Marzipan is very expensive to buy in the grocery store, and is often dry and flavorless. This marzipan recipe is super easy. I’ll show you how to make marzipan that is much cheaper than pre-made, and tastes much better.

marzipan roses — Add a little extra sugar to your marzipan to make decorative pieces

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 recipe 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 from “bitter” almonds, which have the distinctive marzipan flavor.
Corn Syrup – Gives the marzipan a supple texture.
Confectioner’s Sugar – Add less sugar for a softer marzipan like you’d use to cover a cake. Use more sugar for molding marzipan into fruits or flowers.

How to make Marzipan from almond paste:

Combine almond paste with corn syrup to start making your own marzipan.

a piece of almond paste and a piece of homemade marzipan

Almond paste is darker in color and has a rough texture. Homemade marzipan is lighter in color, is sweeter and has a smooth texture
Add enough sugar to make the marzipan as soft or firm as you need.

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.

a plate of marzipanfruit — Marzipan fruit makes a beautiful and delicious table decoration.

marzipan holly & berries — Use homemade marzipan to make delicious decorations for you holiday desserts.

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Marzipan Recipe

By: Eileen Gray

Marzipan is very expensive to buy in the grocery store, and is often dry and flavorless. Homemade marzipan is cheaper than pre-made, is super easy to make and tastes much better. This recipes makes enough marzipan to cover an 8"x3" cake.

Prep Time: 30

Total Time: 30

24 portions

Ingredients
US Customary – Metric

7 oz Almond Paste (see note)
2 oz light corn syrup (1/4 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).