Gingerbread Topped Christmas Cake #christmas #cake

Ginger cake recipe can obviously be used to just make ginger biscuits without the need to place them on top of a piece of cake and Ginger Biscuits are very nice they are too (I should know, I've been eating enough of them). They are easy to make, seasoned perfectly, and smells amazing while they baked. You need a steady hand to the pipe, but even if it turns out to wibbly slightly (I certainly was), it still looks good and relatively simple to do.

Cake recipe I used was I rich Christmas fruitcake, so the marzipan and Royal icing amounts given below is the amount that covered 18 cm round but a fruit cake which is very high. The amounts given must also be good for 20 or 23 cm round cake as well.

Ingredients :

Gingerbread:

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 240 g (2 cups) plain flour
• 100 g (3.5oz) butter cubed
• 80 g (1/3 + 1/8 cup) light brown soft sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp treacle
• 1 tbsp water
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp gorund cinnamon

Royal Icing For Gingerbread

• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg white
• 235 g (2 + 1/3 cups) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
• edible glitter (optional)

To Cover Cake:

• 3 large egg whites
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 kg (2.2lb) marzipan
• 3 tbsp apricot jam
• 675 g (6 + 3/4 cups) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp glycerine (optional)

Instructions :

Ginger:

1. Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup, molasses, water and orange peel in a saucepan and heat gently while stirring until melted and smooth.
2. Remove the Pan from the heat and beat in spices and bicarbonate of soda, followed by flour. Mix until the dough is smooth and then cover the pot and place in the fridge for about an hour, until the dough is firm.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F/180 C/gas mark 4 and line two cookie trays with parchment cake. Bringing together the dough into balls and roll on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thick inches (1/8).
4. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter and place them slightly apart on cookie trays are placed. Re-roll pieces to cut out the shape to another.
5. Place the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes until firm and then bake for 10-15 minutes until the cookies feel firm When lightly pressed and getting dark a bit at the edges. Smaller will cook faster than large ones so try to group the same size together on a tray.
6. Let cool on trays for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. After the cookies are cool, make the Royal icing. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl and add lemon juice. Stir in the egg whites a little at a time until the icing is smooth and thick but pipe-able; If you Drizzle some back into the Bowl pattern should disappear after about 8 seconds. If it is too thick then add a little more white of egg (or lemon juice if you have exhausted), and if it is too watery and then add a little more flour powdered sugar.
8. Spoon icing into piping bag fitted with a 1 mm plain round nozzle. Pipeline design of snowflakes to the biscuit (Pinterest is a great place to get inspiration for patterns!) and set it aside for half an hour to dry. Sprinkle with edible glitter if using.

To ice the cake:

1. Trim the top of the cake if it is dome and place it upside down on a serving platter or cake Board so that the flat bottom is now over. Worksurface dust with icing sugar and roll a little marzipan into a long rope. Press the rope into the gap between the bottom of the cake and Board so that it is flat all the way round. 
2. Trim any excess marzipan and add it to the rest, shape into balls and then roll out to a great circle, big enough to completely cover the cake.
3. Soft heat apricot jam until it is runny and then brush the entire cake. Carefully lift the marzipan over the cake circle and press down the side so that the cake is completely covered. You will probably get some creases and folds, just trim the excess marzipan and smooth edges together, do not need to be perfect. Trim the excess marzipan from around the bottom of the cake.
4. If you have time, allow cake to dry for several days before icing to prevent any oil from seeping into the marzipan icing. If not then you can go right ahead and ice it.
5. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the icing sugar a little at a time and fold. Stir in the lemon juice and glycerine using (Glycerin to prevent icing from setting gear-breakingly hard).
6. Beat the icing with electric mixer until very stiff and white and form a stiff peak.
7. Using a palette knife to spread the icing all over the cake, there is no need to get it too smooth.
8. Arrange stacks of ginger cake and add some stars are small around the sides. Sprinkle with edible glitter and set aside for a few hours to firm up. Store in an airtight container.