Christmas Cake: the final touches

And then, at tea...the ice cake loomed in the centre of the table like a marble grave.  

(Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales)

A few weeks ago I blogged my recipe for Christmas cake , but of course what makes a Christmas cake more than just a rich fruit cake is the wonderful marzipan and icing that adorn it.  I cannot understand the marzipan-haters that people our world.  For me, the marzipan and - to a lesser extent the icing - are the best bits of the cake.