Special Occasion Cakes Recipes - Marzipan Bell Cake

Ingredients

• 18cm/7in round rich or light fruit cake

• 30m/2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved

• 900g/6 cups marzipan

• green, yellow and red food coloring

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT

• 20cm/8in round silver cake board

• crimping tool

• bell and holly leaf cutter

• 1m/1yd red ribbon, 2cm/3/4in wide

• 1m/1yd green ribbon, 5mm1/4in wide

• 0.25m/1/4yd red ribbon, 5mm/1/4in wide

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Method:

1. Brush the cake with apricot jam and place on the cake board. Tint two-thirds of the marzipan pale green. Use to cover the cake. Crimp the top edge of the cake to make a scalloped pattern.

2. Tint a small piece of remaining marzipan bright yellow, another bright red and the rest bright green. Make two yellow bells and clappers, 11 green holly leaves (veins marked with the back of a knife), two green bell ropes, 16 red holly berries and two bell-rope ends. Leave to dry

3. Secure the wide red and fine green ribbons around the side of the cake with a pin. Tie a double bow from red and green fine ribbon and attach to the side with a pin.

4. Arrange the bells, clappers, bell ropes, holly leaves and berries on top of the cake and secure with apricot jam.