My sister and I made the Christmas cake about 6 weeks ago.

I used my foolproof recipe from last year which is exactly what it is – foolproof!

https://www.bakingmad.com/foolproof-christmas-cake-recipe/

Baking it in advance gave me a few weeks to feed it with Cointreau!!

Then this weekend I covered it in marzipan; first brushing a thin layer of boiled, sieved apricot jam over it and as ready rolled marzipan was on offer I cheated and used that! It’s white marzipan so not as visible when the cake is cut. Then today I made royal icing and covered the cake, to look like snow:

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/6350/royal-icing.aspx

Then I decorated it with gold shimmer and the decorations from my Grandad’s old bakery business:

  
We cut the cake this afternoon at my Christmas drinks party & it went down very well!