Marzipan icing
Simnel cake was traditionally given by servant girls to their mothers when they returned home on Mothering Sunday and it’s now become a classic Easter cake. Ready-made marzipan is sold in plastic-wrapped blocks in the baking section of most supermarkets. Marzipan can be made with egg yolk for a richer colour marzipan icing coloured with food colouring and flavoured, then used to make petits fours. It can be also be moulded into the shape of fruits, vegetables, and so on, to make little sweets.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. How’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 256,146 times. Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of ground almonds and some sweetener, usually sugar or honey. If you want to make marzipan from scratch, this article includes two recipes to make this delicious sweet found in cakes and candies.
Marzipan is commonly used to create decorations on cakes, and we have included tips and a video for those who want to go that route, as well. Note: You want to use pasteurized egg whites in this recipe for safety reasons. Eating raw eggs can lead to food poisoning. You can find egg whites in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. This method is best used for preparing modeling marzipan. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl on top of the ground almonds. Mix to make a stiff paste.
You can use a little water mixed with brandy instead of the egg whites if you do not want to eat raw eggs. This method can also be used to prepare modeling marzipan, but the result will be stickier than the uncooked version. Cook sugar and water on low heat. Constantly stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add cream of tartar and bring the mixture to boil. This is called the soft ball stage. Add ground almonds and vanilla extract.
Add it to the pan and put the mixture back on low heat. Stir for a couple of minutes. Work the two with a palate knife. Tip: If the mixture is too sticky, add a little more confectioners’ sugar. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and cool.
Knead it until smooth once it has cooled down. What should I do if I only have whole almonds? Make sure they are raw and not salted. Grind them up in a blender or food processor until fine. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. 1 helps us in our mission. Are blanched almonds better than unblanched for taste or texture?
They hold the flavor you’ll want with the texture your looking for in the meal. Unblanched almonds are still tasty but have the skin still on them. Can I use blanched almond flour? Yes, in fact it is preferable. It makes whiter marzipan which is good if you wish to model it and add color. It is also generally a finer texture than grinding the almonds yourself, making a smoother dough. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
