Marzipan Potatoes Recipes

MARZIPAN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter and dust with flour an 8-inch diameter circular cake pan. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Chop the chocolate coarsely and add it to the water. Lower the heat and melt the chocolate, stirring constantly. Let it cool for several minutes.
• Add chocolate to the flour. Using an electric beater, mix for 1 minute or until well blended.
• In another mixing bowl, combine egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to the chocolate mixture. Beat again for a minute until smooth. Pour the batter in the cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan; cool thoroughly on a rack.
• When the cake is at room temperature, break it up into small pieces. If you have a food processor, place it in the bowl and pulverize it to the texture of fine bread crumbs. This can by done by hand by placing cake pieces in a plastic bag and running over them with a rolling pin.
• In a third bowl, combine cake crumbs, walnuts, rum and preserves. Stir with at wooden spoon or your hands and blend thoroughly.
• Form a ball with 1/4 cup of the mixture. You should be able to make about 12 balls. Set aside.
• Cut the almond paste into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a little ball.
• Place one ball of the almond paste between two sheets of wax paper. Roll out each to a 5-inch diameter. Wrap the rounds of almond paste around the chocolate balls. Roll the balls into a roughly oval shape, somewhat like a potato.
• Place the ovals on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for 40 to 60 minutes to firm up the paste. Roll each oval in cocoa, shaking off excess, and serve at room temperature. You may poke little holes in each oval with a skewer to simulate potato eyes.

MARZIPAN POTATOES

Steps:

• Place almonds in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Slip the almonds out of their skins one by one, leaving the remaining almonds in the warm water. Drain almonds in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place almonds, confectioners' sugar, rose water, and almond extract in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process to a paste. Scrape the sides a few times to ensure even processing. Process marzipan until it is smooth and no longer grainy. Wrap in plastic wrap and store marzipan in a cool, dry place, 8 hours to overnight.
• Shape marzipan into a 1/2-inch thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Dredge balls in cocoa.

GERMAN MARZIPAN POTATOES (MARZIPANKARTOFFELN)

Steps:

• Place your marzipan (homemade with our super easy recipe or store-bought) into a bowl. Sift in the powdered sugar and mix everything together with your hands. Add a few drops of water at a time until the overall marzipan consistency is no longer crumbly.
• Take a little bit of the marzipan mixture to form a small round ball or potato shape. Use your fingers to compress the marzipan into itself as you shape the "potato" in your cupped palm. Our potatoes ended up being about 1 and 1/2 inches on the long side.
• Now it's time to coat the potato in cocoa powder. To do that either roll the potato in a bowl of cocoa powder (for a heavier, darker cocoa coating) or place a pinch of cocoa powder into your palm and lightly tumble the potato in the powder (for a lighter, more realistic coating).
• Place the completed marzipan potatoes on a small plate or parchment paper and repeat until you have used up all of the marzipan mixture.
• Store your marzipan potatoes in a container with a lid.

GERMAN CHRISTMAS CANDY (MARZIPANKARTOFFELN)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Mix together the ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, rose water, and bitter almond aroma in the food processor work bowl or by hand until well blended and sticky.
• Add additional liquids, if necessary, a little at a time until the dough clumps together. Remove from​ the food processor.
• Using 1 tablespoon or less of the marzipan, form small potato-like balls. Some people form perfectly smooth, round balls instead of potato shapes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and cinnamon. Roll the balls in the cocoa and cinnamon and set apart on parchment paper to dry. Once completely dry, store in a covered container for longer shelf life.

MARZIPANKARTOFFELN - GERMAN MARZIPAN POTATOES

Steps:

• Whirl candy ingredients in the food processor or mix by hand until well blended and sticky.
• Add additional rosewater or orange water a *little* at a time until the dough forms.
• Form balls containing about a tablespoon each (if you wish, make them lumpy to like baby potatoes).
• Mix the cocoa powder and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Roll the "potatoes" in the coating mixture and set aside to dry.

FIVE-MINUTE MARZIPAN

Steps:

• 1. If using a stand mixer: Combine the almond paste, confectioners' sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the brandy in the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until everything is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth and pliable, about 5 minutes.
• If using your hands: Form the almond paste into a flat round on your work surface. Dust half of the confectioners' sugar over the round and begin kneading it into the paste, folding the paste over on itself repeatedly. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the brandy over the dough and knead it in. Once it's incorporated, dust the remainder of the sugar over the dough and knead until it's completely incorporated.
• 2. The dough should be uniform and pliable. If it's dry, add a few more drops of flavoring (or warm water) and knead until it's at the desired consistency; if it's sticky, a little more confectioners' sugar.
• Store marzipan, wrapped very well in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for at least 3 months.

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.