Silver Angel Icing

First melt the jam with the brandy or Armagnac in a small saucepan, stirring until all the lumps have dissolved.

Now, using a brush, coat the top of the cake quite generously with it. Then take the marzipan and roll it out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar and cut out a 20cm circle. Then place this over the top of the cake.

Repeat with the icing and place this over the marzipan. Next, re-roll the trimmings and, using the cutter, cut out an angel, dampen one side of it with cold water and then place this side on top of the cake. After that, decorate the edges of the cake and the angel with silver balls, using a little beaten egg white mixed with a little icing sugar as a glue to keep them in place.

It’s also helpful to make some little indentations with the tip of a skewer first.