Full question
I need to glaze Nigella's Christmas cake prior to adding the marzipan and icing, but I can't find any apricot jam (apparently there is a nationwide shortage). Is there an alternative?
Our answer
Nigella has a few variations of rich fruit Christmas cakes, such as the Time-Honored Christmas Cake and Easy-Action Christmas Cake (both from FEAST) and the Traditional Christmas Cake (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS). If you are going down the traditional route of decoration then these cakes would be covered with a layer of marzipan, to give a smooth surface, followed by royal or rolled fondant icing.
The surface of the cake is usually brushed with apricot jam before the marzipan is added, to give a slighty tacky surface that the marzipan can stick to. If you can't find apricot jam then marmalade is a good alternative. A crystal or shredless marmalade is the easiest, but otherwise you will need to warm and then strain the marmalade before using it. You may also find the information in Nigella's directions for the Smooth Hatbox Icing for Christmas cakes helpful.
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