Fondant Fancies [And Tiny Feet]

 I try to make my Christmas Cake interesting and different each year - even though I always stand my little Nativity figures on the top.

Here's a selection from Christmases Past. Looking for inspiration a few weeks back, I looked at Pinterest. I try not to indulge in that too often- it can be a dreadful time waster. But there were quite a few with a Nativity scene on top - and a sort of 'frieze' of Bethlehem round the sides. Like these ones

I particularly liked this one with blue icing and a starry sky

Having made and marzipanned my cake, I settled down to decorate it. I had the figures, and I bought fondant icing, blue and yellow colouring, and a pot of golden stars.

I'd been told by a friend who makes celebration cakes that you should knead the colouring into the fondant, little by little, till the lot is an even colour. 

An hour later, I'd managed to work about half a bottle of colouring into the fondant and it was still a sky blue, not the rich saxe blue I'd hoped for. After a further forty minutes, with the remaining 25% of the fondant, I had some pale yellow icing. I'd set myself up with a large bowl and was working in front of the TV. I saw two whole episodes of West Wing from nearly 20 years ago.

I moved into the kitchen, and rolled out the blue to cover the cake. That was OK. Then I took my little paper design which I'd precut from paper, and tried to cut out my houses. They fell apart. I rolled it thicker and tried again. In retrospect, I think I should have made them thin, and let them dry out a bit, then applied them to the cake.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

But Mary and Joseph, plus baby Jesus, finally got onto the cake, with the Magi looking on[I decided against making a stable, after family comments a couple of years back about Bus Shelters in Macclesfield]. I poked golden stars into the sky and found a few silver balls to decorate the properties. I added a few blue front doors and marked other details with a knife and a piping tube. Next year, there will just be a ribbon round the cake. And the icing will probably be white!

We had a lovely Christmas greeting from Manchester this morning. When Steph said on the phone that George was helping her make her cards, I had no idea that they were making these clever mistletoe footprints. I hope he grows up to be as good at art as his Mum. 

Have you iced your cake yet? Is it plain or fancy?