fruit cake for wedding - when to ice?

[runningLou]

I am making my sister's wedding cake in a couple of weeks (3 tiers, 10 inch chocolate, 8 inch lemon, 6 inch fruit. Using cake stand so no stacking). I did a trial run of the fruit cake last night, and sis and fiancé are coming round to try Weds pm. Cake has cooled overnight and am going to put marzipan on later today. When should I put the fondant on? Am also going to decorate with coloured fondant cut-outs. When should I do that?
Also, the sides of the cake nearly burnt last night. Have read about wrapping the tin in brown paper and string. Is that like parcel paper? Can it go in the oven?
Any other hints for cake baking or decorating much appreciated as I've never done a baking project like this before! Using me for the cake is a cost-cutting exercise really!

You can certainly wrap in Brown paper, two or three layers tied up with string (NOT POLYPROPOLENE TWINE......it will melt and burn). There is a trend in New Zealand for baking rich fruit cakes in wooden boxes. This is to provide insulation to prevent the outside burning before the inside is cooked. The oven will be at a much lower temperature than if you were baking sponge cake. My mother actually has a roll of corrugated card that she keeps just for baking her Christmas cake, winding it round the edge of the pan.

Great - thank you! Will definitely try that for the real thing. Any opinions on icing?? The marzipan is now on, and am thinking ice and decorate Tuesday? When putting buttercream all over the cake before covering with fondant, do you need to wait for buttercream to set, or put fondant straight on?

Why the buttercream? Usually with a Christmas Cake (the only sort I really do.......bread is my thing) I use boiled Apricot Jam to stick the marzipan to the cake, and the same to stick the fondant to the marzipan.

Sorry, buttercream is for the other 2 sponge layers! Yes, for fruit cake am doing marzipan and fondant. Just not sure when to put fondant over marzipan? Have read to brush marzipan with clear alcohol before applying fondant?

Alcohol may work; there are many more qualified than I to advise on that. The usual thing with Marzipan is to let the surface dry off for at least a day, and possibly as long as a week. It would open up the surface pores a little as it dries, giving the jam something to grip on to.

I always use vodka to stick my fondant onto the marzipan - it just dampens the surface enough for the fondant to really stick, but no chance of discolouring. For the real thing, let the marzipan dry for a week before you decorate (this lets the oils evaporate otherwise they can mark your fondant).
You can either add the coloured fondant straightaway or wait a day.
For the sponges, buttercream and then fondant straightaway unless you have fridge space to cool the buttercream and set it which can give a nicer finish

Trial run of top layer today!