icing your own Christmas cake - how easy is it?

[StuffTheMagicTurkey]

I'm ok with baking the cake, but think I'll make a complete hash of icing it. I want to use the stuff that covers wedding cakes (cant remember its name) I also need an alternative "inner layer" to marzipan as everyone I know hates it. Ant tips and advice gratefully received .

I ice my own cake and make royal icing. How easy it is depends on how perfect a finish you want - I tend to give it the snowdrift look (i.e. flick the knife around a lot to cover up the many imperfections). It still tastes as good.
You can buy ready made royal icing - never used it so can't comment.
As far as an alternative to marzipan goes, hmm, will ponder that one. I seem to remember my Mary Berry recipe book suggesting alternatives for marzipan and icing - like covering with nuts and fruits but have never done it.
Will come back if I can find some good ideas.

Fondant icing I think you mean. I am having the same dilema but I don't like fondant icing. I love cake and marzipan though

You can use just apricot jam, I think. Or is that to stick the marzipan on?

You can ice straight onto the cake but don't do it more than a couple of days before Xmas as colour/staining can seep up into the icing from the cake itself. Have fun - I love doing our cake!

MagicTurkey - I am not the best cook in the world. My children's mildly elaborate birthday cakes only ever vaguely resemble the picture in the recipe book.
However, last year I iced our Christmas cake with almost the greatest of ease by doing this:

Dust your worktop with icing sugar and roll out some marzipan to about the same thickness that you would use for the lids of mince pies (ie not very thick but not so thin it breaks), and enough to cover the cake. I used Tescos or Asda I think.

Warm some apricot jam in the microwave then spread it quite thinly all over the cake.

Take your rings off and dust your hands lightly with icing sugar. Put the marzipan on the cake and GENTLY smooth it down over the top and round the sides.

Leave it for 24 hours.

Dust your surface again with icing sugar and roll out some ready made fondant icing (again mine was from Tescos or Asda, can't remember). Roll it out big enough to cover the cake and as thick as you like it.

Lift it with the help of a rolling pin (stops it breaking) onto the cake, then smooth it out like you did with the marzipan, very gently with ringless fingers.

Then you can put whatever decoration on the top you like.

Oh t*ts, I misread your bit about hating marzipan. Sorry, I've no suggestions but perhaps a thicker layer of apricot jam?

Butter icing under the icing???

Snowdonim has the best idea....however if you want the look of marzipan but not the taste use some yellow icing then cover with the white

Royal icing is usually used for wedding cakes - it goes hard.

You need mazipan. If you make your own it isn't as strong as bought. You can always use a very thin layer & let people peel it off it off !
Last year I made a chocolate cake instead as the children don't like fruit cake & DP isn't fussed, so I end up eating it all !!
Used fondant icing on the cake & put santa decorations on - yummy!

I'm fairly sure you can just use icing straight onto the apricot jam. It's what I'm going to do anyway as we all hate marzipan (yacky almondy play-doh, bleuuurgh) Not planning on doing it too far in advance though as I'm still "feeding" my cake copious amounts of brandy. Hoping the kids will eat a slice each then be really chilled on Christmas day!

The colour comes through pretty quick if you don't use marzipan, and it's harder to ice (if you're using proper royal icing, i.e. egg white and icing sugar. You could always use ready to roll fondant icing though.)

But I agree with athomemum. A friend made the marzipan for our wedding cake and it was delicious. Dh usually hates marzipan, but really liked it.

Recipe for nice, thin, home made marzipan then ?

try delia for almond paste...

\link{http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/r_0000000890.asp}

not sure i added link correctly - trying again ...

\link{http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/r_0000000890.asp\delia's receipe}

Thanks very much, AtHomeMum - I will defer to the cake making experts amongst you and make marzipan (can always peel it off I guess). Don't really know why I've made a cake - not that keen on rich fruit cake, hate mazipan, not overly fond of icing. It's that whole "it's Christmas so we must have Brussels sprouts" thing, isn't it? (Though I adore sprouts, funnily enough).