Ingredients
2 egg whites
400g. icing sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. glycerine (from a chemist's)
About 23 December, put two egg whites into a spanking clean bowl. Beat till frothy then stir in the icing sugar. Beat really well until there are no lumps and the icing stands in peaks when you pull out a spoon. Beat in the lemon juice and the glycerine. The glycerine prevents the icing from becoming too brittle. I like a rough 'snow' scene and a kitschy cake and go for the same 'look' every year! If you want to copy it, get a large flat knife or palette knife and cover the cake thickly with the royal icing. Get the flat knife and lift and pull snow peaks all over the cake. Swirl the palette knife around the outside to give a flat surface. Ensure all the cake is covered evenly. Stick in all your well-loved family cake decorations. Leave it to dry overnight. The next day, get a fancy wired ribbon (about 150 cm) and tie it around the cake, finishing it with a big blousy bow. Stand back and admire!
Is it worth it?
There are lots of stages to a home baked Christmas cake, but the end result is fabulous. It's never hard work, but you do need to be organised. My six year old niece was transfixed by the 'white cake' and brought everyone in one at a time to look at it. She missed out on Christmas pudding because she couldn't wait to start on the cake.
Everyone just oohed and aahed over it and said there was no way you could buy such a nice cake. I had to divide what cake there was after Christmas amongst family members to take to their homes. You don't do that with a cake from M & S.
So, I would say, yes, it is worth it.
Enjoy!!
