Our Favorite Marzipan Recipe

This marzipan recipe is easy and delicious... and a terrific way to make memories with your kids. Marzipan is also great for decorating delicious and beautiful cakes.

Just the word Marzipan is kind of magical to me. The excitement in our house when my Mom said "We're making marzipan!," was so much fun.

What's not to love? Marzipan modeling is like playing with playdough except that you can eat it... and it's delicious! An almond-tasting candy in fun shapes and colors.

My brothers and I would compete to make the most realistic-looking fruit shapes.

marzipan animals

I'm not really sure why marzipan candies are commonly shaped into fruits but, according to Wikipedia's history of marzipan, it's a long-standing tradition in many parts of the world. Interestingly, several regions claim to be the originators of marzipan candy.

Another tradition in some regions is modeling marzipan animals, like these adorible marzipan pigs.

Marzipan is also used to cover cakes for extra tastiness. Because it's pourus, marzipan would dry out if it were the top layer on a cake, so a thin layer of fondant is usually applied on top for it's crisp smooth appearance. Here you see a pastry chef working with a ball of marzipan dough and then applying it to a cake after rolling it thin.

Try our favorite marzipan recipe and make your own creative almond-flavored decorations.

Marzipan Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Paste
2 Tablespoons White Karo Syrup
1/2 cup Marshmallow Cream
2 cups Powdered Sugar

Steps (how to make marzipan):

Combine the almond paste, karo syrup, and marshmallow cream.
Add the powdered sugar a small amount at a time.
As the mixture becomes too thick to stir, knead in the rest of the powdered sugar until you have a pliable dough.
If it's too sticky to work with (especially if hand-modeling,) add powdered sugar until it's firm but not dry.

Marzipan Tips:

Marzipan can be molded by hand, like playdough, rolled flat and cut out with cookie cutters, or it can be pushed into candy molds to make easy and consistent shapes (the marzipan pigs above were made this way.) Chill the marzipan in the mold to make it easier to remove from the mold.
You can mix this marzipan recipe with a small amount of fondant to make a lighter colored dough with less of a strong almond flavor.
Paint details with food coloring to make your marzipan figures more realistic. For instance, a little brown coloring on half of a pear, streaks of brown down bananas, redish-orange painted on 1/2 of an orange colored peach.
Cloves make perfect stems for many fruits.

Here are a few more photos for inspiration. See this page for photos of others' marzipan creations. Try marzipan modeling for yourself and don't forget to send us your photos!