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marzipan- too soon?

(27 Posts)
overthehill Sun 10-Dec-17 13:08:21

Is it too soon to marzipan my Christmas cakes. It's snowing here in London so could do this as don't plan going out.

Teetime Sun 10-Dec-17 13:13:37

I have just done mine after 4 weeks of soaking in brandy. The cake will then rest for a week and be iced next Sunday.

ginny Sun 10-Dec-17 13:15:15

Done the marzipan on mine today.

Greyduster Sun 10-Dec-17 14:07:25

Not really too soon. It needs time to dry out before icing.

Nelliemoser Sun 10-Dec-17 14:08:06

I do need to get mine done but I have had a request from DD
"could I just possibly make DGS2 a doctors outfit".

Right now I am trying to adapt an old garment into something that will look the part.
Sewing by the seat of my pants comes to mind. I am sure the marzipan will get done before next year.

Jalima1108 Sun 10-Dec-17 14:41:16

I haven't made one yet

I am supposed to be rapping sorry, wrapping

silverlining48 Sun 10-Dec-17 14:55:28

Oh i love marzipan, whether on a cake christmas or otherwuse, covered in dark chocolate, or just out of the packet. i can finish a battenburg in one sitting. I dont often do so and try to resist temptation. What a little piggy i am.

Chewbacca Sun 10-Dec-17 16:17:20

My Christmas cakes are legendary for the paper thin marzipan on them. I start off with a good thick slab of it but, somehow, it just gets thinner and thinner by the time I've "trimmed it". already eaten a whole pick of the stuff that never even made it to the kitchen tchblush

lemongrove Sun 10-Dec-17 16:20:36

Not too early really for the Marzipan, although I usually do it about a week before the icing.
silverlining tchsmile little piggies soon become big piggies.

BBbevan Sun 10-Dec-17 16:49:01

No not too soon. It needs a bit of time to dry out. Mind you I like it thick. I take the icing off and eat just marzipan and cake

Welshwife Sun 10-Dec-17 17:58:21

Sometimes I just put marzipan on the cake and decorated that with lots of glacé fruit - they all loved the marzipan but not so keen on the icing as too sweet.
Any marzipan over I kept wrapped up and when the children started their holidays one activity was to make decorations using the marzipan and food colouring. Not many decorations actually made as they found the marzipan very tasty!

Auntieflo Sun 10-Dec-17 18:15:37

Teetime, you must be well and truly sozzled marinated, after soaking for four weeks in brandy grin. I marzipanned my cake last Monday, and SIL ate the left overs after lunch today.

BBbevan Sun 10-Dec-17 19:31:52

Welshwife I once covered a cake in pistachio marzipan. It was a greenish colour. I then had to toast it. It came out looking like army camouflage. DH thought it was great, but it was not what I was intending

Jalima1108 Sun 10-Dec-17 19:40:56

I'm the only one who likes marzipan sad

Jalima1108 Sun 10-Dec-17 19:42:09

It's a bit last minute so I may make a black cake instead when the workmen have finished.

Chewbacca Sun 10-Dec-17 19:45:54

What's a black cake Jalima? I've not heard of that.

Jalima1108 Sun 10-Dec-17 19:50:01

It's a black Jamaican rum cake, soak the lightly chopped fruit in loads of rum first. I've never made it but have eaten it - it didn't have marzipan on it, just icing, that's why I thought of making one, otherwise I have to eat all the marzipan hmm

Chewbacca Sun 10-Dec-17 19:58:24

Mmm sounds good. Anything with rum soaked fruit is fab!
It seems that the world is divided into those who just love marzipan and those who can't abide it. Fortunately for me, none of my friends can stand the stuff and they pass it onto me, who, being the kind soul that I am, take it off their hands! and scoff the lot smile

Jalima1108 Sun 10-Dec-17 20:00:53

Blue Planet
au revoir!

silverlining48 Wed 13-Dec-17 11:50:22

I often feel a lone voice so am very happy to have come across so many of you who, like me, are marzipan fans.
I dont bake but already have my bars covered in dark chocolate under the stairs waiting my attention.

Jalima1108 Wed 13-Dec-17 12:22:47

grin

Teetime Wed 13-Dec-17 15:02:57

auntiflo my cake is well known as being primarily a drink with icing and fruit.

Auntieflo Wed 13-Dec-17 16:53:38

Sounds like my sort of cake Teetime. I soaked the fruit for my our cake in Calvados. It smells divine. We usually start ours on Christmas Eve. Cheers

winterwhite Wed 13-Dec-17 17:26:47

My difficulty is getting the marzipan to stay on the wretched cake. I use quite thick marzipan because we all like it, and I cover the cake first with apricot jam, and make my own royal icing. All hunky dory but at the first cut a chunk of marzipan and icing fall off backwards. Tastes fine but has become a family joke. sad

Jalima1108 Wed 13-Dec-17 17:30:05

Do you let the marzipan dry out before you put the icing on winterwhite?
I put the marzipan on (using warmed apricot jam as you do) then leave it for a week, covered with greaseproof paper which lets it dry out but keeps it clean. If you put it in a tin before icing the marzipan won't dry enough.

Mind you, I am not a cake expert, I have only just put the fruit to soak in the rum.