It's Christmas!

For the last few years instead of other gifts, I've been making little decorated Christmas cakes for my friends at Christmas.

I started a few weeks ahead, doing it in sessions, as a fair few hours can be whiled away...

First was the baubles and after a bit of experimenting, I decided on a few patterns and did one bauble colour at a time. I used edible glue with a small paintbrush and found tweezers very handy for placing on each of the little cachous (edible ball sweets).

I have 8 of the small sized tins, and so made 2 batches of cakes so that I'd have enough. Before putting on the roll-out fondant icing. I brushed them with a mixture of apricot jam and brandy. That ensured that the icing sticks. And I don't worry about putting a layer of marzipan on, just the one layer of icing - that does the job sufficiently for my purposes.

Then I stick the covered cakes on their little boards with a bit of royal icing, also sticking the finished baubles on top with a dab of royal icing. I brushed on some edible glue and placed the last lot of little silver balls to hang the bauble on.

With a ribbon around the bottom, and into their plastic boxes, they were ready for giving. Happy Christmas everybody!