Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Once you have covered a fruit cake in marzipan, how long do you leave it before adding the sugar paste? Are you supposed to let it dry first or can you put sugar paste on straight away?

Hello Tomandhen123

It’s good to let the marzipan dry for a couple of days so it gives a nice firm platform for the sugarpaste. I let mine dry for three days if I have a fairly thick covering, but usually two days. When rolling out marzipan don’t use cornflour as it can cause a fermentation problem. Icing sugar is best. Once dry apply either cool boiled water or vodka to the surface of the marzipaned cake to help the icing to adhere.

Thank you for your advice. Also, probably a silly question but how often should you feed a cake with brandy once cooked? I’m baking a fruit cake tomorrow to be ready for eating on the 24th october?

It can be fed once a week with about a tablespoon or more of brandy. Feed one side one week, turn it over the next week. This way the brandy/alcohol penetrates equally on both sides. Stop feeding the week before you need it. This is because you don’t want a lot of wetness on the cake before covering. Different people have their own way when it comes to feeding fruit cake. Some folk use a syringe without needle to inject the alcohol. Your local pharmacy or Boots may be able to either give or sell you a syringe if you explain what it will be used for.
More information on feeding and storing fruit cake can be found in this blog
http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/storing-fruit-cake
For a very, very moist cake which is to be matured for many months I wrap my cake in a brandy soaked muslin cloth as in this blog http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/preparing-for-a-moist-christmas-cake
Hope some of the info helps, happy baking. x

Thank you. Sorry for all the questions but on Mrs Jones fruit cake recipe it says to soak fruit in 2 tbs brandy (which doesn’t seem enough?) also, it says in the recipe, add remaining brandy but only says to use 2 tbs brandy?

It’s personal preference but most recipes can be cautious in case the cake becomes too wet. You can add a little more if you soak the fruit longer so that the brandy can be absorbed to plump up the fruit. Once the cake is baked feed it with a couple tablespoons of brandy while the cake is still hot and leave it in the tin to cool completely in it’s original lining paper. Once cool wrap it up for storage and feeding until required.
Mrs Jones probably means add any brandy which may be left over from the soak. If you don’t have any left over add fresh brandy.