Mich Turner's Snowflake Christmas Cake

If you are looking for something different for your Christmas cake this year, this might just be the post for you. Last year my family (after much heavy hinting!!) bought me a copy of  Mich Turner's Cake Masterclass book for Christmas. It has pride of place on my book shelf and in my heart ever since, I have learnt so much from it, become confident in my cake decorating abilities because of it and now using it as an excuse to whip up a fabulous cake for any occasion!! I've waited a whole year for an excuse to make this cake and now here it is......




Mich says: This is stylish design for a classic Christmas cake. The combination of regal purple, crisp white and silver glitter combines well to create this striking cake. The snowflakes, which are made with cutters, trail down onto the purple-iced board, and the cake and board are finished with simple iced purple and white pearls.



Cake design complements of Mich Turner's Cake Masterclass

You will need:
15cm (6in) Round cake ( I used an 8in Cake instead)
15cm (6in) Thick round cake board
600g Marzipan, sugar paste or white chocolate plastique, for the base coat
750g White sugar paste, for the top coat plus 75g for the snowflakes
75g Grey sugar paste
23cm (9in) Round base board
550g Purple sugar paste for the base board, plus 75g for the snowflakes
80cm Purple ribbon, 15mm (1in) wide
55cm Purple ribbon, 25mm (1in) wide
1 Qty Royal icing
Icing sugar, for dusting
Edible varnish or sugar glue
Silver edible glitter
1 Qty Purple royal icing

Equipment:
Glue stick
Small rolling pin
Plunger snowflake cutters, small (2cm) medium (3cm) and large (4cm) (I bought the full set for €14.50 in J&B Hope in Cavan town)
Non-stick baking parchment
Paintbrush (optional)
2 Piping bags
2 no.2 Icing nozzles

Preparing the cake
Place the cake (upside down, makes life much easier!!) on the 15cm (6in) cake board and cover with with a base coat of your choice and the white sugar paste top coat (I have a link below to Mich demonstrating how to cover cakes and cake boards below).





Line the base board with purple paste. Surround the base board with a 15mm ribbon, fixed a dab of royal icing. Leave the cake and base board to dry overnight (very important).

Decorating the cake
1. Fix the cake into position offset on the base board. To make the snowflakes, take the extra purple sugar paste and knead until smooth and pliable. Roll out the to a thickness of 3mm on a worktop lightly dusted with icing sugar.





Use the plunger snowflake cutters to stamp out and indent 3 snowflakes of each size, then set aside on a non-stick baking parchment dusted with icing sugar to firm. Repeat with the extra white and the grey sugar paste.

2. To glitter, place a selection of snowflakes on a sheet of non-stick baking parchment and spray with edible varnish or brush with sugar glue. Sprinkle with some edible silver or white glitter (they don't have to be fully dredged, more just sparkling!).





Glitter the white, grey and purple snowflakes separately. Leave to firm for about 2 hours of overnight.

3. Fit both piping bags with icing nozzles; fill one with white royal icing and the other purple royal icing.

Fix the snowflakes into position with corresponding colours of royal icing, starting on the top of the cake and working down over the side and onto the base board. They can overlap a bit.

4. To finish, hand pipe pearls in white and purple between and around the snowflakes (if your pearls peak too much, dab with a fine wet paint brush, works a treat).









Sure while I was at it, I made matching mini snowflake Christmas cakes too, I told you any excuse!!




Related Viewing:
You Tube: Little Venice Cake Company: Decorating  with  an embossed rolling pin (covering a board)
You Tube: Little Venice Cake Company: How to Cover a Cake
You Tube: Little Venice Cake Company: How Create Sugar Flowers