James Martin Marzipan Recipes

EASY VANILLA MARZIPAN

Steps:

• Mix the sugars and almonds in a large bowl, then rub in the vanilla seeds until even. Make a well in the middle, then tip in the eggs and citrus juice. Cut the wet ingredients into the dry with a cutlery knife. Dust the surface with icing sugar, then knead the marzipan briefly with your hands to a smooth dough. Don't overdo it as the paste can get greasy. Add a bit more icing sugar if it seems too wet. Shape into a ball, then wrap and keep in a cool place until ready to cover the cake. Can be made up to 2 days in advance.
• Lift the cake onto a cake board or plate, then use a pastry brush to cover evenly with a thin layer of jam. Dust the work surface with more icing sugar, then roll the marzipan into a circle about 40cm across, dusting underneath the marzipan with more icing sugar and turning it a quarter turn after every few pushes of the rolling pin.
• Flip the top of the circle back over your rolling pin so you can see the underside of the marzipan, then lift the pin up and lift the marzipan over the cake. Stop once you can see that the edge of the marzipan nearest you is about level with the bottom of the cake. Flop the front of the marzipan down. Smooth the paste over the cake using the palms of your hands, then trim with a sharp knife. If any cracks appear, simply pinch the paste back together and smooth. Leave to dry for at least 24 hrs, or up to 3 days, before covering with icing.
• How long does homemade marzipan keep? Although homemade marzipan contains raw eggs, the amount of sugar, and lack of moisture, prevents bacteria growing when left at room temperature, so your cake should last for 1-2 months iced. The most important thing is that you don't scrimp on drying time - once you've covered your cake in marzipan it should be left to completely dry out, before you then cover it with icing. If you want to make marzipan before you are ready to cover your cake, then wrap it well in cling film and keep in a fridge for up to a week - as wrapped in a ball it will still contain a little moisture. As it contains raw eggs it shouldn't be given to anyone in an at-risk group, including pregnant women, the elderly, the unwell and the very young. You can make a cooked marzipan, which carries no risks. It is a little softer, and harder to work with, but a good substitute if you are at all worried.

MARZIPAN

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the almond paste and beat just to break up the almond paste some. Add about 1 cup of the sugar and mix until it is incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and beat until incorporated. The mixture will look like coarse bread crumbs at this point. Add the corn syrup and mix to combine well. The mixture will still be very crumbly.
• Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and knead until it makes a smooth dough. If the dough seems too sticky, knead in a little more confectioners' sugar. The dough can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated at this point. If you want to color the marzipan, break off the amount of dough you want colored. Add a drop and knead in. For more intense color, add more food coloring. Shape into desired shapes.

PLUM & MARZIPAN TART TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Melt the butter in a 28cm tart tatin tin over a medium heat on the hob. Tip in the sugar and 1 tbsp water and cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time until lightly browned. If it looks slightly crumbly at this stage don't be put off, it will right itself in the oven. Remove from the heat and put in the plums, cut side up.
• Chop the marzipan into as many chunks as there are plum halves and put a chunk of marzipan in the hole in each plum left by the stone. Sprinkle a small pile of ground almonds over each plum half.
• Roll out the pastry and trim to 3cm larger than the tin all round. Lift the pastry on to the tin and tuck it down between the plums and the inside of the tin. (You can chill the tart ready for baking for up to 24 hours.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is risen, crisp and golden. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then place a large flat plate with a rim over the tin. Holding it over the sink in case of drips, carefully invert the tart on to the plate. Some juice from the plums is likely to escape, which is why you need a rim on the plate, but it's delicious, especially when mingled with pouring cream.