Chocolate Orange Snowflake Christmas Cake

To make the candied orange, peel the orange skins using a vegetable peeler and finely cut into thin strips. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice into a saucepan and set aside. 

Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Put the orange peel into the water and allow to boil for 1 minute. Strain off the water. 

Add the orange peel to the saucepan with the orange juice and add the granulated sugar. Cook on a low heat for about 20-25 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Put the candied orange peel onto a plate and allow to cool completely. 

Preheat oven to 170C / 160C Fan / Gas Mark 3. Line 20cm / 8 " round deep cake tin with a double layer of parchment / baking paper around the sides and on the base. 

Place the butter, caster sugar and vanilla bean paste into a mixing bowl then whisk together until the mixture is light and fluffy. 

Break the eggs into a separate bowl, then one at a time whisk into the mixture. Add in the ground almonds and beat again. 

Sieve the self raising flour and the baking powder together. Gently fold into the mixture.

Then fold in the candied orange and the extra dark chocolate chunks. 

Spoon the cake mixture into the lined cake tin and smooth the top. 

Place the cake in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Check the cake is fully baked by inserting a skewer or knife into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked. 

Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then turn onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Trim off the top of the cake to make it even. 

To decorate the cake, turn the cake upside down onto a cake board, making the bottom of the cake the top of the cake.

Warm the orange marmalade. Then pass through a sieve to remove any peel. Spread all over the top and around the sides of the cake using a pastry brush. 

Cover the cake with the White Ready Rolled Fondant Icing using the instructions on the box. 

Spray the silver shimmer spray evenly all over the iced cake. Leave to dry for 30 minutes. 

With the excess fondant knead until smooth. On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll the fondant to 5mm thick. Using a snowflake cutter, cut out multiple snowflakes for the side of the cake. Finish off the snowflakes by putting a tiny snowflake from the Taste of Christmas sprinkles in the middle of each. Using a paintbrush and a little water, stick the snowflakes to the side of the cake. Add some tiny snowflake sprinkles in between the large snowflakes. 

Melt the white chocolate according to package instructions. Pour into a piping bag and cut a small hole in the end of the bag. 

Pipe 'Merry Christmas' on top of the cake with the melted white chocolate. Alternatively you can use Dr. Oetker Gold Decorating Icing.