The Icing on the Cake

I know it's the New Year and I should be blogging New Year things but there are some loose ends of 2010 to clear up first. Bear with me, I'm sure it will be worth it!
Cast your mind back to Christmas, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping where he shouldn't be, you get the picture. So the week before Christmas it was time to ice the cake. I went down the traditional marzipan/royal icing route. I didn't take it as far as making my own marzipan, Mr Sainsbury helped me out there. As I had used Nigella's Feast for the cake I went back to her for the icing and she said to use marmalade as a sticking agent for the marzipan. Not being a fan of the marmalade (unless it's Roses Lime marmalade, of course) I opted for the apricot jam route. I melted a regular sized jar on the hob and then using a pastry brush applied it liberally all over the cake. Then I draped it in the marzipan and cut off the extra bits (making sure to have a taste, chef's prerogative). The packet of marzipan said to leave it for 24 hours. I didn't, as a nod to this I left it for an hour before adding the royal icing and I don't think it made any difference.
I went to Delia for the royal icing recipe, always reliable. I've never made royal icing before but it's very like meringue in it's consistency and taste (yes I tasted it, a good cook always tastes as they go along, it's the law). I followed the recipe to the letter, well except for adding the glycerin! I had bought it, it was on the side but it just didn't make it in. I've just found out why glycerin is added, it's to prevent the icing drying too hard. Well, the proof is in the eating. On Boxing Day morning I sent the in-laws off with a quarter and then had a little taste later that day. I made this cake last year and frankly it was a bit dry and crumbly when it was cut. But this year it was moist, moist, moist and the icing was grand. I think it may have been the rum I was feeding it in the weeks after I made it, I suspect, but who knows?
Now that's 2010 finished with, I will be all about the New Year in the next post.