Decorative Cakes Recipes -  Christening Cake

Ingredients

• 20 cm/8 inch round fruit cake (refer recipe)

• 125 g/4 oz apricot jam, boiled

• icing sugar for dusting

• 900 g/2 lb marzipan

• 1.1 kg/2 1/2 lb ready-to-roll icing:

• 850 g/1lb 14 oz white,

• 225 g/8 oz yellow,

• 50 g/2 oz brown

• food colors: yellow, brown, pink, black

• 125 g/4 oz royal icing (refer recipe)

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Method:

1. Brush the cake with the apricot jam. Dust a work surface with icing sugar, roll out the marzipan and use to cover the cake (refer recipe). Place on the board and leave to dry.

2. Roll out the white icing and cover the cake (refer recipe). Knead the trimmings together and roll out a long strip of icing to cover the board, sticking with a little water.

3. Using a no.3 piping nozzle, pipe a royal icing snail's trail around the base of the cake.

4. Roll out half the yellow icing and cut 6 equal strips about 15 cm/6 inches long and 5 mm/1/4 inch wide. Twist each strip, and stick to the sides of the cake with a lithe water. Re-roll the trimmings and more yellow icing to make the bows and tails: the bows are made from strips of icing, the ends folded into the centre and a small piece of icing wrapped around the join. Stick to the top of each swag.

5. Model the rabbit, teddy, building blocks and balls from the remaining icing, and paint on the details. Stick on to the cake with water or a little royal icing.

6. Color the remaining royal icing pale yellow. Using the no.1 piping nozzle, write the name and pipe a simple pattern around the board.