Recipe

Homemade Marzipan

Homemade marzipan is a delicious, sweet almond paste used for covering fruit cakes and making petit fours. Homemade marzipan is quite unique to itself and tastes nothing like a commercially prepared marzipan. Homemade marzipan is quite unique to itself and tastes nothing like a commercially prepared marzipan. It really is quite delicious and extremely easy to make. I recommend to hand make when combining the ingredients together as it is important not to overwork. 

See Festive Boozy Fruit Cake for an example of using homemade marzipan.

approx 750g marzipan
30 minutes
NO cook

Ingredients

  • 175g golden caster sugar
  • 280g icing sugar
  • 450g ground almonds
  • 1 vanilla pod
    - seeds removed
  • 2 eggs
    - lightly beaten
  • ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
  • Other
  • 3 tbsp apricot jam
    - warmed then sieved

Instructions

  • Make marzipan:
  • 01 Mix the sugars and almonds in a large bowl, then rub in the vanilla seeds until even. Make a well in the middle, then tip in the eggs and lemon juice. Cut the wet ingredients into the dry with a cutlery knife. Dust the surface with icing sugar, then knead the marzipan briefly with your hands to a smooth dough. Don’t overdo it as the paste can get greasy. Add a bit more icing sugar if it seems too wet. Shape into a ball, then wrap and keep in a cool place until ready to cover the cake. Can be made up to 2 days in advance.
  • Roll out:
  • 02 Lift the cake onto a cake board and using a pastry brush, cover evenly with a thin layer of jam. Dust the work surface with more icing sugar, then roll the marzipan into a circle about 40cm across, dusting underneath the marzipan with more icing sugar and turning it a quarter turn after every few pushes of the rolling pin.

  • Cover cake:
  • 03 Flip the top of the circle back over the rolling pin so you can see the underside of the marzipan, then lift the pin up and lift the marzipan over the cake. Stop once you can see that the edge of the marzipan nearest you is about level with the bottom of the cake. Flop the front of the marzipan down. Smooth the paste over the cake using the palms of your hands, then trim with a sharp knife. If any cracks appear, simply pinch the paste back together and smooth. Leave to dry for at least 24 hours, or up to 3 days, before covering with icing.

Notes

Although homemade marzipan contains raw eggs, the amount of sugar, and lack of moisture, prevents bacteria growing when left at room temperature, so your cake should last for 1-2 months iced. The most important thing is that you don't scrimp on drying time – once you’ve covered your cake in marzipan it should be left to completely dry out, before you then cover it with icing. Any excess marzipan can be frozen and will keep 3-4 months in the freezer when double wrapped in cling film and placed in a freezer proof bag.

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