Almond Paste or Marzipan

Samuel Holden's Note:

Marzipan, cover cakes with it, make biscuits with it (roll it up in cookie dough), make animals with it, eat it with a spoon. Save any left over in the fridge in a glass bowl covered with cling film.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 batch

• 450 g ground almonds
• 225 g caster sugar (fine granulated)
• 225 g powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks (make some meringues!)
• 1 teaspoon brandy
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (natural! I mean it!)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift the 2 sugars into a bowl.
2. Stir in the eggs and yolks.
3. Place over a pan of nearly boiling water and whisk until thick and fluffy.
4. Remove from heat and sit base in some cold water.
5. Whisk in essence, brandy and juice.
6. Carry on until cool.
7. Stir in ground almonds and knead to form a firm paste.
8. Use as you will.
9. To cover a cake roll out into a circle and drape over the cake (it depends on the size).
10. Press into place and leave to set for at least 2 days.
11. Ice the cake.

Reviews

[Mirj]

We're a big marzipan-eating family, my daughter Adiya is addicted to the stuff and would rather have a bar of marzipan than any other chocolate bar on the market. I've bought some high-quality marzipan, but it's amazing the difference home-made makes! This recipe lends itself to shaping very well, and you can make as much or as little as you like. We left out the brandy and added more vanilla, and my daughter had a wonderful time with some of her friends making flowers and animals for a class project.

[Kim D.]

Great marzipan! I left out the brandy and used 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract! The texture was very easy to work with! Delicious!

[CheriBaby]

Uh, this recipe should not be made if you've never made this stuff before. The directions are not clear - cook over water until thick and fluffy? How fine do the almonds need to be - where are the photos so one knows that they're doing it correctly? A big waste if you don't already know what you're doing with this. I cook and bake from scratch almost every meal and I was very unhappy with the directions and outcome!