Zesty orange marzipan
See this recipe step by step

Zesty orange marzipan

Homemade marzipan out does shop-bought every time, if orange isn't your thing try ginger or cinnamon - it's simple too

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 mins

No cook

Method

  1. Sift the sugars and ground almonds together, then stir through the orange zest. Beat together the egg and egg yolk, then add to the sugar mixture, stirring well.
  2. Knead briefly to ensure the marzipan is completely mixed and pliable, adding a little orange juice if the mix is too dry, or icing sugar if too wet.
  3. Place the cake on a cake board and use small balls of marzipan to plug any holes in the cake. Now glaze the cake with a thin layer of marmalade. Dust your work surface with a little icing sugar, then roll out the marzipan in one direction, keeping the pressure even and turning a ¼ turn every few rolls.
  4. When large enough (about 40cm in diameter for a 20cm cake), roll the marzipan onto the rolling pin and lift onto the cake. Smooth the top with your palms and continue down over the sides of the cake, smoothing out any folds as you go. Trim with a knife where the marzipan meets the board, then leave to dry overnight.
  5. How long does homemade marzipan keep? Although homemade marzipan contains raw eggs, the amount of sugar, and lack of moisture, prevents bacteria growing when left at room temperature, so your cake should last for 1-2 months iced. The most important thing is that you don't scrimp on drying time - once you've covered your cake in marzipan it should be left to completely dry out for up to 3 days, before you then cover it with icing. If you want to make marzipan before you are ready to cover your cake, then wrap it well in cling film and keep in a fridge for up to a week - as wrapped in a ball it will still contain a little moisture. As it contains raw eggs it shouldn't be given to anyone in an at-risk group, including pregnant women, the elderly, the unwell and the very young. You can make a cooked marzipan, which carries no risks. It is a little softer, and harder to work with, but a good substitute if you are at all worried.

Per serving (12)

264 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 13 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, sugar 34g, salt 0.04 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2007.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo lizb

    29 November 2007

    lizb commented on this recipe

    Can I use this on my daughter's wedding cake, or should I use a cooked recipe?

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  • Binder photo Jennifer T

    21 December 2007

    Jennifer T rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This marzipan tastes great - and I don't like marzipan! It's really zesty, and far more subtley almondy than the ready made stuff. Maybe I do like marzipan after all? I had a lot left over, so about 2/3 quantity would probably do for a 20cm cake. Mine was also possibly not dry enough so it didn't roll brilliantly but it was easy to smooth together over any cracks when on the cake. I was really surprised that making marzipan is this easy - and it's amazing how impressed people are when you tell them you've made your own! *grin*

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  • Binder photo Carla

    03 January 2008

    Carla rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I didn't read the recipe right when making this and added the juice and zest of the orange to it, which in turn made the marzipan impossible to roll out - a sticky mess on my board!LOL I ended up doing a patchwork job on the cake, which wasn't perfect but once it was iced you couldn't see the marzipan so it wasn't so bad. It did taste nice and like the other comment, I don't usually like marzipan but I did like this one.

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  • Binder photo Keavy

    08 November 2009

    Keavy commented on this recipe

    Hi, I would like to make this but am concerned on the marzipans shelf life. If I make my christmas cake now will it keep okay?

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  • Binder photo Beavisrose

    15 December 2009

    Beavisrose rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe is brilliant! First time i've made marzipan and it was so easy :o) Tastes great aswell, the orange makes it a lot lighter and a lot less stodgy and sickly than some others. I'm struggling to keep myself from picking it off my cake while its waiting to be iced!

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  • Binder photo nicky wake

    16 December 2009

    nicky wake commented on this recipe

    this is a lovely marzipan i always use it for my christmas cake and make extra so that i can cut it out into shapes and cover in chocolate to make sweets mmmmm

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  • Binder photo Jennifer T

    21 December 2009

    Jennifer T commented on this recipe

    I've just made this again - and it's still brilliant! I didn't need much orange juice at all, and it was still not quite dry enough when it came to rolling it out, so I kneaded in a bit more icing sugar and it worked well enough, with bits left over to patch the holes/cracks. It tastes great, and is really easy to make :)

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  • Binder photo jo62

    02 May 2010

    jo62 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Kt G

    30 November 2010

    Kt G rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made this marzipan for the last 3 years to cover the Almond and Sherry Christmas Cake that was in the same issue of Good food. I also am not keen on marzipan but I loved this version as it wasn't too almondy. Also a bit hit with kids who are not so keen on shop bought marzipan. Highly recommended.

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  • Binder photo Abigail Higgs

    03 December 2010

    Abigail Higgs rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Love this recipe, although like some other people I added too much orange juice and ended up adding more icing sugar. My hubby is used to shop bought marzipan and is a bit unsure about the orange flavour, however I am converted after hating marzipan for years! There is too much to cover a normal Christmas cake, but not enough to cover two which is frustrating as I have to do two this year lol. Your cake lasts about 6 weeks once the marzipan and icing are on it, so you can make it a couple of weeks before Christmas.

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  • Binder photo Cathblossom

    07 December 2010

    Cathblossom commented on this recipe

    I need to marzipan and ice a cake in the next two days. Is it essential to leave the marzipan uncovered to dry for 3 days? I quite like marzipan moist. thanks

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  • Binder photo lisaacma

    23 December 2010

    lisaacma commented on this recipe

    I made this marzipan and put it on my cake saturday and have not had chance to ice it, is this still going to be ok if I ice tonight?

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  • Binder photo bu

    29 December 2010

    bu commented on this recipe

    What i find useful, and avoids any headaches when rolling marzipan, is to roll it between two large pieces of cling film - then you can just lift the lower sheet of film and place the marzipan on the cake (having removed the top layer of film). This way you don't have to use too much icing sugar. Hope it helps.

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  • Binder photo Esther Mary

    26 March 2011

    Esther Mary rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was lovely. I'm not a fan of marzipan (seems lots of people aren't) but i actually quite liked this. It was initially a bit soggy so had to add quite a bit more icing sugar, but turned out really well. I used the leftover scraps to make marzipan thins for my Step-Dad and he loved them.

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  • Binder photo Lesley

    28 November 2011

    Lesley commented on this recipe

    I made this last year and it was fabulous. I have never made marzipan before because I thought it was too difficult. I was completely wrong. I'll be making it again this year.

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  • Binder photo ruthiebe

    02 December 2011

    ruthiebe commented on this recipe

    First time I've every made my own marzipan. Like previous comment I was afraid to. Used it to cover the Gingery Christmas Cake also from these pages, which was gifted as a birthday cake. Fear of marzipan making banished !

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  • Binder photo soniadsa

    03 December 2011

    soniadsa commented on this recipe

    I'm planning a Christmas dinner for my family and my sister has type 1 diabetes, so I can't use any sugar - will this recipe work with fruit sugar if I use 1/3 less that it says? I'm afraid I might not get the right consistency. I wanted to make marzipan decorations for a different cake.

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  • Binder photo Caroline

    26 December 2011

    Caroline rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    First attempt at making marzipan and this recipe was easy to follow and make. The marzipan is delicious and just melts in your mouth. There is a subtle almond taste but not as overpowering as traditional marzipan. The orange flavour worked really well. I made this to cover a 20" round Christmas cake and still had a third of the mixture left. Will definitely be making again next year.

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  • Binder photo RosieQ

    18 January 2012

    RosieQ rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this to cover the Zingy Lemon Wedding Cake, really easy to do. Didn't need any orange juice, had to knead in extra icing sugar to get proper consistency, but it worked like a dream. Taste is fantastic; raved over by everybody in the office, marzipan lovers and haters alike (even the guy with the nut allergy...!). Just got to work out what to do with the leftover ball in the fridge...

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  • Binder photo Ross

    22 December 2012

    Ross rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    This receipe takes a fair bit more icing sugar than loosely measured when making this. Personally found it difficult to gauage the moisture level needed to get to a good consistency for rolling, though is now on the cakes, drying, and reckon it should taste pretty good. Also glad I did it this way, with eggs from our own chickens too, rather than buying marzipan this year. Reckon I'll give a better account of myself next year.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 mins

No cook

Better than shop-bought

Ingredients

  • 175g caster sugar
  • 175g icing sugar , plus extra for dusting
  • 250g ground almonds
  • grated zest and juice 1 orange
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk

TO FINISH THE CAKE

  • shredless marmalade
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Per serving (12)

264 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 13 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, sugar 34g, salt 0.04 g

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