“The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living.”
Dione Lucas
MARZIPAN FROM SCRATCH…stuff to go on top of the cake!
It’s time again for our daughter’s birthday, and she turns 12 in January. Every year begins on a note of complete frenzy where there is so much to be done for her birthday party. For the cake this year, DH suggested we make marzipan decorations like we had done for her 9th birthday.
The 9th Birthday Cake…
That cake was one of our favourites…so we’ve begun the preparations. Thankfully marzipan decorations can be made in advance, so a little of the work is done. This is how the toppings are looking now…the cake will follow after the 2nd of January! 
I’ve figured out my own way of making marzipan because we don’t get it ready made here. This one is fresh, it’s pure…& it tastes GREAT!! We had a tough time resisting the temptation of having ‘just another bit’! These can be used for decorating cupcakes too…I think that would look really pretty!
Ingredients:
Almonds – 100gms
Powdered sugar – 1/2 cup
Almond essence – 1 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup approximately
Golden Syrup – 1 tbsp
- Bring a pan of water to a boil. Drop the almonds in; boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain.
- Peel the skins off the almonds. They should easily slip off.
- Spread the skinned almonds onto a baking tray and allow to dry under a medium-hot grill (180 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool, and then grind in a coffee grinder into almond meal. Do the grinding in short spells, & stir each time to avoid it becoming pasty.
- Turn the meal into a bowl; stir in the sugar, followed with the almond extract.
- Add the syrup, mix in well. Now add cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, to get a play dough like consistency. Knead till smooth.
- Keep covered in cling wrap until you use it. Break off bit by bit, kneading colours into the dough to colour it, and shape as required.
- I rolled out the dough for the flowers & leaves, using mini cookie-cutters to cut out shapes. Flowers for the flowers & heart shapes for the leaves.
- The kids made the bugs etc just like using play dough…& had a great time. Do remember that this dough is quite sticky at times, and tends to dry a little if kept open for too long.
- Note : Try & use it only bit by bit. It’s really delicious too, so do remember to have a bite!!!
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, French essayist