The marzipan layer is essential in providing a smooth surface for the wedding cake. It's also important as a non-slip base for the outermost chocolate sauce coating.

I bought Supercook ready rolled marzipan from Tesco's for several reasons:

• It has a smooth surface and an even thickness

• It comes with a peel off sheet of plastic that's useful for rolling out other things

• It comes with a long plastic tube that makes useful pinch rollers for sharpening the corners.

• It's likely to be the right size for one of the cakes

I used 4 packs of ready rolled marzipan for cakes of 6", 8" and 10". I had bought a spare one in case of accidents, but didn't need it so I used it for another cake later.

Marzipan seams can be joined together by overlapping, pinching and rolling with the rolling pin. While you've got the rolling pin out, try to roll the tops of the cakes to be as flat as possible.

You can get a good sharp corner by rolling two rollers from the marzipan packs to pinch the corners from different directions. It's also fun to gently bash the sides of the cakes to flatten the ganache underneath.

The marzipan layer should be left for several hours so that it dries out slightly. This provides a better foundation for the chocolate coating sauce.