h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I haven't heard it called 'paste' before. But it's nice to see someone else giving marzipan the old heave ho. Never as nice as a home made one.
I've made an xmas cake every year for the last 8 years from an old recipe book of my grandmothers. No idea how old it it, but except for the treacle, it's amazingly like yours. Even the same size! I usually make it in September, to give it time to mature. Like fine wine!
I'm off to read the rest of this project now.

Hi Mina

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

We always called it almond paste at home and I agree it is far superior to shop-bought marzipan.

Hopefully I mentioned about making it early? I better go and check! I always made time at at half-term for cooking so the house would be full of smells of pickled onions, Christmas Cake and Pudding and marmalade! Maybe I should write about making jams, marmalade and orange and lemon curd next?

I failed miserably to do any preparations this year which is probably why I enjoyed working on this project so much. I think my daughter is sending me a 'food parcel' through for Christmas so I should have the elusive ingredients I was missing ready for next year... mixed or candied peel for one!

shazz

I made the cake late this year, a couple of weeks ago. I'm getting the stuff to make the almond stuff today, although my mum said I should have made it a week before I wanted to ice it. And I'll probably be icing it on xmas day, but I've had cake with soft icing before! My mum used to make it all stand up like the artex on a ceiling, so it can be prickily to eat when it's set properly.
I'm not very organised this year, you didn't mention how to get 8 people round a table with only 4 chairs, and I haven't got enough crockery!
*goes and hides under the sofa* I'll think about that at the weekend when I have a man to make me for my frazzled brain.
I liked this project, very well timed and helpful. Well done!

Thanks Mina

Ah yes... the logistics of fitting far more people into the house than there is room for! Maybe I'll write about that at a later date!

The last big family Christmas I prepared had 16 people, two cats and two dogs in attendance!

If you put a teaspoon of glycerine in the icing it should stay softish... I know what you mean about those impossible artex peaks! In the good old days I used a 'blue bag' to keep the icing pure white... whatever happened to those eh?

shazz

I'm not sure what a blue bag is.
To let you in on a little secret, all the xmas cakes bar one have been eaten before the almond or royal icing got near them! The one that was done properly, my ex husband did while I was busy having a baby 3 weeks before xmas!
so I'm not sure how this icing lark is going to go...

As long as you keep the Royal Icing covered with a damp cloth and use a palette knife dipped in hot water you should be fine! If you haven't done it before, go for the peaks effect rather than trying to make it smooth... remember to leave room for the little figures or whatever you are putting on it. If all else fails, use silver balls... drago's or whatever they are called, or those great orange and lemon slices.

You can save some hassle by cheating and wrapping the sides with a cake band of course!

shazz

Have you ever tried to make icing with a sugar substitute for diabetics or dieters?

Not personally, but I believe that they work just as well as the real thing SE

I am sure recipes would be available at the Diabetics Society web pages.

shazz

I didn't even know there was such a thing

*goes to troll the internet*

I found loads when I just had a quick look... Diabetes dot org dot uk has lots of useful tips.

BTW... 'The myth that people with diabetes should not eat any sugar still persists, but the truth is that people with diabetes can eat sugar'... You don't need to adapt your recipes when baking if you only eat cakes at special occasions such as birthdays.'

So... maybe a once-a-year treat of Christmas Cake with Royal icing is fine

shazz

Yes, but I'm a diabetic on a diet. Sort of a double edged sword.

Oh dear... I see what you mean SE!

I have a nasty feeling that the almond paste and icing would be rather inappropriate.

Just put a pretty big ribbon around it and dust with the diabetic sugar... you can still make it look festive without all the calories.

shazz