Description
This Classic Iced Holly Cake is a timeless festive dessert, featuring a rich Christmas cake covered with smooth marzipan and pristine white fondant icing, decorated with vibrant red berries and green holly leaves made from coloured fondant. The cake is finished with edible red glitter, making it perfect for holiday celebrations with a professional, polished look.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base
- 1 x 20cm round or square Suits-all Christmas cake
Prepare Cake Layers and Coverings
- 5 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
- 500g pack marzipan
- icing sugar, for dusting
Icing
- 1¼ kg ready-to-roll white fondant icing
- green food colouring
- red food colouring
- edible red glitter
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake Base: Place the 20cm Christmas cake on a cake board or serving plate. Brush the top and sides with some of the warmed apricot jam to help the marzipan adhere.
- Roll Out the Marzipan: Dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan until it is large enough to cover the entire cake. Use a piece of string to measure if needed for accuracy.
- Cover Cake with Marzipan: Carefully lift and drape the rolled marzipan over the cake. Smooth it down the sides ensuring it sticks well. Trim any excess marzipan from the bottom edges. Brush the entire marzipan surface with more apricot jam to seal and add moisture.
- Prepare the Fondant Icing Surface: Clean your work surface thoroughly and dust lightly with icing sugar. Knead 850g of the white fondant icing until it becomes very smooth and pliable to make it easier to roll out.
- Cover Cake with Fondant Icing: Roll out the kneaded fondant icing on the dusted surface so it’s large enough to cover the cake. Carefully lift and place over the cake, smoothing out any bumps or marks with your hands or a pastry smoother to achieve a shiny, polished finish. Trim excess from the bottom edges.
- Create Red Berries: Take about one-fifth of the remaining fondant icing, knead in red food colouring until you achieve a bright red shade. Pinch off small amounts and roll between your fingers into little balls. Roll these balls in edible red glitter on a saucer to coat fully. Shake off excess glitter and set aside to firm up.
- Make Green Holly Leaves: Knead green food colouring into the remaining fondant icing and roll it out thinly on an icing sugar-dusted surface. Use a small holly-shaped cutter to stamp out multiple holly leaves.
- Decorate the Cake: Begin sticking the green holly leaves onto the iced cake. Lightly moisten the underside of each leaf with a small amount of water using a paintbrush, being careful not to make the icing too wet to avoid colour bleeding.
- Attach Red Berries: Mix icing sugar with a small splash of water to create a runny but stiff icing. Use this icing to adhere the red glittery berries onto the cake among the holly leaves.
- Dry and Store: Leave the decorated cake to dry for at least a couple of hours. This cake can be stored uncut for up to 2 weeks. Once cut, keep it well wrapped in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Invest in an icing smoother for a professional finish or use the smooth side of a mug as an alternative.
- Use just a small amount of water when attaching holly leaves to prevent the green colouring from bleeding onto the white icing.
- The cake will keep well for weeks due to the sealing layers of jam, marzipan, and fondant.
- Use ready-to-roll fondant icing for consistent texture and ease of decorating.
- Edible glitter is optional but adds a beautiful festive sparkle.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Christmas cake, iced cake, marzipan cake, fondant icing, holly cake, festive dessert, holiday cake, decorative cake
