Sat, 5 December 2015
Two weeks ago we made our official Saturday AM Christmas Cake - and this morning it's time to tackle the marzipan!
Ingredients:
100g Icing Sugar plus a little extra to dust on work surface
100g Golden Caster Sugar
200g ground Almonds
A couple of drops of Almond Extract
1 tablespoon of Whiskey
(For later: 2 tablespoons Apricot Jam)
Method:
1. Place a pot with a couple of inches of boiling water on the hob.
2. Place a heatproof bowl over and add the sugars.
3. With an electric whisk, add the egg and whisk for 2-3minutes or until light and fluffy. If you don't have an electric whisk, do it manually for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove the bowl from the pot and add the almond extract and whiskey, whisking all the time.
5. Add the ground almonds now and tip the mixture out onto a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar.
6. Knead the mixture until it comes together to form a paste.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll it out until it is about 1cm or less in thickness.
To place on the cake:
1. Heat the apricot jam in a pot (about 2 tablespoons) with a teaspoon of water.
2. Brush it lightly around the surface of the cake.
3. Use a piece of string to measure the cake and use this to measure how wide the marzipan needs to be. Make it a little bigger.
4. Use your rolling pin to gently carry the marzipan over to the cake and drape on carefully. Place your hands around the edge of the cake and gently press the side in.
5. Trim the excess around the base.
6. Allow to dry out for a week before icing it. Keep well wrapped and stored in a cool place.
