What's the Deal with Marzipan? (2024)

FAQs

What's the deal with marzipan? ›

Marzipan is a ready-to-eat sweet treat traditionally found in confectionary shops across Europe. Made from ground almonds, sugar and egg whites, it is often shaped and dyed or painted as realistic fruits and vegetables. Different countries have different marzipan traditions.

When people say they don't like Christmas cake, often they mean they don't like marzipan. Oddly, the paste elicits strong feelings while its core ingredient, almonds, often don't. For some, it tastes too bitter.

In Russia, marzipan is known from the fairy tales of Andersen, Hoffmann, the Brothers Grimm, where it symbolizes children's happiness and magic. Under the "tsarist regime" marzipan was produced for more than a hundred years. Only very wealthy people could afford a rare gourmet delicacy.

Persipan is a similar, but less expensive product, in which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels.

What is Marzipan? Marzipan, also known as almond candy dough, is a smooth and pliable confectionary paste made from almonds that can be used as a cake icing or molded into candies. It features a clay-like consistency that makes it easy to handle.

Marzipan is used in a variety of dessert and candy recipes, including everything from cookies and cakes to truffles and pralines. Marzipan is also often dyed and shaped into miniature fruits to be enjoyed on their own or used to decorate cakes.

The best quality marzipan contains less sugar in the raw mix. Good marzipan contains minerals such calcium, potassium and magnesium and is also rich in vitamin B and polyunsaturated fatty acids. On the downside, marzipan is high in fat and in sugar.

Marzipan can be eaten raw and is used to make candies, ice cakes, or as a filling. Almond paste is similar to marzipan, but it has more almonds and less sugar.

Marzipan comes from nuts—it's traditionally made with ground almonds. In order to maintain quality standards, many countries regulate the percentage of almonds a recipe must have for it to be legally called "marzipan." This discourages the use of apricot kernels as a cheap substitute for almonds.

Compared to almond paste, marzipan has a higher proportion of sugar, which makes it sweeter, smoother, and more pliable—think Play-Doh. It's typically rolled, molded, dyed, and/or shaped (like into these adorable fruits!) and served as its own or used as a decorative element in larger desserts.

What is the main function of marzipan? ›

The glory of marzipan is because it holds a shape easily, you can cut out or mold your own figures to decorate holiday pastries. It's also used as a kind of heavy-duty frosting for Christmas cakes because it helps long-keeping cakes (like fruitcakes) retain their moisture instead of going stale.

Historically, the city of Königsberg in East Prussia was renowned for its Marzipan production. Today, the term Königsberger Marzipan refers to a special type of Marzipan in Germany. The EU mapped in marzipan.

If you have ever researched alternatives to almonds for marzipan, you may have come across recipes for something called 'Persipan'. Persipan is in fact, already a gluten free nut free marzipan alternative, made from the kernels of apricots (a cousin of the almond).

Glaze the top and sides of your cake with honey. Use your rolling pin to lift the marzipan and then unroll it directly onto your honey glazed cake. Lift the pleats with one hand then press and smooth with the other hand.

For white marzipan use 2 egg whites. For golden marzipan use 2 egg yolks and a tiny bit of white if necessary. If you're making half quantities, as I do for Marzipan Stars, use just an egg white.

Compared to almond paste, marzipan has a higher proportion of sugar, which makes it sweeter, smoother, and more pliable—think Play-Doh. It's typically rolled, molded, dyed, and/or shaped (like into these adorable fruits!) and served as its own or used as a decorative element in larger desserts.

This sweet almond paste provides a delicious middle layer in fruit cakes, and locks in moisture as well as creating a flat, smooth surface to decorate with icing.

1 Because marzipan is based on almonds, it is a sufficient content of vitamin E, in fact, as in the walnut. This vitamin in nature is a very powerful antioxidant and helps to fight stress and nervous tension.