After choosing a birthday cake and deciding on decorations it seems only right to put as much thought into the icing. Different kinds of icing can make cakes look and taste a lot different. The following techniques are some old favourites for icing cakes.

Marzipan is an old favourite with confectioners and cake bakers. With its almond flavour marzipan is a versatile sweet that can be used as a filling and as icing for cakes and confectionary.

The main flavour and texture of marzipan comes from almonds in large quantities. If marzipan doesn’t contain at least 25% almonds in its ingredients it is known as almond paste. The almonds are ground into powder before being added to the mixture. Generally speaking, the finer the almonds are the higher the quality of the marzipan is.

Marzipan can be produced in a range of colours by adding food colourings. With its soft, pliable texture marzipan can be formed into a range of shapes for decorative purposes. The following information tells you how to prepare marzipan for a birthday cake. Marzipan compliments fruit cake well as mentioned in our Birthday Cakes page.

To make enough marzipan to ice your cake you will need the following;

• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 4 cups of blanched ground almonds

Start by heating a pan and adding the sugar and water. Cook on a moderate heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Next add the almonds to the pan and continue to heat. The mixture of ingredients should bind to make a thick batter. If the consistency seems a little too thick add a little syrup to increase the pliability.

Continue to cook the batter until it no longer sticks to the bottom of the pan. Take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool on a heatproof surface. Once the marzipan has cooled a little it will be ready for shaping. While the mixture is still warm use a spatula to press and knead it. You can then arrange it into shapes or a solid layer for icing as required by hand.

Sugartaste is also popular for its pliable consistency. Sugarpaste can be arranged into shape for decorations or rolled out for icing while it is still warm. These sugarpaste creations can then be added to the cake and left to set and harden.

To make enough sugarpaste to ice your cake you will need the following;

• 1 lb of powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons of water
• 3 tablespoons of gelatine powder
• 2 Tablespoons of white fat
• 2 Tablespoons of liquid glucose
• 1 egg white

Start by pouring the water into a heated pan. Add the gelatine powder and heat gently until it has all dissolved. Add the fat and the liquid glucose to the pan and continue to heat until all the ingredients have melted.

Leave to cool briefly before putting the ingredients into a mixing bowl and add the egg white. Use a beater to beat the mixture until it has a stretchy consistency. Make sure the mixture has cooled and then place it in an airtight container. Leave to cool in a fridge for at least 12 hours before using.