Merry Christmas...and Christmas Cake, Part III

Here it is...the final product. (And the star of tomorrow's Christmas tea.)

I wish the very best to you and yours, whether you celebrate Christmas, something else, or nothing at all. Enjoy your holiday!

Christmas Cake, Part II

Here it is...now covered in almond icing; the holly leaves and berries are made from the leftovers. They're for the final decoration, after the royal icing is applied.

The almond icing needs to dry for several days before the royal icing goes on, as the oil from the almonds would otherwise stain it.

Yesterday I even bought a vintage cake plate to store and display the cake.

Not Christmas, but Christmas baking

This past week I did it again--made a traditional Christmas sweet that I've never made (or even tasted) before. Christmas cake!

For those Yanks who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a fruitcake---now, now---wait! Not that awful plastic and sawdust thing strangled in cellophane...this is a rich cake loaded with real dried fruit and candied fruit that I mostly candied myself, including real glace cherries. And I'm not using cheap cooking sherry to douse it, but a decent cognac.

After it's baked and then aged with the brandy, it's wrapped in an almond paste (marzipan) "icing". It must wait for its final wrapping for nearly a week, as the oil from the almonds will otherwise stain the royal icing yellow.

Right after its final icing, it's decorated. I'm still deciding, but am leaning in the direction of making marzipan holly leaves and berries...and maybe a sugar mouse or two.