Marzipan For Spring Garden Cake Recipes

SPRING GARDEN CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare carrot and zucchini cakes as directed, and cool to room temperature. If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim cake tops level. Each cake should be about 1 1/4 inches high.
• Prepare cream cheese frosting. Place zucchini cake on a 10-inch cake round, and spread top of cake with 1 1/4 cups cream cheese frosting. Place a carrot cake on top of the frosted zucchini cake. Chill until icing is set, about 15 minutes. Ice entire cake with remaining frosting. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. This can be done up to 1 day in advance.
• Sprinkle top of cake with 1/2 cup cookie crumbs, leaving a 1/4-inch border around perimeter of cake. Using a paring knife, lightly mark cake top, dividing into quarters or four "plots." Rake the plots with the tines of a fork. Place green sprinkles on the perimeter of cake. Arrange marzipan fruits and vegetables on the plots. Carefully press pastillage fence posts onto the side of the cake, about 1/4 inch apart, and place candy pebbles around the base of the fence. Serve cake at room temperature.

MARZIPAN FOR SPRING GARDEN CAKE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine almond paste and sugar. Pulse until combined. Add the corn syrup, and pulse again until combined, about 15 times.
• Mixture should hold together when pressed. Transfer to a clean work surface; knead until smooth dough is formed. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Color as desired.

RAINBOW CAKE WITH MARZIPAN VEGETABLES AND SMASH CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and parchment and set aside.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl, then lightly stir in the salt and set aside.
• Cream together the butter, coconut oil and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Reduce the mixer to low and add the vanilla and sour cream. Gradually add the dry mixture and mix until about 80 percent combined. Divide the batter evenly among 3 bowls. In the first bowl, stir in the carrot juice and 1/4 cup milk and fold together until smooth and just combined. In the second bowl, add the beet juice and 1/4 cup milk and fold together until smooth and just combined. Blend together the mint leaves and remaining 1/2 cup milk in a blender until very smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Add this to the third bowl and fold together until smooth and just combined. Transfer the batters to the cake pans and spread them out evenly.
• Bake until the tops of the cakes are thinking about starting to turn brown and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with a few crumbs on it; begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes and try your darnedest not to let it overbake. Let sit in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream frosting: Beat together the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, then mix in the salt, vanilla and heavy cream. Mix until creamy.
• Level the tops of the cake layers, retaining the scraps, then stack them up with a layer of frosting in between each. Frost all over and decorate as desired.
• To make a mini cake, stack up the cake scraps that were cut off from the layers and cut out four 2 1/2-inch circles. Stack them on top of each other and frost all over. (The scraps should be moist enough that they'll all stick together!)
• Use food coloring to dye the marzipan (deep purple for beets and orange for carrots). Mold into vegetables, using rosemary for the stems. Place on top of the cake.

MARZIPAN CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND SLICED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease a 9-inch pie dish with butter. Add 1 tablespoon flour and coat the dish, shaking out any excess flour.
• Mix the almond paste and sugar on low speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix until well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one has been fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and mix just until combined. Pour into the prepared pie dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just until scalding, about 3 minutes. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Let the ganache cool slightly so it is spreadable. Evenly frost the top of the cake with the ganache. Sprinkle the outer edges with the sliced almonds and decorate with the raspberries. Serve at room temperature.

MARZIPAN II

Steps:

• In a large bowl, knead almond paste to soften. Mix in egg whites. Knead in confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time. Add vanilla. Knead until marzipan feels like heavy pie dough.
• Wrap tightly in plastic, and store in refrigerator in a sealed container. To use after storage, let stand at room temperature until soft, then knead briefly.

MARZIPAN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter and flour a 9" cake pan.
• Cream the almond paste with the butter and sugar.
• Mix in the almonds.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly with almond extract and add to the creamed mixture.
• Combine the flour and baking powder and stir into butter mixture.
• Mix with a few strokes as possible.
• Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Do not over bake!
• Heat water and preserves and brush on the top of warm cake.

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.