Untangle the lights!

Name: Untangle the lights!
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 20
Ingredients: Black, white, red, orange and white sugarpaste; Brown, white, black and red sugarpaste; 2 cocktail sticks; Green, brown and yellow sugarpaste; Chosen colours of sugarpaste, we used blue, green, purple, red, orange yellow; Black liquorice laces or wheels (see GH TIP); 2 -3tbsp apricot glaze or loose, sieved jam; 20 .5cm fruit cake, see our recipe in the November issue or online here XXX; Icing sugar, to dust; 500 g natural or golden marzipan; 500 g white sugarpaste; Brandy, gin, vodka, or cooled boiled water, to brush; 1 batch royal icing, see GH Tip, or edible glue

Have fun moulding these chilly-weather creatures with their messy box of lights. You don’t have to make all the elements, just pick your favourites and let the scene unfold.

By The Good Housekeeping Cookery TeamPublished: 20 October 2022

Jump to recipe

This intricate design takes some time but will be worth it to see the smile on your guests faces!

Little penguins and a reindeer adorn your Christmas cake and you witness them hanging up lights on their Christmas tree.

Try our Coffee and Walnut Christmas Cake this year, or if this one doesn't take you fancy then take a look at our other recipes.

For more decorating inspiration take a look at our other creations.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Yields:: 20
Prep Time:: 1 hr
Total Time:: 1 hr

Ingredients

For the penguins

Black, white, red, orange and white sugarpaste

For the reindeer and the box

Brown, white, black and red sugarpaste
2
cocktail sticks

For the tree

Green, brown and yellow sugarpaste

For the lights

Chosen colours of sugarpaste, we used blue, green, purple, red, orange yellow
Black liquorice laces or wheels (see GH TIP)

For the cake

2
-3tbsp apricot glaze or loose, sieved jam
20
.5cm fruit cake, see our recipe in the November issue or online here XXX
Icing sugar, to dust
500 g
natural or golden marzipan
500 g
white sugarpaste
Brandy, gin, vodka, or cooled boiled water, to brush

You will also need

1
batch royal icing, see GH Tip, or edible glue

Directions

1. Step 1A couple of days before you want to decorate the cake, make the figurines. For the penguins, use black sugarpaste to shape 2 ovals for the bodies and 2 balls for the heads. Lightly press the balls on to the ovals. With clean hands (as black sugarpaste can stain), shape a little white sugarpaste into flat figure of 8, and press on to the body and head. Repeat for the other penguin.
2. Step 2Next, use black sugarpaste to shape 4 flippers and press to the sides of the bodies, arranging them as if hanging lights or holding a wire (use a little royal icing/edible glue/water, if needed, to stick). Using orange sugarpaste, shape 2 beaks and 4 feet (adding indentations to the feet, if you like, using a cocktail stick). Stick the beaks to the faces and the feet to the bodies of the penguins, either underneath the body or in front depending if you want your penguins to sit or stand.
3. Step 3Using red sugarpaste, shape 2 cones, with indents in the bases to accommodate the heads. Gently press on to the penguin heads, then stick a white sugarpaste ball to the tips. Using a cocktail stick, press in some eyes. Place on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment and leave at room temperature to harden (ideally for 48hr).
4. Step 4Next, make the reindeer. Using brown sugarpaste make an oval for the body and a head with a snout. Lightly press the head on to the oval. Mix a little brown sugarpaste into some white sugarpaste to make a lighter brown. You’ll need enough to shape the tummy, nose, antlers, inside of the ears and the box.
5. Step 5Using some of the light brown sugarpaste, shape a rounded, flat triangle to fit on the reindeer tummy and snip the edges with scissors to resemble fur. Stick in place. Next shape and oval and stick on to the end of the snout.
6. Step 6Wrap a small amount of light brown sugarpaste around the top 2cm of a cocktail stick and shape the end into an antler. Repeat to make a second antler, then gently press both into the reindeer head. Using both brown sugarpastes, shape triangular ears and stick to the sides of the head.
7. Step 7Using the darker brown sugarpaste, shape 4 legs and stick a small black ball to the end of each. Add an indent to each ball using a cocktail stick to resemble a hoof. Stick the legs to the body of the reindeer and add a red sugarpaste ball for the nose. Place the reindeer on the lined sheet with the penguins to harden.
8. Step 8Use either light or darker brown sugarpaste to shape a box for the lights, and add to the lined sheet to harden. To make the Christmas tree, shape green sugarpaste into a cone. To add some texture, snip into the cone using sharp pointed scissors. Set aside on the lined sheet to harden (on its side). Using brown sugarpaste, shape a tree stump and using yellow sugarpaste shape a star for on top of the tree. Set both aside to harden.
9. Step 9Finally, make the lights. Pinch off lots of small pieces of sugarpaste in your chosen colours and shape into lightbulbs. Place on the lined sheet to harden.
10. Step 10A day before you want to decorate the cake, in an a small pan gently warm the glaze/sieved apricot jam, to make it easier to brush. Put the cake on to a board and brush the top and sides with glaze/jam. Set aside.
11. Step 11Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan until large enough to cover the cake. Lift on to the cake and gently smooth into position. Trim excess. Leave overnight (ideally 24hr) at room temperature to harden slightly.
12. Step 12To finish icing the cake, dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the white sugarpaste until large enough to cover the cake. Lightly brush the marzipan layer with alcohol/cooled boiled water to moisten. Lift the sugarpaste on to the cake and gently smooth into position. Trim excess. Transfer to a cake stand or plate.
13. Step 13To assemble, using royal icing/edible glue stick the tree cone to the stump and on to the cake, together with the animal figurines and box. Using the liquorice laces/wheels and royal icing/edible glue where needed, arrange a jumble of black ‘cable’ in the box and run lengths around the tree and through the animals. Remember it doesn’t all need to attach at all places, just visually from the front. Stick laces/wheels in a looping line around the sides of the cake. Finally, stick your lights along the cable length. Allow to set before serving in triumph.

Get ahead

You can ice your cake up to a couple of weeks ahead. Store at room temperature.

GH Tip

We bought our liquorice laces from henleysweet.com, £2.99 for 100g. If using liquorice wheels, unravel and using scissors snip in 1/2 along the length to make thinner strands.

To make royal icing
In a medium bowl, whisk 10g egg white until frothy. Sift in 65g icing sugar and whisk to combine. You are looking for a very stiff but pipeable consistency – you might need up to 10g more sifted icing sugar. If too stiff, whisk in a drop of water. Use immediately.