Chocolate biscuit wreath cake

• sunflower oil↗

  for greasing

• Christmas chocolate mix for biscuit cake↗

  (see below)

• ginger biscuit dough

  (see below)

• plain flour↗

  for dusting

• royal icing↗1 quantity

  (see below)

• green food colouring gel↗
• royal icing↗1 quantity

  plus 3 tbsp (see below)

• red and yellow food colouring gels↗
• chocolate fondant icing1kg kg
• icing sugar↗

  for dusting

• red sugar pearls↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Grease a 25 cm round cake tin with oil and line it with plastic film, ensuring there are no gaps and the film rises to cover the sides of the tin. Lightly oil it again.

2. 2

   Pour the biscuit cake mixture into the prepared tin, pressing it down with a spoon. Cover the top with film, seal and press. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until the cake is completely firm, about 4 hours. It can be prepared a week ahead. When set, the cake releases easily from the tin with a sharp tap.

3. 3

   Next, make the holly biscuits. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C with convection/gas 6. Lightly knead the ginger biscuit dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Cut 16‑18 holly leaf shapes with a holly leaf cutter, re‑rolling the dough as needed (different cutter sizes can be used). Transfer the biscuits to a lined baking tray, leaving space between them. Bake for 8 minutes until golden, then move to a rack to cool completely.

4. 4

   Divide the royal icing between two bowls and colour them with food colourings – one dark green, the other light. Prepare a pastry bag with a small round tip and fill it with 2 tbsp of light green icing. Repeat with the second bag and the darker icing. Thin the remaining icing in the bowls with just enough water to achieve a fluid consistency – when you run a spoon across the bowl, the trail should spread on its own within 10 seconds.

5. 5

   Using the icing in pastry bags, pipe the outlines of the holly leaves onto the cooled biscuits. Use each colour for half of the biscuits (you don't have to use all the icing). Fill the bag with one of the thinned icings, cut off the tip and pipe into the gaps of half the biscuits (they should have a contrasting outline). Optionally smooth the icing in the gaps with a clean thin wet brush. Repeat with the other thinned icing and the remaining biscuits.

6. 6

   Use the remaining icing in the bags to pipe the outlines and central vein so they stand out. Let set overnight. The biscuits can be made a month ahead and stored in a cake box or airtight plastic container lined with parchment.

7. 7

   Next, make the poinsettia flowers. Colour 3 tbsp of royal icing with yellow food colouring gel, and the remainder with red colouring. Prepare a pastry bag with a leaf tip and fill it with the red icing (the icing should be slightly stiff). Line a cutting board with parchment and draw three circles 6 cm in diameter on the parchment (a glass bottom or cookie cutter can be used as a template). Flip the parchment, then pipe three poinsettia petals in a triangular shape so they fit within one circle. Pipe the next three petals between the first ones, creating a six‑petal base flower. Repeat in the other circles to obtain three separate flowers. Let set for 30 minutes, then pipe a smaller set of six petals over the base flowers. Let set another 30 minutes.

8. 8

   Prepare a pastry bag with a small round tip and fill it with yellow icing. Pipe dots onto the centers of the poinsettias. Allow to dry completely – this may take up to two days as the flowers are quite thick.

9. 9

   To assemble the wreath, roll out the chocolate fondant icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar until it is large enough to cover the wreath. Use it to wrap the wreath, press into place and cut a 5 cm diameter circle from the centre of the fondant. Trim the edges.

10. 10

    Carefully transfer the wreath onto a cake stand or board. Arrange the holly biscuits on the top of the wreath, creating an even surface, using a little royal icing to fix them. Add more biscuits on top. Gently lift the poinsettias from the parchment with a palette knife, then attach them to the leaves with more royal icing. Finish by attaching the red sugar pearls to the wreath with royal icing. Store for up to two weeks in a cool place. Remove the biscuits and enjoy them separately, then cut the cake into pieces.