Marzipan and icing a cake

By using ready-made marzipan and soft icing, decorating the Christmas cake is made easy.

Use small pieces of marzipan to fill in any holes in the cake.

On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll the remaining marzipan out into a circle large enough to cover the cake. Using a rolling pin, lift it onto the cake.

Ease the marzipan onto the cake, smoothing out any creases. Trim any excess marzipan from around the edge of the cake, then leave to harden overnight.

Brush the marzipan with gin or vodka, then cover with a 4 mm (¼ inch) layer of soft icing, using the same method as for the marzipan. Trim any excess icing from around the base of the cake.