Kransekake

Whizz the whole almonds in a processor until finely chopped but coarser than the ground almonds.

Mix all the almonds with the icing sugar and put in a large pan. Lightly beat the egg whites with the almond extract and add to the pan. Stir, then cook on a low heat for 10-20mins, still stirring,until it stiffens and comes away from the sides of the pan. Tip into a bowl and leave until just warm, then lightly knead to form a shiny dough. Chill for at least 4 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper. Using your hands, roll out a 1.5cm x 45cm sausage shape. Repeat until you have 18 sausages, making each about 2cm shorter than the previous one. Form each sausage into a ring, pinching the joins together.

Put on the baking trays and bake in batches for 10-15mins until pale golden brown. Leave on the trays for 10 minutes, then put on wire racks.

While the rings are cooling, make the royal icing. Use a wooden spoon to beat 1 large egg white with 125g icing sugar until thick and white. Beat in 1/2 tsp glycerine then gradually beat in another 125g icing sugar.

Put the largest ring on a plate and drizzle icing along the top. Add the next largest and repeat, to form a tower of rings stuck together with icing. Top with a star or decoration of your choice.