Description
This festive Christmas wreath cake is a delightful holiday centerpiece featuring a beautifully decorated marzipan-covered cake with vibrant green royal icing and fondant holly leaves. Perfect for Christmas celebrations, this cake combines almond sweetness with the festive colors and flavors of the season.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base
- 1 20cm-wide Christmas cake (fully cooled, see ‘goes well with’)
Icing and Decoration
- 200g icing sugar, mixed with enough water to make a smooth runny icing, plus a little extra for rolling
- 4 tbsp apricot jam
- 500g pack marzipan
- 750g royal icing sugar
- Green food colouring
- 750g ready-to-roll white fondant icing
- 8cm round cookie cutter (optional)
- Various-sized holly cutters
- Red ribbon
- 20cm round cake board or cake stand
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Ensure the 20cm Christmas cake is completely cooled, then remove it from the tin and peel off the baking parchment. Use an 8cm round cookie cutter to cut a hole through the center of the cake by pushing down firmly, then cut all the way through with a small sharp knife. Carefully remove the center, lifting and pushing the smaller cake up from underneath. Save this smaller cake for decorating or gifting.
- Position the Cake: Spread a little of the runny icing around the edges of a cake board or stand and invert the large cake onto it to secure the base.
- Line the Hole and Cover with Marzipan: On a clean surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out 100g marzipan into a long rectangular strip about 8 x 20cm. Trim the edges neatly and use this piece to line the central hole of the cake. Trim any excess for a perfect fit. Next, roll out the remaining marzipan into a circle large enough to cover the cake—use kitchen string to measure if needed. Melt the apricot jam with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, sieve, and brush it evenly over the cake surface. Cover the cake with the rolled marzipan, smoothing to remove any wrinkles and trim away any excess marzipan from the bottom and hole edges.
- Prepare and Apply Green Royal Icing: In a large bowl, mix the royal icing sugar with enough water to create a thick, spreadable icing. Add green food colouring to achieve a rich leaf green tone. Spread this royal icing evenly and quickly over the marzipan-covered cake. It does not have to be neat as most icing will be covered by fondant decorations.
- Create Holly Decorations: Divide the white fondant icing into two lumps and dye each a different shade of green. Roll out the fondant smooth and use various-sized holly cutters to cut out multiple holly leaves. Use a little of the runny icing as glue to stick the holly leaves all over the top of the cake in a densely layered fashion to resemble a festive wreath.
- Finishing Touch: Tie a big red ribbon into a bow and place it at the top of the wreath cake to complete this beautiful Christmas centerpiece.
Notes
- Ensure the cake is fully cooled before decorating to prevent melting the icing.
- Roll fondant and marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to prevent sticking.
- Use a sieve when brushing apricot jam to keep the glaze smooth and free of fruit lumps.
- The smaller cut-out cake center can be decorated separately and gifted, reducing waste.
- Work quickly when applying royal icing as it sets fairly fast.
- Optional: For extra shine, you can lightly brush the fondant holly leaves with edible glaze spray.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Christmas cake, wreath cake, marzipan cake, holiday dessert, festive cake, royal icing, fondant decorations, holly decoration
