By Lakeland (blog.lakeland.co.uk)Easy
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!XMAS HEAVENWWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM NOVEMBER baking heaven 17
Melted snowman
biscuits
MAKES 10
For the biscuit
125g (4½oz) butter, softened
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
1 free-range egg yolk
1 tsp Star Kay White Gold Star
Vanilla Extract
250g (9oz) plain flour, plus a little
for dusting
2 tbsp milk
To de c orate
a little icing sugar, for dusting
250g (9oz) Renshaw White Ready-
to-Roll Icing
25g (1oz) seedless raspberry jam
12 white marshmallows
Renshaw Primary Colours Icing Pack
coloured writing icing set: blue,
red, yellow and green1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark
4 and line two baking trays with Lakeland
Magic Non-Stick Liner.
2 In a large bowl, mix the butter and
caster sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in
the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Sieve the
flour into the bowl and add enough milk
to make a soft dough. Bring the mixture
together with your hands, then lightly
knead until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm
and chill for at least 15 minutes.
3 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the
dough to 5mm (¼in)thick. Cut out10 circles with a 9cm (3½in) cookie cutter.
Place on the baking trays and bake for
18 minutes or until golden. Set aside for
10 minutes, then transfer the biscuits to a
wire rack to cool completely.
4 On a surface lightly dusted with icing
sugar, roll out the white icing to 3mm
(^1 / 8 in) thick. Cut out 10 circles with a
10cm (4in) cookie cutter. Spread ½ tsp
jam in the centre of each biscuit, leaving
a 1cm (½in) gap around the edge. Place a
marshmallow on top of each biscuit,
slightly off-centre.
5 Using your thumb and index finger,
sof ten the edge of each icing circle to
create the melted effect. Place the icing
onto each biscuit and smooth it over the
marshmallow with your hands.
6 To decorate the snowmen, firstly make
12 little scarves using the coloured icing of
your choice from the Primary Colours
Icing Pack. On a surface lightly dusted
with icing sugar, roll out the icing to 3mm
(^1 / 8 in) thick, then cut out curvy scarf
shapes with a sharp knife. Stick the
scarves to the snowmen with a dab of
boiled, cooled water. Next, mould
coloured icing into 12 lit tle hats and stick
on with more water. Make 12 carrot
noses by blending small amounts of red
and yellow icing to make orange.
7 Complete the snowmen by drawing on
buttons, twig arms, eyes and mouths
using the Writing Icing pens. Let the icing
set then place the biscuits into gift boxes
or bags.almonds and pecans in another bowl.
4 In a very large mixing bowl, cream the
butter and sugar together, then add the
almond essence. Add the eggs a little at a
time, beating well after each addition. You
may need to add a tablespoon or two of
flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Once
all the egg mixture has been added, fold in
half the flour, half the fruit mixture and half
the nuts, then repeat with the remaining
flour, fruit and nuts. Mix well until all the
ingredients are fully combined.
5 Divide the mixture evenly between the
four cake compartments and smooth the
surface with the back of a spoon.
6 Decorate two of the cakes with your
choice of nuts – whole blanched
almonds or pecans work well – and your
choice of fruit: coloured glacé cherries
or cranberries create a lovely jewelled
effect. Lightly cover these two cakes
with a piece of baking parchment to
prevent the fruit and nuts from burning.
7 Bake for 2½-3 hours. If the cakes are
browning too quickly, cover the tin with a
layer of greaseproof or baking
parchment. After 2½ hours, check to see
if the cakes are cooked. They should feel
firm to the touch and a deep dark brown
colour all over. Insert a skewer into the
centre of each cake: if there is stick y
dough on the skewer when you pull it out
the cakes need longer. If it is clean,
remove them from the oven.
8 Leave the cakes to cool in the tin on a
wire rack for about an hour, then remove
the sides and dividers from the tin and
allow the cakes to cool completely.
9 Once cool, gently warm a few
tablespoons of sieved apricot jam in a
saucepan and brush over the top of
each cake to glaze the fruit and nut
covered cakes, then prepare the
remaining two cakes to be topped with
marzipan and icing.
10 Roll out 15 0 g (5½oz) mar zipan into a
15cm (6in) square and place on top of
one of the remaining cakes. Repeat
with the other cake. Cover the tops of
the cakes with approx. 150g (5½oz) of
Renshaw Ready-to-Use Royal Icing.
Any leftover icing can be used for piping
to decorate the cake. Sprinkle with icing
sugar and crushed candy canes
before serving.