Christmas can you ice your cake?
Jules
December 9, 2011 at 7:43 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Sally, you can ice them weeks in advance. The icing essentially seals in the cake. Mine will be stored in cardboard cake boxes (like what you get in bakeries) until I’m ready to give them as gifts. They could also be stored in tins.
Leamlass
December 9, 2011 at 2:06 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
How beautiful ! I didn’t make a Christmas Cake this year, but will for sure next year. You have been an inspiration for me. They look so professional, and I would so hate to cut into them. Good show.
Karen
December 9, 2011 at 12:03 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
WONDERFUL selection of cakes, I DO love decorating cakes and these are all amazing!
mykitchenstories
December 9, 2011 at 1:31 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
These are great. Have only just looked at them although they have been in my inbox for a while. I love the royal icing baby penguin., But they are all cute and a great idea
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
December 9, 2011 at 6:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
These look great – I love how they’re all totally different but all look straightforward to do.
Sally
December 10, 2011 at 5:41 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thanks Jules. I’ll get onto mine this week.
Susan
December 10, 2011 at 11:13 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I am not-so-secretly intimidated by fondant decoration. This is great, and makes me want to overcome my fears! (Maybe I should take a class?) Beautiful,clearly-stated how-tos. (And I love the little prints in the snow!)
Jules
December 10, 2011 at 8:35 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thank you Susan. I used to have a similar fear about Fondant. I day course may be beneficial, even if it is decorating cupcakes with fondant as it’ll give you the basics. I highly recommend the Planet Cake book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Cake-Paris-Cutler/dp/1741963184.
julesrecipes
December 12, 2011 at 3:25 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I decided to make my own 12 mini Christmas cakes so I’ve been following all your follow up posts! It’s been a labour of love for the last few weeks, feeding them regularly, marzipan will be done this week and I’ll ice them next weekend. I think I’m going for royal icing with sugar craft decorations, but have no idea what quantity of royal icing I’ll need – how much did you need for one mini cake? Help much appreciated!
Jules
December 12, 2011 at 3:32 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi, glad you’ve enjoyed this series of posts. Sorry for missing out the royal icing quantities, I’ve now amended the post. use 100g royal icing sugar and 15ml water for each cake. I recommend you make it in a bowl bigger than you think you need because it goes everywhere! Let us know how you get on.
Jules
bakecakecrumbs
December 16, 2011 at 9:03 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oh, they’re all gorgeous – you’re so creative and talented! My mum often makes baked bean tin sized cakes, and tends to do marzipan and then a rough snow icing, but no more. They’re all very impressive.
An Irish Village Pantry
January 7, 2012 at 11:38 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
As a novice cake decorator, so glad I found your blog! Great tips, and beautiful pics! Thanks x
Jules
January 7, 2012 at 11:52 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi, you can find most of my cake decorating here http://thebutcherthebaker.wordpress.com/tag/cake-decorating
Lynda Kelly
January 19, 2012 at 12:34 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
What a wonderful and inspired blog – full of great ideas and great photos too. I love the idea of the baked bean tin Christmas cakes. It’s mid-January and I’m about to make some birthday cakes for family members who can never eat too much “Christmas” cake. I shall go and buy tins of baked beans and spagetti hoops right now. Thank you!
Ruth Spackman
September 6, 2012 at 11:34 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
These are wonderful and I’d like to make them with school children. How much sugarpaste would it take to cover 1 mini cake please?
Jules
September 7, 2012 at 6:27 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Ruth, it takes about 200g of sugarpaste to cover a mini cake. To make cake decorating easier for children you can ice just the top of the cake. If you make them I’d love to see some photos.
Sheena Dunn
October 3, 2012 at 9:44 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Ruth, we have made baked bean cakes with our Brownie pack for the last 2 years, I just found this blog while looking for a new recipe as I have lost the old one. We tend to do the mixing one week, send them home to bake, then marzipan and ice the following week, the girls (aged 7-10) have loved it and all want to do it this year too. Jules I love the decorating Ideas – thank you.
Ruth Spackman
October 11, 2012 at 10:05 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Sheena! I am making these cakes as part of an enterprise project with a local school. The kids have done a business plan, sourced ingredients, made financial decisions etc and they are loving it! Quote from the teacher” I’ve never seen them so motivated!” One little blip – last week when we were lining the tins, we had a few cut fingers! Nothing serious! Next time they’ll use pastry brushes! We’re mixing and baking this week, so fingers crossed they turn out okay!
Hazel Truslove
November 19, 2012 at 3:09 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
My guide unit has made these cakes (37 of them) we are planning to marzipan them this week but wont be icing them until the following week – so what is the best way to store them for a week when they have marzipan on?
Jules
November 19, 2012 at 3:15 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
The best way to store them is in a breathable box. You want the marzipan to dry out on the surface. I usually store them in cardboard cake boxes that you can get at cake decorating shops. I’d love it if you could send me photos of their completed cakes.
Hazel Truslove
November 19, 2012 at 3:22 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thank you! Yes I will send photos when they are completed.
Ruth Spackman
November 20, 2012 at 3:17 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hello fellow baked bean Christmas cake fans! My class of 9 year olds decorated theirs last week and this week we rare going to make the boxes for them ready to sell at the school Christmas fair on 29th November. They are absolutely brilliant – I couldn’t believe how good they look (although not as good as yours, Jules!!).
I will post some photos soon.
Jules
November 20, 2012 at 6:55 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Ruth, I’m so pleased to hear that. Once you have photos please could you email them to julesatdit@gmail.com and I’ll put a gallery on the end of this post so others can see the creations.
tracy
December 14, 2012 at 9:49 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Super idea, I’ve been asked to take something traditional (British) to a very Italian dinner…can’t wait to get started.
xxt
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December 8, 2011 at 6:15 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
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