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Hi Bold Bakers!
Marzipan, also known as almond paste, is a little like Vegemite in that you either love it or don’t. I have grown to love it over the years. Also, it’s used in one of my all time favorites, Swedish Princess Cake. In Ireland, my Easy Homemade Marzipan is used to cover cakes usually around the holidays!
To be honest, as kids, we would peel off the marzipan and royal icing and just eat the fruit cake. Now that my taste buds have matured I eat the whole thing. There is something about almond extract that has me coming back for more!
What Is Marzipan And What is it Used for?
My Easy Homemade Marzipan can be used as a modeling clay to make cake toppers or fun characters, and is easy to mould into any shape you wish. It can be sealed with egg white, or allowed to dry at room temperature for about 48 hours, before finishing the icing. This is particularly suitable for heavy fruit cake like traditional Irish Christmas Cake.

How to Make Marzipan
Making homemade marzipan is just a matter of combining ground almonds, sugar, icing sugar, egg, and almond extract. This creates a rich sweet paste that is packed with nutty flavor. The trick is to only handle it as much as necessary as it can become oily, and this oil can seep through the other layer of decorations you’re working with.
[ You might also be looking for How To Make Royal Icing and my Irish Christmas Cake Recipe! ]

What’s the difference between Marzipan and Frangipane?
While the two recipes are made from similar ingredients, they have very different uses.
Frangipane is often used with baked goods, at the bottom of tarts and galettes, and is also like a liquid and quite loose whereas marzipan can be baked with or used in its raw form and is more like an almond Playdoh — which is perfect for decorating and forming into different shapes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 10 minutes mins
From whimsical decorations to covering whole cakes, making my Easy Homemade Marzipan (Almond Paste) will elevate your holiday baking to a new level!
Author: Mammy (Patricia) Stafford
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (8oz/225g) ground almonds
- 1/2 cup (4oz/115g) sugar
- 1 cup (4oz/115g) icing sugar, sieved
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 egg yolk*, fresh or pasteurized (see notes for sub)
Instructions
First mix both sugars and ground almonds. Do this with a whisk to distribute the sugars well.
Add the egg and extract and mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients come together. With your fingers, bring the marzipan together. If it seems a little crumbly and dry, add a little more egg.
Remove from the bowl, and only handle enough to roll to the required shape. Chill before using. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 8 weeks if needed.
This recipe is large enough to cover a big cake, like my Irish Christmas Cake, or use to make model cake toppers.
Recipe Notes
Egg sub: You can replace the egg yolks in this recipe with Flax egg. For more info check out my Egg Substitute Chart