Marzipan Or Almond Paste
Ingredients
To make enough marzipan to cover an 8 inch, (20 cm round), or a 7 inch, (18 cm square) Christmas cake
You will need:
- 1 lb, 450 g, ground almonds
- 8 oz, 225 g, icing sugar sifted
- 8 oz, 225 g, caster sugar
- 2 medium sized eggs
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp almond essence
- A little extra icing sugar for dredging
- 3 tablespoons of apricot jam for brushing over the cake
Method
To make the marzipan.
Begin by breaking the eggs separately to make sure they’re fresh before
whisking them together with the almond essence and lemon juice in a large
mixing bowl.
Now, stir in the icing sugar, caster sugar, and almonds.
Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a ball.
Dust your hands with a little icing sugar and knead the dough until its pliable.
If you are not going to marzipan your cake straight away, wrap the paste
in greaseproof or waxed or parchment paper then put it into a clean plastic
bag, and refrigerate for a few days, or until needed.
When you are ready to marzipan your cake.
Measure the circumference of your cake with a piece of string.
Now, measure the height of the side of your cake too.
Your measurements will give you a long, narrow rectangle, in other words, a strip.
First, Brush the top and sides of the cake with a little runny, slightly
warmed apricot jam, this gives a tacky surface to help themarzipan stick well
to the cake.
Now, dredge your worktop with a little sifted icing sugar and have more icing
sugar ready to dust the rolling pin.
Take off two-thirds of your almond paste which will be enough to make the
strip for the outside of the cake.
Roll out this larger piece of paste so that its just a little bit longer
and slightly wider than your measurements, and it will fit nicely all around
the outside of the cake.
Dust your hands with a little icing sugar and gently
press it into position with your hands, then Press lightly with your rolling
pin at the join to seal it.
To marzipan the top of the cake.
Shape the remaining piece of paste into a round or a square and after dredging
your worktop and rolling pin again with a little icing sugar, roll it out until
its slightly larger than the top of the cake, Using a piece of string or a tape
measure or even the base of your cake tin, to check the size of the marzipan.
Do not lift the marzipan on to the top of the cake.
Turn the cake upside down on to the marzipan, and trim off the excess with
the point of a knife, taking care not to dig it into the marzipan on the sides.
Now that the almond paste is on, turn the cake the right side up again.
By doing it this way you get a nice flat top surface to the cake.