Why would someone want to cover a cake covered with marzipan, then with RI? Wouldn't that make the cake darn near impossible to slice?
Because that's how it's usually done, especially in the UK. Been done that way for years. The royal icing has several layers and apparently it doesn't get rock hard. I believe now they do marzipan with a layer of fondant, but royal icing is very traditional.
its an old traditional way of covering fruit cakes. it dates back to before fondant. you leave the cake for a few days so the marzipan can harden and then you have a very sturdy base for the RI coats to go on and it wont crack.. then several layersof RI is added over a few days. this is why the technique is mainly done on fruit cakes
The marzipan also evens out the bumps in the fruit cake so that the fondant or RI can be done very smoothly. If covered in RI, there's usually some glycerin added to the royal so that it cuts easily.
Rae
May I jump in with a ques as well? Why the need to cover the marzipan with either fondant or RI? Why can't marzipan be the final coat? Is it because marzipan can't be colored?
Marzipan can definitely be colored. I do it all the time. It can do anything fondant can do, but it tastes better.
Marzipan is a thick barrier for a fruit cake, sealing in the moisture. I think cakes are again covered in fondant because the marzipan itself is kind of yellowish and most people want a white wedding cake. Plus, marzipan has a lot of oil from the almonds and royal icing decorations wouldn't hold up very long.
I have several books where it shows cakes with just a covering of marzipan. There's one in Martha Stewart Weddings and it's actually very pretty. I think it's the cherry almond cake.
Colette Peters mixes marzipan and fondant sometimes. It makes a lovely product with a slight ivory tint. She calls it "Marzifon" when discussing it with clients.
Rae
May I jump in with a ques as well? Why the need to cover the marzipan with either fondant or RI? Why can't marzipan be the final coat? Is it because marzipan can't be colored?
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