How to Ice a Cake Without a Cake Board

Here's how to ice a cake easily and simply without making a DIY cake board using marzipan and fondant icing. It's a rustic approach as it's essentially a fruit cake in a tin with grease proof paper. But, it's perfect for making Christmas cake hamper gifts for chocolate lovers.

Remember a few weeks back when I shared my easy mincemeat Christmas cake recipe and my boiled apple fruit cake recipe? And that I was storing it in a Heroes chocolate tin?

Well, today, I'm revealing one of my icing a Christmas cake ideas you can try right now. Note, this is a fondant icing Christmas cake that's a classic fruit cake with a layer of marzipan.

This is the only way I ice a Christmas cake, in the form of fully covered, or a simple disc topping. Why? Because it's effortlessly simple, elegant and my family and I love it. It's a very quick process, too, unlike many other cake decorating recipes. Like, the other night I iced 8 cakes like this in 3 hours. But I'll leave you with some ideas if you want to take things even further.

Why Ice a Cake and Give in a Chocolate Tin?

There's a few reasons I decided storing an iced Christmas cake was perfect this year. Here's my thinking:

• Cake tins and biscuit tins aren't that cheap (unless you can find some big enough in Poundland,
• Recycling a chocolate tin is good for the environment
• It's useful for posting Christmas cakes as cake boxes are usually thin card. Although, it's equally useful for icing a birthday cake.
• People can use the cake tin again and again
• It's got a solid base
• If lined with large enough baking paper, it can easily be lifted in and out
• A classic Heroes tin (800g) is 23.5cm in circumference offering enough clearance for a 20cm Christmas cake that is later marzipanned and iced.
• And my favourite reason: everyone still gets their chocolates, but stored in a gift bag and who doesn't like Cadbury's chocolate?!
• You can use the same method with a square tin, *providing you can find one big enough. You'll probably find a round cake tin is easier to source

Tools You'll Need to Ice a Cake and Store in a Tin

• Chocolate tin - approx 3cm bigger than the circumference of your un-iced Christmas cake *20cm circ cakes are VERY tight in Quality Street tins
• Greaseproof paper
• Tin foil
• Wooden chopping board - bigger than the cake
• Sauce pan
• Sieve
• 2 x bowls or containers
• Large icing rolling pin
• 2 x pastry brushes - ideally silicone so it to avoid shedding
• Sharp knife
• Palette knife
• Patterned cookie cutters if desired, such as stars, etc

Ingredients to Ice a Cake

• Fondant icing *I always buy ready to roll
• Marzipan *Again, ready to roll
• Apricot jam
• 2 tablespoon water *Or Cognac
• Icing sugar to dust
• Brandy

How to Ice a Cake

The first part I do to ice a fruit cake is:

• Place some apricot jam in a saucepan (or all if you're icing a lot of cakes) along with 2 tablespoon of water or Cognac and boil for a few minutes while stirring
• This removes any potential bacteria while you store your cake later
• Then strain the apricot jam using a sieve over a bowl and discard the lumps

Note: apricot jam is used as has a delicate flavour that doesn't conflict with the Christmas cake. It's also fairly pale in colour.

Coat the Fruit Cake in Apricot Jam

Next, place your Christmas fruit cake on a clean wooden chopping board that is large enough for the thickness of your hands either side.

Then brush it well with apricot jam. (Don't worry, I'll show you how you can remove it easily later).

This gives a sticky surface for your marzipan layer to adhere to.

Tip: avoid using a bristle type pastry brush if you can, which I always forget each year due to shedding. *I've now ordered 2 silicone pastry brushes while it's fresh on my mind for next year!

Rolling Out Your Marzipan Layer

Next, clean your kitchen counter well. The give it a good dusting of icing sugar. Remove the marzipan from the packaging and knead it for 30 seconds so it's workable and pliable without cracking. *Avoid over kneading it as you can wear it thin while rubbing it down on the cake itself.

Then for it into a flat round shape and using an icing sugar rolling pin:

• Roll out to the same circumference + 2 x the depth of the cake
• Approx 4mm thickness
• (You always need to work with more than you need to be able to cut the excess away)
• OR, just more than the circumference if you want to only add marzipan and icing on the top instead

For square cakes, form a square shape first.

Now partially roll the pastry around the rolling pin so you can move it and place it on top of your fruit cake.

Skirting the Marzipan

Once you place the marzipan on top of hour cake, you'll need to keep lifting and teasing it around the cake to avoid overlapping and creasing.

Then to mould around the cake:

• Use the palm of your hands in a circular motion and gently rub down the marzipan. I probably do this for about 10 seconds so I don't damage it.
• Then, using both palms of my hands along the sides of the cake, I smooth out the skating of the marzipan, while moving them back and forth in opposite directions. Or, you can use cake smoother polishers, but I've never found the need.
• Also, while your hands are rubbing the side, allow the sides of your hands to rub along the bottom where it is on the cake board so it's fully covered.

Cut the Excess Marzipan Away

Next, remove the excess marzipan by around it with a sharp knife. Avoid doing this on an angle so you don't cut away too much.

Then, to tidy up, I give it one last skirting rub with my hands to smooth out.

Storing Excess Marzipan

As marzipan is so delicious, I never throw it away. I store it in a food bag and wrap it in tinfoil to leave in the fridge until I want to use it again. This prevents it from drying out.

Other times, I've stored it in the freezer. But there are many leftover marzipan recipes where you can use it. Even tear it into chunks and throw it in a cake mixture before baking.

Brushing The Marzipan With Alcohol

Some bakers do. Some bakers don't. But next, I brush the marzipan with brandy as it allows the icing sugar to stick to it.

Yes, I'm using a new paintbrush pinched from my Carpenter's Daughter toolkit. I forgive myself. Just be aware of shedding again.

Repeat Rolling Icing Sugar

Then repeat the same method for rolling the fondant icing as you did for the marzipan.

However, make it thicker. I aim for around 6mm thickness as it allows for a smoother cake if it was quite bumpy to begin with.

Then cut, remove the icing sugar and store in a food bag. There's no need to worry about storing it in additional tin foil as with the marzipan.

Transferring an Iced Cake to a Chocolate or Biscuit Tin

Now for the fun part of transferring the cake to a tin! How I did it is:

• Place the lid on top of the cake
• Then carefully with both hands, hold both the wooden board and tin lid to flip it around so the cake it upside down. Don't worry if it makes an impression as you can smooth it out again
• Carefully remove the wooden board from the cake - if it's stuck, use a palette knife to tease it away
• Place a large piece of folded grease proof paper on top of the bottom of the cake and line the bottom of the chocolate tin with a piece of tin foil
• Now place the cake tin on top and gently twist it around while pressing down
• Once most of it is in, you can then flip it back around
• If you want to smooth it out again you can do it with your hand

Can You Send a Christmas Cake Through the Post?

I recently posted two of the Christmas cakes in tins via MyHermes last week and what I found, is many delivery companies don't allow food if it's perishable.

With my Christmas cakes having alcohol in them, they keep at room temperature for months. However, while it's fresh on my mind, I learnt to make sure you add more baking paper directly on top of the cake to prevent sticking to the tin lid.

Also, ensure you pack well with corrugated cardboard, packing paper and bubble wrap the tin if you can.

What To Do With Leftover Fondant Icing Sugar

Decorating Christmas Cake Icing Ideas

I almost never decorate Christmas cakes as it would take far too as I make them in big batches. However, occasionally, I'll decorate with a large ribbon bow along the side.

But, if you wanted to be more creative, here's a few Christmas cake icing ideas:

• Place your cake in the tin first because while you flip your decorated Christmas cake, the decorations will sink in and blend slightly, making it less attractive
• Create simple shapes using cookie cutters with leftover icing. Just brush the bottoms of your shapes with brandy or water and place on top of the cake. This is great for hiding any imperfections if you kneaded your icing too much and wore it thin on top while rubbing
• Make a large icing bow as featured in Charlotte's Lively Kitchen
• Try making your own icing characters - again, as seen in Charlotte's Lively Kitchen
• You can also find more cake icing techniques and tutorials for cake decorating at Christina's Cucina

Ice a Cake on a DIY Cake Board

If you really would prefer a cake board, then I'll leave you with one last idea. And that is to make a cake board using cardboard and tin foil.

This is OK if you only need to ice one cake and you know the cardboard is clean.

• Find something circular that is bigger than the cake.
• Draw around it a few times and cut cardboard circles
• Glue gun and sandwich the cardboard rounds together
• Cover with tinfoil
• Then, you can come back and follow my how to ice a cake method!

More Christmas Posts You Might Like

• How to line a cake tin
• Christmas crumble recipe with apple and mincemeat
• How to make Christmas mincemeat in a slow cooker
• Last minute Christmas cake pop gifts
• Homemade chocolate slabs, wonky like Hotel Chocolat
• Boozy Christmas chocolate fridge cake
• Chocolate salami

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