Icing and Decorating Christmas Cakes and A Passion for Baking Competition for December

)I love Christmas! This time of year, when all the lights start popping up all over the place, Christmassy smells wafting from my kitchen, jars of mincemeat all lined up in my kitchen cupboards along with an array of chutneys. But the most exciting thing is the star attraction, icing the cake. I'm really not the most creative person so it is quite a simple look. I know lots of you will be far more creative. So here is just a starting point. Please don't forget this months competition is the Christmas Cake from my book. Normal rules apply (see bottom of the page).

Start by gently heating some apricot jam. Brush the cake all over with the jam. Roll out your marzipan, I used 1 pkt (about half a killo) but I'm not a big lover of it and so prefer it on the thin side.
Leave it to dry overnight. The next day brush over the marzipan with a little water. I use a ready rolled packet of fondant, lay the fondant over the cake. (See picture)
Gently pull the icing out and then ease into place (see picture below). Once all the cake is covered and the icing is in place you can use either smoothers or a piece of folded kitchen roll to smooth out any lumps and bumps trimming off the excess.

To make the igloo roll out some flower or gum paste  on a brick texture mat, cut out a circle and line either in a half circle mould or a teacup with it, and leave to set, cut a small oblong of icing to make the opening of the igloo and place over a small rolling pin. To make the bear watch the mini video I've added. To bring the cake together, roll some some balls out of fondant 'glue' onto the top of the cake using a little water with a craft paint brush, roll out a blue circle, brush the underside with a sparse brushing of water, then gently roll into place with a plastic small rolling pin, to give a less uniformed pond, glue the igloo into place with water and then the polar bear. Once everything is dry and firm in place tie with a pretty ribbon and gently brush all over with lustre dust.
 




 

TO ENTER
1. You must make the Christmas Cake (above) from A Passion for baking page  107.
2. Then post a picture of your bake on my Facebook page  with your Cake and A Passion for baking in the shot. It would be fabulous if you could share on your page  a link to my blog. The book must be present in the shot, so its fair that everyone is using the same recipe.
3. You can use anything you like to decorate your cake 
4. I will choose a winner on Dec 30th, all bakes must be posted by the 30th at 10am
5. The winner can choose from either Hummingbird Bakery Cake days or a 50% off voucher for one of my masterclasses. No cash alternatives will be given and if the 50% voucher is chosen it must be used within 6 mths of winning.

Good luck everyone. I look forward to seeing all the lovely entries xx

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT PHOTO'S NEED TO BE UPLOADED FROM A COMPUTER ONTO MY PAGE, PHONES AND I PADS DON'T SEEM TO WORK. JoXXX