Christmas cake icing...?

No the egg white doesn't go bad as you have to use a very small amount of lemon juice this is not only to keep the icing nice and white but it also 'cooks' as well, the same way as it cooks raw fish for sushi, it is the acid that does this.

It can be kept for up to a year or more. Perhaps you have heard of people keeping the top tier of their wedding cake for thier first baby's christening, well the same mixture and royal icing is the same as a proper Christmas cake.

If to be kept it must be in an airtight container.

not sure how long it keeps for, should be ok for a week or two in a cool place and wrapped.

anyways here is a recipe for iceing without eggs.

without eggs

Ingredients

500g/1lb 2oz icing sugar, sifted

2 lemons, juice only

3-4 tsp glycerine (available from most supermarkets and chemists)

Method

1. Put the icing sugar in the bowl of a mixer.

2. Gradually add the lemon juice and the glycerine, beating continually, until the texture and the flavour are as you want them.

3. To ice the cake, spread a thin layer of a jam of your choice over the cake.

4. Roll out the marzipan (using icing sugar to stop it sticking to the rolling pin) and lift it onto the cake. Patch as needed and, if necessary, just take pieces of the marzipan and press it out on the cake.

5. Use a spatula to spread the royal icing over the marzipan, and a fork to 'fluff' it up so that it looks snow-like - then decorate.

Royal icing keeps for months !

I've had a Christmas cake last me almost six months before - and the icing was fine !