How to marzipan and ice a cake
Juliet Sear shows us how to neatly cover a cake with a layer of marzipan and icing.
1. Boil some apricot jam (a good idea, to ensure that all bacteria is eliminated) and brush a thin layer of it all over your cake, which has previously been covered in a thin layer of buttercream.
2. Knead your ball of marzipan out on a little icing sugar into a circular shape (or square shape if your cake is a square one) - it should be warm and pliable before you roll it.
3. Starting from the centre of the marzipan, roll it out to an even thickness - 'guide sticks' help for this.
4. Roll the marzipan onto the rolling pin and gently use the pin to lift the marzipan up and over the cake.
5. Working fairly quickly, use the palms of your hands to smooth the marzipan down, taking care not to create any creases. Use icing smoothers for a professional finish, and pop any air bubbles with a clean pin.
6. Cut away the excess of the marzipan. Give the cake another good smoothing.
7. Dampen the marzipan with vodka, brandy, or cooled boiled water.
8. Knead and roll out your sugar paste, as you did for the marzipan.
9. Working quickly (icing dries out faster than marzipan), cover the marzipan with the sugar paste using the same method as before, taking care to pop any air bubbles along the way.
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