This recipe yields a large batch of marzipan, but, for my money, it’s better to have too much than to be caught short. Depending on how you roll out and drape this paste for covering a cake, you may find yourself with leftovers. No worries! I like to roll it into balls and roll them in cocoa powder to make a kind of truffle, or dip them in melted chocolate, then let them dry to make rich candies. Or you can use leftovers for decorations. Use food coloring to dye the paste, then sculpt it like molding clay to make charming and edible shapes or animals for your cake.
For this recipe, feel free to substitute almond meal cup for cup for the ground almonds, but the texture will be slightly less substantial. I prefer to grind my own but, for ease, the choice is yours.
MAKES ABOUT
48 OUNCES / 1.25 KILOGRAMS MARZIPAN
7 cups / 900 grams whole blanched almonds
8 cups / 1 kilogram confectioners’ sugar
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Working in batches, grind the almonds in a food processor for 3 to 5 minutes. After about a minute or so, the mixture will look crumbly. Grind until the crumbs become a fine powder. After this stage, continue to grind for another minute until it just begins to clump but before it turns into butter; watch it carefully.
Pour all of the ground almonds back into the bowl of the food processor, and add the confectioners’ sugar and process until blended, about 1 minute. Add the egg whites, vanilla, and lemon juice and process until you have a smooth, stiff paste, pulsing as you go.
Turn out the dough onto a clean surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and knead until smooth. Roll the paste into a log and chill for 1 hour.
Using a rolling pin, roll the paste flat until you have a sheet of marzipan large enough to wrap your cake or, if you are using the marzipan as molding clay for decorations, take a small amount into your hand at a time, roll it into a ball, and sculpt from there.
To color the marzipan, make sure you’re wearing rubber gloves, or you’ll dye your hands. Pinch off the amount of almond paste you want to use as “clay,” and massage in food coloring a scant drop at a time. Work slowly, and in small batches, adding more color as you go to achieve the desired shade.