Must a cake be marzipanned before covering with fondant or royal icing? Is the ground almond in marzipanned recipes toasted or 'cooked'? So far I just put 2 layers of fondant to get a smoother look. Can anyone tell me how does a marzippan taste? Will greatly appreciate your advice.

No you don't need to use marzipan each time you cover a cake with fondant, I use two layer of butter cream. first layer, than freeze then second layer then cover with fondant. two layers of fondant will be too sweet.
I only use royal icing for decorations.
Marzipan taste great, but is very expensive to cover a cake

marzipanned is the European tradition.

In america we tend to put buttercream on first then the fondant.

tastes like sweet almonds -- I like all by itself -- it never makes it on to a cake!

can be found premade -- usually in a plastic tube type thing.

Yeah, I don't use marzipan, either. It just costs too much. I did use it once, when I needed extra support on a cake. It was a domed cake with flowers stuck in all around to look like a bouquet. I don't know if it actually helped, but it made me feel better. The cake didn't rip at all, and it's actually survived for at least two months. I made it in mid-January, and I know that she still had the cake intact as of the end of March. Uh, yuck.

I do know that it is used a lot on fruit cakes made in the carribbean islands prior to covering with fondant or royal icing
but you do not need to use it on other types of cakes buttercream will work just fine I have even heard of people using apricot preserves (a thin coat)...

I have used it a couple of times for figures...but like Doug I tend to eat most of it...lol

Fruitcakes are covered with marzipan to prevent the fruit staining the fondant (or royal icing). There is no need to use it on other cakes - although people chose to do so for the taste. One layer of fondant is fine - just make sure your cake surface is nice and smooth. A second layer of fondant can be used if your surface is not as smooth as it should be or if you've rolled your fondant too thinly.
Cris.

how funny you posted this because i was looking at a cake book today and it said that most of the cakes were covered in marzipan and then in fondant. I was wondering on the taste. and why you would cover a cake like that. i've only ever had the marzipan fruit in Italy. I think one layer would be good but not fondant too. Is it for smoothness?