What to do with marzipan

As The Great British Bake Off entered its eighth week, we saw bakers bringing together all manner of Tudor inspired decorative elements made entirely out of marzipan. From Candice’s impressive marzipan peacock, to Andrew’s amusingly decorated cake featuring marzipan knights and their sugarcraft lances, it was certainly a feast for the eyes, even if the divisive confection makes many recoil.

We asked you what your feelings were about marzipan and anticipated some polarised responses, however, while just shy of a quarter of you felt fairly indifferent about the almond paste, another 23% found even the prospect of smelling it distasteful. The remaining half of you (or just over) embraced marzipan as a delight for the tastebuds, so it’s with you in mind (as well as those bakers who don’t crave it but appreciate the substance’s baking and decorating versatility) that we’ve assembled three marzipan recipes that we think you’ll enjoy making.

It’s marzipan showstoppers this week on #GBBO, what are you feelings about it?
— Renshaw Baking UK (@RenshawBaking) 12 October 2016

Marzipan owl biscuits

These brightly coloured marzipan owl biscuits are perfect for kids’ parties, or even as a quirky addition to a Halloween celebration or treat bag. Mix and match your marzipan colours and have fun creating unique characters with differently shaped eyes and feathers – there’s no shortage of variations you can experiment with. To get the basic owl shape you don’t need a specific owl cutter. Just use an oval cutter and then use the tapered end to carve out the ears.

Chocolate marzipan hearts

These chocolate marzipan hearts could not be simpler to make. All you need is 1 cm thick marzipan cut into your desired heart shape using a cutter. Pop a cake pop stick into the point and dip it into the chocolate and then whatever topping you like. We’ve used hazelnuts but you can use other sprinkles, nuts or decorative elements if you prefer. These marzipan lollies make perfect wedding favours or they go very well with after dinner coffee (at least to the 53% of those who like it anyway!).

Make a marzipan rose

Marzipan roses are a beautiful addition to a celebration cake or showstopping centrepiece. Not only is the paste easy to manipulate but is has a quality and texture quite unlike fondant that lends itself to a vintage look. Watch our video to find out how to make simple marzipan roses for a traditional princess cake – the royalty of marzipan bakes.

Have a look through our blogs and recipes archive for more baking and decoration inspiration.