Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
- 100 g (3 1/2oz) Fox's Glacier Mints, unwrapped
- 23 cm (9in) round rich fruit cake
- 4 Tbsp. smooth apricot jam
- White icing sugar, for dusting
- 1 (2lb 4oz) white almond paste
- 750 g (1lb 9oz) white ready-to-roll icing
- 3 white tealights in clear plastic containers
- You will also need: baking parchment, tin foil, a rolling pin and a kitchen roll tube
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan) mark 4. Cover a rolling pin and a similar-sized object, such as the tube from a kitchen roll, in baking parchment. Put on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cut out a 28cm (11in) square of foil, fold in half, then shape into a large, sturdy cup, as shown below left. Form a pouring spout on one side. Put mints into the foil, stand on a non-stick baking sheet (press down slightly to flatten the bottom so it's stable), then heat in the oven for about 20min until the mints have melted and the syrup is starting to bubble around the edges.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, spread the top and sides of the cake with jam. Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the almond paste into a 33cm (13in) circle. Position on top of the cake, easing around the sides and smoothing out creases. Trim off excess paste with a knife.
- Step 3
Remove the cup of melted mints from the oven - take care as the syrup will be extremely hot. Working quickly (before it solidifies), drizzle the syrup back and forth across the parchment-covered rolling pin and tube, letting a little trickle on to the baking sheet as you go - an irregular pattern will be more effective. Leave the syrup to cool and set.
- Step 4
Dampen the almond paste all over with a little water. Roll out the icing into a 33cm (13in) circle, then position on top of the paste. Smooth the icing flat over the top and sides of the cake using the palms of your hands dusted with icing sugar and trim off any excess. Transfer the cake to a serving plate or stand.5 Press the tealights on to the top of the cake. Slide the rolling pin and card out of the parchment rolls. Lift off the set mint shapes, then arrange on top of the cake, sitting them slightly away from the tealights. Store in a cool place.
Like this? You'll love...
Chocolate cherry Christmas cake
How to make a Christmas cake
The best Christmas cake recipes
The best Christmas pudding recipes
The best Christmas cakes
Easy gingerbread recipe
For mint
Traditional royal icing sugar contains egg whites to ensure a firm set. The mint decoration will gradually soften, so it's best not to decorate the cake more than two days ahead.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
