Marzipan (2024)

FAQs

What is the marzipan rule? ›

The rule is that only a mass containing at least 50 parts of marzipan (which must be made of at least half almonds and no more than half sugar) and 50 parts of sugars (usually i.e. icing sugar) may be sold and produced under the name 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.

Marzipan gives essence to almond croissants, king cakes, stollen and some holiday cookies. It is pliable enough to behave like fondant for covering layer cakes, as in the Swedish princess cake.

Experts think the word derives from martius panis, or "bread of March" in Latin. Definitions of marzipan. almond paste and egg whites. synonyms: marchpane. type of: candy, confect.

However, marzipan isn't especially popular in North America. It's not that we don't like it—because unless you have a nut allergy, who wouldn't like marzipan? —it's just that we don't eat it much. Often, we just sell it as an ingredient called “almond paste,” which strikes me as functional and lacking in romance.

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.

The invention of marzipan is usually attributed to Lübeck, Germany. Legend has it that during a 15th century famine when flour for making bread became scarce, the senate of Lübeck ordered bakers to create a replacement. Using eggs, sugar, and stores of almonds, the clever bakers came up with marzipan.

Another possible geographic origin is Toledo, Spain (850-900, though more probably 1150 during the reign of Alfonso VII, then known as Postre Regio instead of Mazapán) and Sicily (1193, known as panis martius or marzapane, i.e. March Bread).

While there are no standards in the US for almond content in marzipan, it tends to be between 25 and 30 percent by weight. Marzipan can be eaten raw and is used to make candies, ice cakes, or as a filling.

Marzipan is fine as a short term source of simple carbs but anyone suffering from diabetes should avoid it because it would cause the blood sugar levels to spike (and then drop in normal metabolisms) as Eric so rightly says… however each block of marzipan has in excess of 7000 Calories.

Can marzipan go off? ›

As long as it is kept cool or refrigerated, marzipan has a long life, months at least. At warm or room temperature the almond content will slowly oxidise and develop off flavours.

Fondant has a very sweet and sugary taste. Fondant also has a moldable consistency, like marzipan, although it's not as easy to work with. Fondant is made from sugar rather than almonds, which gives it a different flavor.

Marzipan is the only female character among the primary residents of the Homestar Runner universe. She is tall and thin, with her elongated head a pinkish color.

Made from finely ground blanched almonds, confectioners' sugar, and sometimes corn syrup and egg whites, marzipan is a soft dough-like mixture that can be shaped into cookies, cake toppings, or tiny figurines. It's unique in that it acts like playdough and can be used in replacement for fondant.

Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables.

This expression goes back to the medieval times when a farmer who had a lot of pigs that year was really lucky. When you give someone a marzipan pig, you are wishing him or her good luck for the next year. If you find an almond in your traditional Christmas porridge, you might get a marzipan pig for a prize.

The traditional layer of marzipan on a cake helps to keep the cake moist by trapping in moisture which in turn stops it from going stale. It also provides a smooth surface for your final icing covering.

Cover the cake with marzipan and then if possible let the cake stand for 24 to 48 hours so that surface of the marzipan can dry out. This gives a firmer surface for icing but also reduces the risk of any of the oils from almonds in the marzipan staining the white icing.

Once the cake has been covered with marzipan, the marzipan needs to dry out. Otherwise the oils from the marzipan can seep into the icing, causing discolouration.