Light-up Christmas Cake
This magical light-up Christmas cake is an ideal festive project for keen crafters. Use a battery-operated tea light to light up the folded doily Christmas present. It might look complicated, but the process really is very simple, just follow the step-by-step instructions below.
You will need...
For the cake decoration:
23cm (10inch) diameter cake covered with white ready-to-roll icing
Royal icing, coloured red
Tala piping bag fitted with smallest round open tip nozzle
For the light-up present topper decoration:
Pencil
Scissors
Sticky tape
Red ribbon (about 1 metre)
Battery operated tea light
To make the red beaded garlands on the side of the cake:
- Make a guide to follow when piping by gently pressing the lower half of a circular cutter into the icing to produce several semi-circle shaped impressions encircling the sides of the cake.
- Place two heaped tablespoons of the red royal icing into the piping bag and pipe little dots right over the the semi-circular imprints, leaving a space in between to pipe a little red bow. (If you don't have the confidence to pipe a bow, pipe a larger dot instead.)
To make the light-up doily present:
- Take a doily and lightly draw a 20cm-diameter circle, trying to cover as much of the decorative lacey part as possible. Cut out the circle.
- Fold the doily circle in half, then turn 90 degrees and fold in half again. Unfold and cut a circular hole in the middle approximately 4cm in diameter.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 with a second doily but this time, do not cut a central hole.
- Take the second doily that you cut out and hold one edge of the circle and fold inwards so that the edge meets the centre of the circle. Press down and make a firm crease. The crease should be paralell to the central fold.
- Unfold and repeat on the opposite side of the circle.
- Unfold again and turn the circle 90 degrees and repeat steps 6 and 7. (Fold guide 1 - See the picture for fold lines, which I have drawn in blue. These lines are intended as a guide, do not draw on your doily.)
- Using scissors, make fours cuts along the folded creases as shown by the short green lines in the picture and fold to make flaps (Fold guide 2 - see the second picture).
- Following the creases already made, fold up the side of the doily to make one of the walls of the box and attach the flap to the neighbouring wall with a small piece of sticky tape.
- Repeat with the remaining doily circle (with the central hole) to make the lower half of the box.
- Carefully place the top half over the lower half, taking care not to crush the paper as it is quite delicate.
- Tie the ribbon around the package and tie with a simple bow.
- Place the box on the cake and slip the tea light through the hole in the bottom (this might take a bit of jiggling as the ribbon can get in the way). When you are ready to display the cake, remove the tea light, switch it on and replace under the box. Display and serve under dimmed lights to show the full glory of your illuminated Christmas cake!