Easy Vegan Marzipan
Marzipan is an almond-flavored type of icing, used to make candies, cover cakes and even form elements and scenes (marzipan bunny, anyone?). Our easy vegan marzipan has only a handful of ingredients and happens to be dairy-free — mostly because we found this marzipan recipe the most easy to handle, roll out, and stay pliable. It’s delicious, almond-scented and truly a unique flavor. Use it on our battenburg cake and experiment with your creative side!
We tried a number of marzipan recipes when creating our gluten free battenburg cake (HERE). There’s no clear rule of thumb — some contain egg whites (quite common), egg yolks, corn syrup, or even regular caster sugar. We found these recipes too sticky or brittle to use to cover cake (though they probably work fine for shaping). In fact we had a number of battenburg cake disasters trying to use these recipes to cover the cake!! This easy vegan marzipan once chilled, rolls out the smoothest and stays moist yet pliable when utilizing cling film or plastic wrap.
Legend has it that marzipan was created in the 15th century when bread was scarce and stores of almonds were at hand. Our version uses an almost equal weight of sugar to ground almonds (almond flour) to create a paste that is sweet and almond-scented but not overly sugary. It has a beautiful texture and mild taste, perfect for coating cakes or creating animals, characters and scenes.
We use blanched almond flour in our recipe; and blitz the flour and powdered sugar first in a food processor before adding the almond extract and water. If you prefer not to use a food processor just make sure you sift your powdered sugar to achieve a finer consistency. Speaking of consistency, it’s key when working with marzipan. For this reason, we elect to mix in the small amount of water by hand, working it into the flour/sugar mixture until it just comes together. A sticky marzipan is impossible to handle. If your dough does become sticky, add more powdered sugar.
We also highly recommend chilling for 20-30 minutes to create a marzipan that is easier to roll out, less sticky, and holds together better. Using marzipan is a great way to flex your creative side. Try it on our gluten free battenburg cakes or create any number of creating figures or candies. It’s a unique way to create delicious desserts.
Find our gluten free battenburg cake recipe HERE and more recipe inspiration HERE!
Easy Vegan Marzipan
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 95 g blacked ground almond flour
- 80 g powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp pure almond extract
- 1 tbsp water or more
Instructions
- Weigh your almond flour and powdered sugar and place into a food processor — blitz until combined and smooth (If you do not have or want to use a food processor, combine the two ingredients and sift in the powdered sugar to create a finer consistency
- Add this mixture to a bowl and stir in the almond extract. Next add 1 tbsp water very slowly, mixing with your hands between small additions, to create a dough that 'just' holds together but is not sticky. You may need to add slightly more or less water. If you dough becomes sticky on your hands, add more powdered sugar and roll it in your hands until it is no longer sticky
- Wrap in plastic wrap dusted with powdered sugar and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until slightly chilled. It will be infinitely easier to handle if you perform this step
- If you are using marzipan in candies or for figures, you're ready to roll and create! If you are coating our battenburg cake, head to the next step …
- Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board or silicone baking mat and dust with powdered sugar. Remove your marzipan from the refrigerator and make sure it is not sticky (dust with more powdered sugar if needed). Place on the plastic wrap. Lightly dust a rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out in an approximate 8 x 10 inch rectangle or to the size needed to coat your cake. You want a thin layer of marzipan — see photos
- Place your prepared cake in the center and use the plastic wrap to lift the marzipan up the sides and around your cake. Trim edges. See our battenburg recipe for more detailed cake instructions
Notes
- Marzipan needs to just come together or it quickly becomes sticky and unmanageable. I recommend mixing with your hands once you add water to control the consistency
- Chilling is key if you are using the marzipan to roll out or shape into animals or other elements — it truly makes all the difference in ease of use
- Many marzipan recipes use egg whites (or yolks), corn syrup or even regular sugar – you don’t need any of these items; I’ve tried many recipes and this is the best-tasting (sweet but not too sweet) and easier to handle
- Use food coloring to create fun marzipan decorations. Simply press into the marzipan with your hands until thoroughly colored
Nutrition
Pingback: Gluten-Free Battenburg Cake - LUXE Wellness