Marzipan

Delicious homemade vegan marzipan is the way to go! Incredibly easy using only three ingredients, plus it’s less expensive than the shop-bought variety. 

To be honest, I had never been a big fan of store-bought marzipan, the taste was just too intense and artificial, which is why I like to make my own at home. The great thing about homemade marzipan is that you know exactly what goes into it, with no artificial colourings or preservatives.

Marzipan is traditionally made of almonds, sugar, and either egg white or a liquid sweetener. Some recipes also include almond extract and rose water to enhance the flavour, however, these are not essential if you don’t have them at hand, but do add the extra amaretto aroma to the final mazipan.

Blanched almonds can be used to make both marzipan and almond paste. While they are very similar, they are slightly different in the amount of sugar used. Marzipan contains more sugar than almonds in the recipe, which allows it to dry out over time and hold its shape. This is especially useful when making molded figurines or miniature fruits for decoration.

Almond paste, on the other hand, contains less sugar, allowing it to remain soft and to be used with other ingredients to flavour baked goods or to make fillings.

Renowned all over the world, marzipan is used in a number of ways. In England, Christmas cake, wedding cakes and Battenberg are famous for being covered in marzipan. A German favourite is Stollen, a fruit and marzipan bread found throughout the festive season. And from Austria, Mozart chocolates are famous for their almond, nougat and marzipan centres coated with rich dark chocolate.

I use marzipan in my rhubarb marzipan cake or roll it into small balls and dip it into cocoa powder or melted chocolate for a treat.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment below and rate it – it’s really helpful to me and other readers to know what you think! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me @thegourmetlarder or hashtag it #thegourmetlarder on Instagram or Facebook. I love seeing what you’ve been baking! 🙂

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RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

• EASE: tastes better than store-bought, and you know exactly what’s in it.
• FREE FROM: gluten-free and dairy-free.
• GREAT FOR: covering cakes or making sweet treats.
• TASTE & TEXTURE: a sweet and nutty almond flavour with a soft texture.
• QUANTITY: this recipe makes 450g, which is enough to cover a small 24cm single layer cake.
• TIME: 5 minutes.

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INGREDIENTS

For this recipe, all you need are these ingredients:

• Blanched almonds – I recommend using blanched almonds because they are already peeled and retain more moisture than ground or sliced almonds.

• Icing sugar – gives the marzipan its sweetness and smooth texture.

• Liquid sweetener or water – use corn syrup, golden syrup, glycerine, rice syrup, honey or water to bring the mixture together making it malleable.

• Almond extract (optional) – adds that extra boost of natural flavour. I like to add a little bit of almond extract for a more intense almond flavor.

• Rose water (optional) – can add a delicate floral flavour. You can also leave it out if you don’t like the taste or don’t have it on hand.

I recommend Steenbergs Organic Rose Water which is available through Amazon.

TIP: I highly recommend adding salt to your doughs and pastry. Salt helps balance out the sweetness and richness. It also elevates the other ingredients, bringing out the best characteristics of any recipe. I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt.

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WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

• Colouring – knead a little food gel into the dough for alternative colours.

I recommend these edible food colour gel pastes by Rainbow Dust Pro Gel available as a set of yellow, orange, blue, green, pink, red, purple.

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NUTRITION

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STORAGE AND FREEZING

Marzipan needs to be wrapped well or stored in an airtight container to prevent it from hardening and dehydrating. It will stay fresh in the fridge, for up to 5-6 weeks. Make sure to bring the marzipan to room temperature before using it, it will be easier to mould and shape. It is also important to prevent the almond oils from getting rancid in the marzipan, this can be achieved by protecting it from direct sunlight and storing it in a cold and dark place when not in the fridge.

Freezing: Once prepared, this dough can be wrapped in clingfilm or placed in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

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TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

Here is a list of some kitchen equipment that I use and recommend for this recipe.

• Measuring Spoons Set, Magnetic Stainless Steel

These measuring spoons are really handy for getting the right measurements of those small ingredients. I also like the fact that they are magnetic, sticking together and narrow to fit into spice jars.

• Rolling Pin with Removable Silicone Thickness Guide Rings, Beech Wood (40 x 3.9 cm)

I love this rolling pin, its variable guide rings make rolling out biscuit doughs, pizzas, or flat breads so much easier!

• Magimix 4200XL Compact Food Processor & Blender, 3 Bowls, 3L Capacity, Multifunctional 6 in 1

This is a really good food processor, I have used Maggie mix before, I think they are one of the best processes on the market. The blades are very sharp and I use it for breaking down biscuits, nuts and getting very smooth creams or dips. It does a really good job and its very quiet not as noisy some other brands. I recommend it to anybody who enjoys baking and cooking. They are a little on the expensive side but you pay for what you get.

Please check out my Shop for a curated collection of some of my favourite baking equipment. The Gourmet Larder is an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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RECIPE TIPS

Cake covering – If you cover a cake in marzipan that you are then going to cover in icing, it is important to allow the marzipan to completely dry out, before you then cover it with icing.

Blanched almonds – I recommend using blanched almonds as they are already peeled and retain more moisture.

Food processor – This is essential for making marzipan as the almonds have to be ground down to a fine paste. If you find the mixture is crumbly and not coming together in the food processor, it may be too cold, simply, use your hands to knead it together.

Humidity – Depending on the humidity, you might need to add less or more water to get the desired consistency. the mix mustn’t be too sticky, slowly add a teaspoon of water at a time.

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