January 12 is National Marzipan Day, which seems a little belated, since this sugary almond confection is so commonly used in holiday baking recipes, and is even considered a good luck treat to celebrate the New Year in parts of Europe. But never the less, its day has come, so let’s dive into what it is, and how to make it!
According to Serious Eats, Marzipan comes from nuts—it’s traditionally made with ground almonds. In order to maintain quality standards, many countries regulate the percentage of almonds a recipe must have for it to be legally called “marzipan.” This discourages the use of apricot kernels as a cheap substitute for almonds – a confection known as “persipan.”
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. But cities like Venice, Florence, Konigsberg and more all lay claim to inventing marzipan and put forth similar stories with different dates, making it hard to determine where the sweet actually came from.
Although the origin of marzipan is fuzzy, it has clearly been embraced by many different cultures and is enjoyed worldwide. Marzipan is a traditional food to eat on weddings and religious feast days in Italy, Greece, and Cyprus.
In Latin America, a popular marzipan-like treat which replaces the almonds with peanuts is called “mazapan.” In Mexico, pine nuts and pistachios are other substitutes for almonds in marzipan. You can find marzipan in the Middle East, too, usually flavored with orange-flower water. In Germany and throughout much of northern Europe it is considered good luck to receive a marzipan pig on Christmas or New Year’s Day. The Spanish and Portuguese are big consumers of marzipan too. But perhaps the form of marzipan that Americans are most familiar with are the cute little miniature fruit shapes that pop up all over.
While its origins may be vague, one thing is clear: It has become famous for its use during Christmastime. You’ll find chocolate-covered treats all year round, but the winter holidays bring us the famous stollen cake from Germany and yule logs from France.
If you’ve decided to do some baking, but don’t have any marzipan on hand and you’re tempted to use almond paste as a substitute for marzipan, don’t! According to Taste of Home, while you can certainly add sugar and corn syrup to almond paste to make it marzipan-like, but it’s not a good swap as-is. Both products are made with sugar and almonds, but marzipan has a candy-like flavor and a secret ingredient–an egg white–that makes it smooth and moldable. Almond paste, on the other hand, is coarser in texture and less sweet, making it better suited for use as a filling.
You might see people use marzipan and fondant interchangeably in cake decorating. You could certainly use fondant as a substitute, since it has the same sweet flavor and a moldable consistency, but you’ll find it’s not as easy to work with. The almonds in marzipan act as a flour, keeping the product moist and easy to roll. Fondant is made from sugar and gelatin, so it tends to dry out easily as you roll it. It also lacks the characteristic almond flavor that makes marzipan so crave-worthy.
It’s actually surprisingly easy to make marzipan! Many recipes tell you to add confectioners’ sugar and corn syrup to almond paste, but Taste of Home advises that these versions way too sweet and lacking in natural almond flavor. Here is their recipe for home-made Marzipan that takes the cake!
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon egg white
Yield: about 1 cup
Directions
Step 1: Blend it up
Start by combining the almonds and 1/4 cup of the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor (this is our favorite food processor brand!). Pulse the mixture until it’s well blended. Then, add the remaining confectioners’ sugar along with the almond extract and light corn syrup. Process for one minute until the mixture is very smooth. Finally, add the egg white and process until the mixture forms a ball.
Step 2: Let it rest
No matter how you plan to use it, it’s important to let the marzipan rest. Otherwise, the mixture will be too warm and can fall apart as you work it. Remove the marzipan from the food processor and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour, until firm.
Step 3: Enjoy!
The marzipan is now ready to use! You can eat it as-is like candy, or press it into molds to make fun shapes like fruits, stars or animals. It can also be used like fondant as a cake topper or placed between two cake layers to create a flavorful divider. If you’d like, you can color it using food coloring to make it extra festive.
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