For many people Christmas time is a hectic round of shopping, cooking, writing cards and wrapping presents. And very often decorating the Christmas cake is left to the last minute, so here are some tips to help you along the way.

For those who wish to venture into the field of royal icing, a quick way to use this icing is by making a 'snow scene'. First, apply a layer of marzipan to the cake and leave to dry for two days. The traditional way of making royal icing is with egg white and icing sugar, but icing sugar is now available which already contains the correct quantity of dried egg white - however, the icing still needs a good beating!