Naked Christmas cake?

[Swissnotswiss]

I need inspiration! Nobody likes icing or marzipan but I still want it to look festive. Has anyone made one without icing?

You could get a Christmassy stencil and sake icing sugar over it to make a pattern (eg snowflakes) or just wrap it in a Christmas ribbon. Or decorate with dried fruit (apricots, glacé cherries) and nuts like a Dundee cake.

*shake. Not sake.

The Nigella chocolate Xmas cake uses chocolate coffee beans and gold stars to decorate (and is delicious).

What about decorating with glacé fruits and nuts? I usually bake them onto the top of mine but you could stick them on with apricot jam?

Nobody much likes marzipan and icing here. But I still put it on because it looks so pretty! However I just do the top and treat it as decoration - in much the same way as the cake frill that goes round the side.

Thanks. I can't get marzipan and don't really want to make it so I might just do fruits but can you put icing on without marzipan???

Only if you want it to become a sticky mess. Don’t do fruit and icing. Bleugh.

😄 Fair enough! I was thinking of something like this)- but it's actually a spinge cake. I guess it wouldn't work over fruit cake.

I can't imagine the buttercream icing on your picture would taste great with Christmas cake... but the oranges and fir would look great.

I'd put the oranges closer together, so they overlap slightly, and lay the fir over, so the oranges give a bright background for the fir to stand out against the dark cake. Then maybe sprinkle some cranberries rather than pomegranate?

How about one the old fashioned way, with glazed fruit and nuts on the top?

If it's good enough for Betty's...

Fruit cake and cheese works so you might get away with cream cheese frosting……

Could you just do icing on the top, so those that don't like it have less to leave. Like those little shop bought ones you see.

If you can't get marzipan, does that mean your abroad? Does that limit what you have access to? Icing sugar was always pants (read, grainy) where we were.
Could you make a small amount of royal (or maybe even thick glace?) icing, and use it to glue the fruit on as in your picture?
I'm not convinced by buttericing on fruit cake.

Yes, I'm in Italy. I can get icing sugar (or make it) though. I actually really like the idea of just icing the top, thanks! Don't know why it never occurred to me!