I need to glaze Nigella's Christmas cake prior to adding the marzipan and icing, but I can't find any apricot jam (apparently there is a nationwide shortage). Is there an alternative?
Nigella has a few variations of rich fruit Christmas cakes, such as the Time-Honored Christmas Cake and Easy-Action Christmas Cake (both from FEAST) and the Traditional Christmas Cake (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS). If you are going down the traditional route of decoration then these cakes would be covered with a layer of marzipan, to give a smooth surface, followed by royal or rolled fondant icing.
The surface of the cake is usually brushed with apricot jam before the marzipan is added, to give a slighty tacky surface that the marzipan can stick to. If you can't find apricot jam then marmalade is a good alternative. A crystal or shredless marmalade is the easiest, but otherwise you will need to warm and then strain the marmalade before using it. You may also find the information in Nigella's directions for the Smooth Hatbox Icing for Christmas cakes helpful.
If you can't find apricot jam then marmalade is a good alternative. A crystal or shredless marmalade is the easiest, but otherwise you will need to warm and then strain the marmalade before using it. You may also find the information in Nigella's directions for the Smooth Hatbox Icing for Christmas cakes
Christmas cakes
In Japan, women had traditionally been expected to marry at a young age, and those who were unmarried after the age of 25 were metaphorically referred to as "(unsold) Christmas cakes" (クリスマスケーキ) in reference to items which are still unsold after the 25th.
To cover a Christmas cake with marzipan, you'll need the cake, some marzipan and a glaze to help the marzipan stick to the cake. Apricot glaze is popular, but marmalade makes a great alternative as the orange flavour echoes the flavours in the Christmas cake.
If you do not want to use alcohol then fresh orange juice is an alternative, though you should leave the fruits in orange juice to soak overnight in the fridge once they have cooled.
Instead of processed jams or jellies, choose a homemade fruit compote or fruit salsa. A fruit compote is essentially fruit that has been chopped and cooked down to form a delicious gooey topping. Fruit salsa is simply cut fruit, usually marinated in an acid like lemon juice and served cold.
Brush a little (cooled) boiled water over the marzipan and also the exposed board. (If you don't want to ice the board, then obviously don't wet it!) This is to make the sugarpaste stick. Lift and drape the sugarpaste over the cake, following the same process as the marzipan.
A coin was hidden inside a small cake, whoever found it was crowned as mock king. Hiding small tokens in a cake is another tradition that has existed throughout the ages. The Christmas Sixpence, which is hidden inside a Christmas pudding or cake as a token of good fortune, being a recent example of this tradition.
What alcohol should you use? Strong, flavourful spirits with a high ABV are ideal for feeding fruitcakes. You can use rum, brandy or whisky for spice, or if you like citrus flavours, try an orange liqueur. Cherry brandy and amaretto will also work well if you prefer these.
Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective! Other than that, there's nothing unusual about how this fruit cake is made.
Put your dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes, and then strain the fruit and discard the water. The fruit will be plumper, juicier, and softer. To give your fruit some extra flavor, swap the water for fruit juice or a liquor, like rum, bourbon, or brandy.
Always cover a fruitcake with marzipan before covering it with fondant or royal icing to keep moisture in the cake and stop oils from seeping into the outside covering and causing discolouration. If you are covering a fruitcake with marzipan, use boiled, sieved apricot jam to stick it to the cake not buttercream.
-Brush the top of the cake with the sieved jam and then leave a few minutes for it to set. (This helps the marzipan stick to the cake.) Turn the cake upside down onto the marzipan and wiggle it gently so the top is stuck firmly. -Trim any excess marzipan leaving a 2cm/1in border.
If this is the case a good substitute for marzipan is a thin layer of sugarpaste and then cover as normal. Let the first covering dry before applying the second cover. You could also use half chocolate modelling paste and half sugarpaste kneaded together.
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