Butter Cookie Almond Wreath Cake

-ROYAL ICING-
1 lb Powdered sugar; (3 to 4 cup)
1 Egg whites; up to 2
1 ts Almond extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, almond paste, and
sugar until very smooth. Blend in the almond extract and egg yolks.
In a separate bowl, stir together the salt and flour, then blend into
the butter mixture. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Preheat over to
350 degrees. Cover several cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cut
off portions of the dough and shape into ropes about the thickness of
your thumb, each 1 inch longer than the previous, beginning at 4
inches and ending at 18 inches. You will have 15 strands. Shape each
strand into a circle and place on the parchment-covered baking
sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until pale gold. Cool.

To make Royal icing:

Place the powdered sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add
one egg white and the almond extract. Mix until smooth and well
blended. If necessary, add part or all of the second egg white. The
icing needs to be thin enough to press through the fine tip of a
pastry bag. (In place of a pastry bag, you can use a cone made from
waxed paper. Snip off the bottom of the cone to form a fine-tip
opening.) Spoon the icing into pastry bag (or waxed paper cone).

To assemble cake:

Place the largest cookie ring on a serving plate. Press the Royal
Icing through the pastry bag in a zigzag pattern all the way around
the ring. Top with the next largest ring. Repeat the zigzag piping
procedure. Continue stacking and frosting the rings to form a
balanced tower. Decorate the top with a fresh rose and the sides with
flags, flowers, marzipan candies, or cracker bonbons, using the Royal
icing to adhere them to the cake.

To serve cake:

Life the top part of the tower off, and break the remaining rings
into 2- or 3-inch pieces. Makes approximately 48 servings.