So you’ve made your fruitcake or your cookies, but they’re missing something, a bit of oomph, holiday cheer, that “wow” factor (or “aww” factor) that’ll light up the table more then the turkey dinner itself. For decorating I have two main “weapons:” royal icing and marzipan.
Marzipan:
In my family, marzipan has always meant Christmas, and I don’t think I’ve ever really eaten it other then then. Generally, I use it to top my dark fruitcake but it can be used by itself to make cute little Christmas figures (snowmen are easy and fun to make, especially with little relatives) and it is also used in stollen. Still, I don’t think any fruitcake can be considered complete until it’s topped with marzipan.
Like with my fruitcake, I use my grandma’s recipe for marzipan. Here’s what you need:
1 and 1/2 c. finely ground almonds (almost made into powder)
1 and 1/2 c. icing sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 (or 1 and a bit) egg whites
1/4 c. APRICOT jam
If you are unsure about separating egg whites here is a useful video that shows you how.
If necessary, grind the almonds. Then mix them in a bowl with the icing sugar. Add the almond extract and one egg white. Knead the mixture with your hands until the texture becomes to consistent. If the marzipan is too crumbly and is not sticking together separate another egg and lightly beat the white, adding small amounts gradually while kneading the marzipan between each addition until the crumbliness is eliminated and the marzipan sticks together readily. Sprinkle a sheet of wax paper with icing sugar and place the balled marzipan in the centre, sprinkling more icing sugar on top. Place another sheet of wax paper on top and roll out the marzipan to about half inch thickness using a rolling pin.
Heat the apricot jam (do not substitute, this recipe was designed to work best with apricot jam) in a sauce pan until hot, stirring frequently to ensure it does not burn. Coat the fruitcake with the apricot jam (this will act as a sort of glue to hold the marzipan in place) and then flip the wax paper onto the cake, marzipan side down. Peel the wax paper off and trim any marzipan which is hanging over the cake’s edge. Using any remaining marzipan, patch up any “holes” which have not been covered.
If there is extra marzipan you can use it to create little festive figurines like mentioned before, or it can be used as a garnish for the cake itself. Some examples include holly or a wreath, and once the shape has hardened onto the cake (which should be left to set overnight) food-colouring can be painted on with a small brush to add colour.
Royal Icing
Royal icing is the prime decorating icing, it is thin and easy to work with in a piping bag, yet dries hard within a short time frame. I made my royal icing using a recipe from Allrecipes.com for my gingerbread cookies, but this recipe could also be used to decorate the festive sugar cookies I also made, as well as being useful in the construction and decoration of gingerbread houses. Luckily, because it can be used for so many things, the huge amount of icing I had left over after decorating my gingerbread cookies was not a problem, as the recipe I cited above makes a lot of icing!
WARNING: Both royal icing and marzipan are made using raw eggs (egg whites). Those with a sensitive digestive system or weakened immune system should exercise caution.
I hope you enjoyed my “festive foods” adventure as much as I did, and please leave comments about any experiences you might have had making the recipes I have posted here. Have a very happy holidays from myself and of course from all of us here at Youth Are Awesome!
