Christmas Cake Icing

[PasDevantLesElephants]

Just looking for advice on what icing the discerning MN-er uses on their Christmas cakes.

I remember horrible peaky mouth-stabby royal icing from when I was a child and have used rolled out fondant before but feel there must be something better. What you recommend?

I use royal icing. It tastes much better than fondant. You don't have to do it peaky and could try a smoother finish?

I use royal icing too - I think it goes with the marzipan better than fondant.

any tips for royal icing? I might do that this year. Can you stick decorations on top of it?

Royal icing here too, with small occasional peaks rather than the hard spikes my Grandma preferred

I put Playmobil animals on the top for a snowy forest look. I do it a week or so before Christmas. I much prefer the taste of royal icing to fondant.

I do royal icing as well. I love a good snow scene! (Love the sound of the playmo animal decorations!)

If you put a bit of glycerine in it, that makes it soft and not mouth stabby (I know what you mean)!

Also you can get royal icing sugar that has dried egg white in it, so you don't have to use raw egg. I think it's a tate and lyle one.

If you prefer a softer royal icing you can add a few drops of glycerin

I use the Tate and Lyle royal icing sugar powder too, the glycerin is a good tip. I might try that this year.

One tip from me, dont forget the apricot jam to attach the marzipan to the cake!

Hobbycraft are selling lots of little Christmas decorations that would work well on a Christmas cake.

I love rock hard royal icing but a forced by popular opinion to add glycerine. The bags of royal icing sugar can be really hard to get hold of if you leave it til right before Christmas so my advice is to add to your next shop,

I shall keep a look out for it, thanks!
Can you stick fondant to royal icing?

My kids don't like meringue and find royal icing too similar, just be aware

I always do fondant, but I'm terrible at it and it looks like a patchwork quilt so I might try Royal Icing this year!

We copied Nigella a few years back and bought some kitsch little deer and father Christmas ornaments. Best couple of pounds we have spent in a long time.

If you can’t be fussed to make royal icing but like the peaked look. Break up a fondant block into smallish bits add a little cooled boiled water and whisk with a hand whisk. Start on slow keep going until it forms a thick paste use like royal icing but it stays soft like fondant.

Oh Serin! I saw Nigella's little deer and bought some too. I put them on a 'mounain' of Rocky Road, dusted with icing sugar 'snow' and some sprigs of rosemary for trees. Just like hers. 😃

Royal icing.

Never the ready made roll out stuff.

This is awesome advice, thanks all.

I will shop for royal icing sugar and glycerine tomorrow and see how I get on. The kitsch little plastic Santa, snowman and ridiculously out of proportion reindeer and robins arrived in the post today so I'm almost good to go!

Oooh just found the Nigella pictures online so have ordered a few more plastic reindeer just to classy things up a bit more

Just thought I'd pop back and show off the triumph in 70s kitsch I've achieved.

I've used the apricot jam, the royal icing sugar and the glycerine and the icing is not too stabby. Gone for the (sub) Nigella-style alpine scene as well, obv!

pasdevant that looks awesome! Another one voting for royal icing and a wintery scene. Decorating the Christmas cake was the only domestic thing my dad ever did (it was the fifties in his defence) and he always used the same decorations every year with roughed up hard as nails Royal icing but a smoothed out pathway for santas sleigh.

I haven't made a cake this year, but In a drawer I have a load of vintage cake decorations I bought off ebay, little bisque angels and cherubs, polar bears and other bits. THey are mega cute. Maybe they will decorate the mince pies this year......

PS loving the body building testosterone fuelled Robin! He would give the local magpies a run for their money. Not to mention foxes, wolverines, honey badgers , wolves...........

I love the kitsch decorations. I have used Aldi’s raft icing which I roll out myself and it looks pretty good. As for decorations I like Fiona Cairns style which is simple but effective.