How To Make Marzipan from Almond Paste
This homemade Marzipan recipe uses just 3 ingredients — almond paste, corn syrup, and confectioner’s sugar — and comes together in about 20 minutes. It’s smoother, sweeter, and far better than the dry, expensive marzipan sold in stores, and it’s the base for everything from cake covering to holiday decorations like marzipan roses and fruit. Made ahead, it keeps well for months in the fridge or freezer.
If you live in the US and you’ve bought marzipan in the grocery store, chances are you were sorely disappointed. Pre-made marzipan is expensive and is usually dry and tasteless.
I always make my own marzipan from almond paste. Marzipan is a fairly luxurious ingredient but is very easy to make. You’ll need just 3 ingredients and it comes together in mere minutes.
Ingredients
- Almond Paste – Almond paste is made with “bitter” almonds, which have the distinctive marzipan flavor.
- Corn Syrup – Gives the marzipan a supple texture. You can use an equal amount of sugar syrup cooked to the softball stage (248°F) in place of corn syrup.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – Confectioner sugar adds body to the almond paste mixture. Add less sugar for a softer marzipan, like you’d use to cover a cake. Use more sugar for molding marzipan into fruits, flowers or decorative pieces.
Almonds vs. Bitter Almonds
The standard almonds that are available in US markets do not contain the compound (benzaldehyde) that gives marzipan the specific wild-almond flavor, which is also found in almond extract. Bitter almonds are not available for sale in the US.
What’s the Difference Between Almond Paste and Marzipan?
- Almond paste is darker in color and has a coarse texture. Homemade marzipan is lighter in color, is sweeter and has a smooth texture.
- Almond paste is mostly used as an ingredient (for example in Bear claws) and marzipan is generally used for finishing and decorating pastries.
Process Photos
Here’s what the recipe process looks like at each stage. Refer to the recipe card below for measurements and exact instructions.
- Combine almond paste with corn syrup and mix until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Add confectioner sugar and mix until it becomes crumbly. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish kneading in the sugar by hand. The more sugar you add, the stiffer the marzipan will be. Adjust the texture according to how you will use the marzipan.
How to Store Marzipan
If you are using marzipan within a couple of days, wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature.
For longer term storage it’s best to double wrap the marzipan in plastic wrap to prevent the surface from drying out. I also put the double wrapped packet into a storage container with a tight fitting lid or a heavy storage bag. This extra layer will not only keep the marzipan from drying out, it will prevent it from picking up off odors.
Marzipan wrapped this way will keep about 6 months in the refrigerator or up to a year in the freezer.
Can I Make Marzipan Using Almond Flour?
Technically, yes. But regular almond flour does not have the aromatic flavor from bitter almonds. Even if you add some almond extract the real problem is one of texture. My preference is for almond paste, and especially marzipan, to be a very smooth paste without any noticeable grit from ground almonds. You can’t really achieve as smooth a texture using home equipment as you get with commercial almond paste.
How to use Marzipan
Homemade Marzipan has a million and one uses.
- Cover Christmas fruitcakes with marzipan before finishing them with fondant. The marzipan creates an extra layer to keep the cake moist, plus it tastes much better than fondant. When making marzipan to cover cakes use the lower amount of sugar in the recipe. With less sugar the homemade marzipan is very soft and has a strong almond paste flavor, perfect for a cake covering.
- Marzipan can be used as a candy filling. Add orange zest to the marzipan and a little extra sugar to make it a little firmer. Cut the flavored marzipan it into small squares, cover the squares in tempered chocolate and you’ve got a fantastic little bon bon.
- Use homemade marzipan to make tasty and pretty decorative pieces. Add enough sugar and the marzipan becomes firm enough to make rose petals or holly leaves and berries.
- You can mold life-like pieces of fruit from marzipan, hand color them with powdered food coloring and create a show-stopping centerpiece that is delicious.
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Marzipan Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 oz almond paste (see note)
- 2 oz light corn syrup (¼ cup)
- 8 oz confectioner’s sugar (approximately)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix 7 oz almond paste and 2 oz light corn syrup on low speed until it forms a smooth paste. If working by hand use a wooden spoon to mix until combined.
- Scrape the bowl. With the mixer running on low speed add 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar. If mixing by hand stir half the sugar. Turn the dough out onto a surface generously sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Knead the remaining sugar into the marzipan. Continue adding additional powdered sugar to achieve the desired consistency (see note).
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Love the recipe , thank you so much for it
Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe. I’ll be making it tmo morn bc I have all the ingredients. Yum!
Have you tried using a food processor instead of a stand mixer? It seems reasonable to me, it could create a finer texture, but it might go wrong for a reason I haven’t thought of.
I haven’t tried it so couldn’t say for sure. But it is a very, very sticky mixture and needs to be finished by hand to get all the sugar in. You’d have to have a powerful motor on your food processor to not burn out with the heavy mix. I’m thinking it would work similarly to how I do it in the mixer. Start the marzipan in the processor and finish kneading by hand. Getting it out of the processor and off the blade may be a challenge. As far as the texture, because you’re starting with smooth almond paste the final marzipan is fine in texture. I’m not sure the processor would do any better than the mixer. If you try it let me know how it works out.
Thanks. I think I’ll just use the mixer. The processor was a wedding gift and we’ve been married 42 years.
How long when on Christmas cake to dry …… before covering …. And how long before icing thank you and thank you for this recipe please reply asap. Merry Christmas
Are you asking how long to let the marzipan dry before icing? If I’m covering the cake with marizpan and fondant I don’t wait at all. I ice the cake with apricot preserves, then I cover the cake with marzipan. I brush the marzipan with brandy so the fondant will stick then cover the cake with fondant. If you are icing the cake with royal icing you can ice it right away over the marzipan. If you watch the video on the Fruitcake Recipe page you’ll see how I cover the cake. That process is done all in one session.
Hi there. I use marzipan for the center of stollen (a baked Christmas sweet pastry) and unless you go high on the sugar, it gets runny and leaks out of the pastry. Just for info.
I use almond paste, not marzipan in my stollen recipe.
@Eileen Gray, me too
I love the fact that it’s EASY because I am going to attempt the Princess Cake no bakery in
Charlotte will make for me for my birthday. I want a cake I LOVE !
I’m crossing my fingers, ordering the Marzipan Paste that I can’t find at ANY grocery store
(Not Whole Foods, not Fresh Market ) & going for it !
Thanks !
P.S. The scariest part is ROLLING out the Marzipan covering on this particular cake. Oh ! And the fact that although I’m a pretty good cook, baking ? Not so much !
Just make sure you order real almond paste, not marzipan. There’s a link in the recipe card to the brand I use. It’s very good. (I’m obliged to say that as an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
How much would you reduce the sugar by to make marzipan for icing my Xmas cake? So happy to have found a recipe that uses almond paste which I found with the jello in America.
I give a range of the amount of sugar to add. For covering fruitcakes I use the lower amount so the marzipan is soft.
Hi there. I was hoping to make this recipe a few days in advance before I assemble my cake. Could I leave this in the fridge for a day or two and then use the marzipan or should I make it and assemble the cake immediately?
Thanks.
This can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for several days.
Thank you for the marizpan recipe and your advice,
You’re welcome!
This turned out great!!! I’m not exactly sure on the consistency (how much sugar it really needed) but it is pliable and can be rolled out to cover these German cookies I’m making so it will work out perfectly.
Hi Joanna, the consistency can be adapted to the use of the marzipan. When I cover fruitcakes I like to use the lesser amount of sugar, but if I’m making marzipan fruit I use more sugar for a firmer consistency. I’d love to see a photo of the cookies when you’re done! Happy holidays!
It is not at all impossible to make your own Almond paste. All you need is 200 gram almonds, scolded and peeled, 4 drops of bitter almond extract, one egg white and 1 cup powdered sugar. I use a special hand cranked almond grinder, but food processor works too, just keep going until it’s really fine, Add eggwite essence and sugar, mix well, Keep in air tight container until used. You can also add a few drops Rose water for a sofisticated taste.
Well, I find it impossible to get the paste as smooth as the commercial paste. But if it works for you, great!
What size cake will this recipe cover? Thank you!
HI Christina. This recipe should make enough to cover an 8″ cake (2-3″ tall cake). Of course it will depend how thick you like to roll the marzipan. What type of cake are you making?
Do you let the marzipan out to dry if you’re making deviations out of it or store it in a container?
Leave it out to dry if making decorations, sorry autocorrect
Hi Lindsey, Yes, If I’m making decorations I leave them out to dry.
Hi, there is “light” corn syrup and “dark” corn syrup at store, which one should I use for this recipe? Thank you!!
Oh, Sorry. Light Corn syrup. I should have specified. I’ll edit the recipe. Thanks for the question, Caro.
Hi Eileen,
If i can’t find the almond paste in the grocery store, can i make my own? And if so, is there any recipe which I can use as a guide?
By the way, the roses and decorations are pretty!
Hi Juliet! To make true almond paste at home would be impossible. Almond paste is not made from regular almonds that you buy at the store. It’s made from “bitter almonds”. Bitter almonds have that “marzipan” flavor. Also, getting the paste completely smooth with no gritty bits of almonds can’t really be done in a food processor. Commerical almond paste is made with rollers that completely crush the nuts. I have ground my own almonds and added almond extract to make a version of almond paste used as a pastry filling. But you want marzipan to be super smooth for most uses. Almond paste can be bought on-line. Is that an option for you?
Hi Eileen. Thanks for this informative piece. I’ve never used marzipan, but i have a customer who wants fruit cake (christmas cake) for her birthday cake. Do you know if buttercream would work the same way as marzipan, before i cover the entire cake with fondant?
Marcia.
Hi Marcia. I guess there’s no reason you couldn’t ice a fruitcake with buttercream. When I make Christmas fruitcakes I coat the cake with apricot preserves, then with a layer of marzipan and then finally with a layer of fondant or royal icing. That’s the more traditional way to finish the cake. For many fruitcake lovers (me included) one of the best parts of a fruitcake is the marzipan. Also, if she plans to save the cake (fruitcake can keep for months if cared for properly) then I wouldn’t use buttercream since it will go bad.