Christmas Cake Ideas 2017
- Thread starter ChesterV
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I usually don't bake a cake for Christmas, but might this year. Would love to make a Yule Log, especially as those cake rolls this summer came out pretty nice. I'd also like to be brave enough to try this, a more delicate-looking thin roulade. I found it while stalking, I mean researching, Mary Berry. 
The thing is, there's a photo and written technique, but for this one I'd love to see the video so I could see the actual assembly. If I did this I might make the cake portion a red-velvet red, to get a lovely red-white swirl. What do you think? http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/274191/Mary-Berry-s-Manhattan-roulade
The thing is, there's a photo and written technique, but for this one I'd love to see the video so I could see the actual assembly. If I did this I might make the cake portion a red-velvet red, to get a lovely red-white swirl. What do you think? http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/274191/Mary-Berry-s-Manhattan-roulade
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any tips?
@Apocalypso love the idea of doing the sponge red, I think that's a perfect idea and would make it look even more Christmassy.
The only tips I have is for the royal icing you need for "gluing" the pieces together and for decorating.
Make sure you put some meringue powder in the royal icing, and it's thick and stiff, but not so thick and stiff that it looses it's stickiness. You want it firm and wet enough for piping bags and for sticking to the gingerbread.
What I did was make one batch of white royal icing, and then I had several small bowls I would put some icing in to add food color to, so I had red, green, gold (yellow), and black (for details), and any other colors I needed for whatever design colors I had in mind.
Once you have the icings mixed, keep the bowls covered with a wet/damp cloth. You want them wet enough not to dry out quickly and not wet enough to run down into the bowl. This will help keep the icing from crusting on top while sitting in the bowl.
I also used the paper cone piping bags for the detail work, as they are easier to handle. You can add teaspoons of water to your icings to make them more lucid if they get too dry or firm to use in the paper bags.
You dont have to make the rip if you dont want too, I always used tape.
Thank you! I've never tried meringue powder in an icing before, so I'll make sure to give it a go.
3 weeks until I'm home for Christmas and can give it a go
Meringue powder is used to make sure the icing sets hard. Depending on how much you use, will determine how fast it dries. I usually use one tablespoon per batch of icing, which for me, was 2 bags of confectioners sugar.
Also, as well as coloring the icing, you can add flavoring to it. I usually just use vanilla extract, but sometimes I used lemon for yellow, mint for green, and orange for red....... It's nice and takes away from the sugar sweet taste when biting a piece of hard icing.
Be sure and take a pic of what you make for us!!!