Why use marzipan

Marzipan is made with almond paste as well as confectioner's sugar and corn syrup. Since marzipan contains a large amount of almond paste, it has a stronger, nuttier flavor than fondant. It has a soft, clay-like texture and so can be rolled out or shaped into candies. There are two main difference between poured fondant and marzipan, however.

Poured fondant needs a form to shape it into candies whereas marzipan can be worked into a shape like clay, and marzipan is too thick to be poured as a coating.

Marzipan has a stronger flavor compared to fondant, and it may trigger those with nut allergies. If color is important for your cake, then fondant will show bring, smooth colors much better than marzipan, which comes in a creamy yellow base color because of the almonds. In terms of texture, fondant is much smoother while fondant can be gritty in many recipes. Marzipan is really a hit-or-miss since the version you get really affects how well it will behave on a cake, and how much it can stretch.

Keep in mind that this post focuses in fondant and marzipan for icing, not poured fondant for fillings or almond paste. Ingredients are key when it comes to simple items, and for fondant and marzipan the ingredient list is very short. Marzipan is made of crushed, blanched almonds that have been ground into almond flour, and mixed with corn sugar or sugar until a thick paste is formed.

Traditionally egg whites are added to keep everything together, but different recipes use different binders. Read also: Ganache VS Frosting. There are different marzipan recipes, some swapping almonds for peanuts or peach stones or even soy paste. Fondant on the other hand is made much like hard candy, by stretching and aerating a sugar and corn syrup mixture until it turns bright, opaque white.

Some recipes include almond extract to bump up the flavor, or you can make a similar substance called persipan using apricot or peach pit kernels instead of almonds. The glory of marzipan is because it holds a shape easily, you can cut out or mold your own figures to decorate holiday pastries.

Marzipan is also sold on its own as a candy—one of the most common versions is marzipan fruits, sold in a tray like chocolates, shaped and dyed to look like tiny lemons, oranges, apples, and so on. One of my personal favorite uses of marzipan is from Breads Bakery in New York City, an Isreali shop that sells outrageously excellent babkas and rugelach.

They sell a marzipan challah that incorporates the sweet almond flavor into the challah dough, for a particularly nutty spin on the classic bread. Marzipan tastes strongly like almonds. Fondant has a very sweet and sugary taste. Fondant also has a moldable consistency, like marzipan, although it's not as easy to work with. Fondant is made from sugar rather than almonds, which gives it a different flavor. It can also dry out easily, which means you have to be more aware when handling it.

Fondant comes in two different types. There is rolled fondant as well as poured fondant. Poured fondant can be used as a filling in candies or as a drizzle over sweets such as cake.