For the Gold Stars: Dust your surface with powdered sugar and roll out the Marshmallow Fondant to 1/4 inch thick. Stamp out about 10 to 12 different sized stars. Brush the stars lightly with water and sprinkle over the edible gold flakes until the surface is covered. Leave overnight to dry on a cookie sheet (Allowing them to dry means they will stand upright on the cake when decorated).

Decorating the Christmas Cake: Place the Christmas Cake on a serving platter or a cake board (doing this step first is important as it is very hard to move once decorated). Brush the cake with the hot apricot jam. This is the glue that the Marzipan will stick to. Set aside.

Dust your surface with powdered sugar and roll out the marzipan to 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. Roll out a few inches slightly wider than the surface of your cake for it to cover the sides.

Using the rolling pin, lift marzipan over the cake and carefully unroll. Ease down the sides, smooth the surface and trim the base.

Using a spatula or off set, smear Royal Icing over the cake roughly to give the appearance of snow. Stack the stars in the center of the cake. Lean them against each other for support. This creates a lovely 3D effect.

Decorate the sides of cake with a ribbon if desired. Store the decorated cake at room temperature (up to 24°C/76°F) in an airtight container for 4 weeks. In a very warm climate with high humidity, refrigerate it.