Marzipan or almond paste is an absolute treat. This simple and easy recipe for homemade marzipan takes 5 mins and needs no special skills or equipment. Use it in baked pastry or decorating a cake. Also, try making traditional treats like marzipan fruits or chocolate truffles and Easter eggs
You are going to laugh, and yet I didn't know you could buy marzipan or almond paste. Because I grew up with marzipan always being homemade. My mom made these in buckets. She made small cute fruits and sold them as marzipan sweets during Christmas. I also remember she'd have to pay for extra help during Christmas time so that she could complete her orders in time.
About marzipan?
There are two ways to make marzipan. Both use the same ingredients. And yet, you can either cook it or not cook it at all. The cooked version uses pasteurized egg whites as a binding agent. While for the uncooked version I use light corn syrup or rose water.
- Of course, marzipan can be eaten on its own and needs nothing else with it. It is also often colored with food color and molded into fruits during festive seasons like Christmas.
- Marzipan Easter Eggs are a trendy treat during Easter celebrations.
- I love making Marzipan truffles, marzipan chocolate balls, as well as my marzipan chocolate squares to give as gifts during the holidays.
- You can also add marzipan in cake batters for a marzipan cake. I also love using marzipan in croissants.
- Custom decorated cake - covering a cake with marzipan
- Traditionally, marzipan has been used to cover fruit cakes. For example, I used marzipan to make a 77th Birthday celebration using my homemade fruitcake recipe.
- Also, marzipan cakes are usually covered with royal icing or rolled fondant. I have covered the cake below with my homemade fondant recipe from scratch, and yet you can use any of my other homemade fondant recipes.
Ingredient and substitutes
- Almonds/Nuts - Marzipan is traditionally made with almonds. And yet, you can make it with any nuts.
I grew up eating cashew nut marzipan because that's what mom always made. Back home in India cashews are more affordable than almonds. So, often cashews are used in marzipan.
I also make pecan marzipan because my husband likes pecans. You can buy almond meal or make homemade almond meal - Powdered sugar - Also called icing sugar or confectioners sugar. This has an anti-caking agent such as cornstarch or potato starch. Which helps combine the ingredients and make a smooth ball. You can make powdered sugar at home. And make sure you add some anti-caking agent to the mix as well.
- Extract - I love using rose extract in my marzipan, and yet traditionally almond extract is used. The vanilla extract works great too.
- Liquid - Traditionally beaten egg whites were used. The purpose of the fluid is mainly to bind the dry ingredients. So, sugar syrup or water works just as well. I prefer water to prevent making the marzipan too sweet.
Step by step instructions
- In a food processor - add the almond meal and powdered sugar. Pulse until smooth - a minute or two
Pro tip - How smooth you grind the almonds will determine the texture of your marzipan. Adding powdered sugar to the food processor prevents the almonds from releasing oil. - Transfer to a bowl. Add the light corn syrup, almond, and vanilla extract. Combine well
- Bring it all together into a ball - if necessary add one or two tablespoons of water or sugar syrup
Pro tip - if you plan to keep the marzipan longer than a week, use sugar syrup, not water. - Lightly knead on a work surface until you have a smooth ball.
Pro tip - kneading is essential to get a smooth dough. But, over kneading will cause the almonds to give out oil and that can make the marzipan oily. - Wrap in plastic wrap and store until ready to use
Pro tip - marzipan must be wrapped well in plastic or it can dry out easily. When ready to use lightly knead to make it pliable again.
Tips - Marzipan
- Pulse the almonds meal and sugar some more. We do this to ensure the almonds are fine ground powder not grainy. This makes for a much smoother paste, especially when you need to use marzipan to cover cakes or to make Easter eggs.
- Water vs. sugar syrup - Water is preferable when you are not going to keep the marzipan for an extended period, which usually is the case with me. And if you plan to make this for sale or to keep it for more than ten days - I highly recommend using sugar syrup. Simple syrup or sugar syrup is just 1 part sugar and 3 parts water boiled for a few minutes and cooled.
- Why test - It is easy to end up with too much liquid in the marzipan, resulting in a gloppy mess. So it's best to be safe and add a tablespoon at a time. And only adding enough so you can form a dough.
- Why do we knead for only 30 seconds and not more - Nuts give out oil when you squeeze the paste. While we do need the mixture to be smooth, we do not want an oily mess in our hands. We want the oils to stay in the nut paste. Since oily marzipan is very difficult to work. It's still delicious, and yet can't be molded into things quickly.
- Read my post - Marzipan 101 -Everything you need to know about Marzipan
Frequently asked questions
Marzipan-covered cake may be left at room temperature for a few days. And yet, like sugar paste, marzipan can dry if left open. Hence, it's best to wrap it in plastic, so it's easy to mold and use again.
Marzipan and almond paste use the same ingredients. However, marzipan is smoother and can be colored and molded into different things like Easter eggs, marzipan fruits, and other shapes. Almond paste is coarse and a little less sweet because it has less powdered sugar. And it's often used as filling in baked products like croissants.
While they both have similar ingredients, frangipani is very differently used than marzipan. Frangipani is used in baked treats, often at the bottom of a pie crust or galettes topped with fruits. Also, frangipani has whole eggs so it needs to be cooked, whereas marzipan can be used raw, eaten on its own or added into other products as an ingredient.
Same as sugar paste, it's best to use food color gels to dye marzipan. Use a small amount with a toothpick as the color will intensify later. Also, avoid kneading the paste aggressively to prevent the marzipan from getting oily. Over-kneading can cause oil from the nuts to separate making it hard to work with.
No, cooked marzipan is a different recipe. I shared the recipe with you on my other blog - Cooked Marzipan Recipe
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Homemade Marzipan Recipe
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Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) Almond meal ground almonds
- 7 oz (200 g) Powdered sugar confectioners sugar / Icing sugar
- 4 tbsp Light corn syrup (or simple syrup or water)
- ¼ tsp Almond extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- â…› tsp Rose extract optional
- 2 tbsp Water as needed for kneading
Instructions
- In a food processor - add the almond meal and powdered sugar. Pulse until smooth - a minute or two Pro tip - How smooth you grind the almonds will determine the texture of your marzipan. Adding powdered sugar to the food processor prevents the almonds from releasing oil.
- Transfer to a bowl. Add the light corn syrup, almond, and vanilla extract. Combine well
- Bring it all together into a ball - if necessary add one or two tablespoons of water or sugar syrupPro tip - if you plan to keep the marzipan longer than a week, use sugar syrup, not water.
- Lightly knead on a work surface until you have a smooth ballPro tip - kneading is important to get a smooth dough. But, over kneading will cause the almonds to give out oil and that can make the marzipan oily
- Wrap in plastic wrap and store until ready to use.Pro tip - marzipan must be wrapped well in plastic or it can dry out easily. When ready to use lightly knead to make it pliable again.
Recipe Notes
- Pulse the almonds meal and sugar some more? We do this to ensure the almonds are fine ground powder not grainy. This makes for a much smoother paste, especially when you need to use marzipan to cover cakes or to make Easter eggs.
- Water vs. sugar syrup - Water is preferable when you are not going to keep the marzipan for an extended period, which usually is the case with me. And if you plan to make this for sale or to keep it for more than ten days - I highly recommend using sugar syrup. Simple syrup or sugar syrup is just 1 part sugar and 3 parts water boiled for a few minutes and cooled.Â
- Why test - It is easy to end up with too much liquid in the marzipan, resulting in a gloppy mess. So it's best to be safe and add a tablespoon at a time. And only adding enough so you can form a dough.
- Why do we knead for only 30 seconds and not more - Nuts give out oil when you squeeze the paste. While we do need the mixture to be smooth, we do not want an oily mess in our hands. We want the oils to stay in the nut paste. Since oily marzipan is very difficult to work. It's still delicious, and yet can't be molded into things quickly.
- Read my post - Marzipan 101 -Everything you need to know about Marzipan
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Swati
Can Ike these for making decoration figures on my cakes? Like how we do fondant ones ?
Veena Azmanov
Swati, you can use this to make decorations but they do not become hard. Thanks
Lucy-Sarah Raymond Gounder
Hello Veena, thank you sharing this recipe.
Please advise how one would package any of the marzipan treats as gifts or for sale? I keep wondering if it will dry out if place in a heat sealed packet/box or cupcake boxes. Thank you
Veena Azmanov
You can wrap it in plastic to prevent it from drying. Then place in a box to give as gifts or for sale Lucy-Sarah.
Lucy-Sarah Raymond Gounder
I love this recipe. Thank you Veena.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Lucy-Sarah