MOIRA’S KITCHEN 4

Classic Christmas Cake... Continued

675g Marzipan 4 tbsp apricot jam Icing sugar for dusting

Royal Icing

3 egg whites 675g Icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 1.5 tsp glycerine

Covering/Icing your Cake

1. To cover your cake, place it flat side up on your cake board which should be a little bit bigger than your cake. 2. Brush to top and sides of your cake with warmed apricot jam. 3. Dust work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan to a couple of centimetres bigger than your cake, being careful it doesn’t stick to your work surface. 4. With rolling pin, lift the marzipan and drape over your cake. If necessary, trim the edge. 5. Cover with baking parchment and leave for a few days for the marzipan to dry out before icing. 6. To make the royal icing, whisk egg whites until stiff and gradually add in the icing sugar ideally using an electric whisk on a low speed. 7. Add lemon juice and glycerine and beat until stiff peak stage. 8. Cover the cake with the icing and use a small pallet knife to make snow like peaks. 9. Decorate with Christmas bits then leave icing to harden overnight. 10. Store in an airtight container. 11. Enjoy

ENJOY THE FESTIVE SEASON – BUT DON’T OVERDO IT!

The run up to Christmas and New Year celebrations often means eating, drinking then more eating and more drinking. This can lead to us gaining extra pounds and then feeling guilty afterwards.

Best plan of action?

Avoid the weight gain now as it’s harder to lose it later!

The good news is you don’t have to be a party pooper or lock yourself away from all the temptations, you can just be mindful of what you are eating and drinking.

Here are some tips to survive the festive season and not have to avoid the scales in January. 1. Don’t overdo it! Remember Christmas and New Year is only a week, but your health and heart need to be strong all year round. Rather than have all three courses, maybe swop the starter for the dessert or vice versa.

2. Eat less in between celebrations You know you are going to be out a lot and why not. Just moderate your eating in between the festivties. Eat lighter meals like soups, salads, or a healthy sandwich.

3. Don’t graze Each mouthful adds up. It’s easy to lose track of how many nibbles you have had in a day. Don’t think “it’s only a small amount” – all those small amounts, especially festive foods, have high calorific content and you can end up consuming more calories than you would have had ina full meal. Often “grazing” is out of habit or boredom. Be mindful of what you are eating.