I was wondering about Marzipan. I don't know anything about it and have never used it before but I have been wanting to experiment sculpting with it. I wanted a good recipe and wanted to know if you 50/50 it with gumpaste or fondant and how well it sculpts. Thanks!

I am interested in hearing more about this I always sculpt and mold out of 100 % gumpaste.

thanks
Kerri

Marzipan has more body to it than fondant. It takes details well and it can be painted too. You can buy a tube of marzipan at the grocery store or at World Market. It's kind of expensive.

I usually make my own, from almond meal, powdered sugar, corn syrup and amaretto. You also have to add almond extract to get the real marzipan flavor. I usually start with 1lb almond meal, 1/3 cup light corn syrup and 1/3 cup amaretto, with a tablespoon of Adams almond extract. Mix them together and then add powdered sugar until it gets to a nice workable consistency, usually about 2 lbs of powdered sugar. Let it ripen overnight before you start working with it (and try not to eat it all before then too )

My mom says it doesn't taste anything like the marzipan she remembers from being a kid, but I think what she was used to was a cooked fondant base with almond paste mixed in.

Not everyone likes the taste of marzipan and it's expensive, even when you make your own, so I usually save it for the birthdays of my family members who really like it. You could scale down the recipe too. I've found almond meal ranging from $7 to $12 per pound. The more expensive one is the Bob's brand that you can find with the specialty flours in the grocery store. It's cheaper if you can find it bulk at a gourmet grocery store or maybe natural foods store. Almond meal is also really yummy mixed into a streusel topping for muffins or banana nut bread.