December 9, 2007 - 9:17pm
Marzipan or almond icing?
Aurora and I would like to make gingerbread (for which we've got a good recipe already, but, heck, I've never turned down a recipe) with marzipan or almond icing. Anyone have a good recipe for the icing? All the searches we've conducted have given us the stuff that acts like Sculpy.
Thanks!
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What's sculpy?
All I know about Marzipan Icing is that you buy or make Marzapan, roll it out thin with a rolling pin and powered sugar (or plastic wrap, color it before rolling if you so desire) and drape it over a cake (thinly smeared with jam) making it fit to the cake. That might require some interesting cuts and patches that can be easily smoothed. Is that any help?
Mini O
Yes, I think so. If I'm hearing you right, I can use any Marzipan recipe for icing, so long as I make it to the right consistency?
Sculpey is modeling clay, usually for children, that you can fire in the oven.
I've often had the store bought stuff around but my two legged refrigerator mice nibble away at it. This time of the year it is very popular to make little marzipan figurines of pigs, chimney sweeps and 4 leaf clovers to give away at New Year festivities. "Good Luck Bringers" So if your marzipan is the consistancy of Sculpey, that sounds about right. And any leftovers can be sculped into Lucky charms.
I do have one word of caution, overworked marzipan tends to get oily so if you're making your own, watch out with the machines not to overheat or overwork your nuts. Me, I prefer to buy it.
Mini O
Mini, you pop up everywhere! I noticed some strange cans on the two-for-one rack at the grocery store, and brought home one poppy seed paste and one of almond paste, having no idea what to do with them, but they looked interesting, and, presumably, I will save money if I actually use them. Ran a search for "almond paste" and there you were. Any suggestions as to what I might do with my acquisitions this time of year in Alabama?
To me, almond paste is the one uses if the item has to be baked, Danish, Almond butter cake etc, and marzipan in made with almond paste reduced down with sugar etc, it is used for the finished product, it can be coloured etc, used on cakes, made into shapes etc,
Almond ice to me is not worth a dime, what I have seen is bright yellow flavoured with almond essence and most likely has 1 almond to each 12 lb of icing made
. ;-))), it is what it's called almond icing......
I have found over the years that a good quality almond paste ie- Odense etc is better than home made as it is homogenized, expensive but mighty good.
that's my 2 cents worth on the subject. ;-))) qahtan