Is there an alternative to marzipan/ icing

mysparrow

for my homemade Christmas cake?

Can anyone help! I hate the taste of marzipan but love fruit cake. The cake I've made is not the prettiest (!) so needs a cover of some sort. I can't seem to find any recipe alternatives. Anyone have a suggestion for me please?:T

Bennifred

How about some sort of glazed fruit decoration?

LondonDreamer

If you like the regular icing, I would just leave the marzipan layer out.

Otherwise, you could consider covering the top with nuts and wrap the sides with a ribbon if they need hiding? Sure I saw one of the TV chefs (I think it was Nigella) do this but can't find a link right now so there's an example pic of something similar here: http://www.glutafin.co.uk/Recipe/Nut-Topped-Christmas-Cake/

stiltwalker

My Dad is not keen on icing and marzipan so whenever he can get away with it he finishes the top of the Christmas cake with a beautifully arranged decoration of glace fruit and nuts. If you glaze the top with apricot jam first you have something for the piece to stick to. If you have a Julian Graves or a good health food type shop near you they sell different coloured glace cherries and large pieces of candied citrus fruit peel so you can cut long pieces or shapes. If you make a pattern on the top rather than just throwing things on randomly it can look really beautiful.

mysparrow

Thanks everyone, I will get my creative head on!

tanith

If you buy the ready rolled icing you could just put it on directly on the cake without the marzipan......

mysparrow

I had thought about that but I believe the marzipan is used to stop the icing turning brown from the cake. I suppose I could put it on at the last minute. It only needs to look good until that first cut really!

jackieglasgow

Do a white buttercream frosting, and make it into tiny little peaks allover. I will find a pic to show you what I mean I am rubbish at description! Or there is an icing you can do with icing sugar egg white and glycerin, or if you know how to make italian meringue, you could do that!

mysparrow

Ooooo! I like the sound of that. Will it 'go' with fruit cake do you think? I've never made one before & I've never seen anybody else's with anything other than marzipan & icing (I peel it off & give it away!).
Not sure I could cope with Italian meringue just yet, although if I get some time I might experiment...
Thank you.

jackieglasgow

The egg white(royal) icing is what I would put over a christmad cake for decoration, over the marzipan and icing (I love marzipan) and would be fine on its own. Italian merignue is actually very simple to do, try and find a tutorial online and you'll be laughing, it also has the added benefit of heat so the egg whites would be safer to eat if you have anyone pregnant or elderly.

Here's a recipe for royal icing which should be enough to cover your cake http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/christmascakeicing_2360 I will go find an italian meringue recipe too. Oh I forgot about Swiss meringue, which is even easier as you don't need to heat the sugar in the same way, that would be good for your cake!!

mysparrow

Thanks you're fab!