Almond Paste

The almond paste is a food paste made from ground almonds, sugar, water, and sometimes glucose syrup or egg white. The almond proportion varies according to quality: generally, almond paste with 33% almonds is used for everyday purposes, and 50% or more for premium versions intended for confectioners and chocolatiers.

The higher the almond content, the more the paste is:

• Tasty with a pronounced almond aroma
• Flexible and fine to work with
• Expensive to purchase (costly raw material)

Almond paste with 50% almonds and more is the benchmark for traditional confectioner artisans (Aix calissons, candied fruits, marzipans), while the 33% paste is perfectly suited for cake design, frangipane, and modeling figures.

In German, Austrian, and Northern European tradition, marzipan is called massepain and refers to the same preparation, sometimes with slightly different proportions and flavors.

• Fun Cakes: versatile Dutch brand, offers a range of marzipan in several colors (white, baby pink, lawn green, etc.), ideal for covering, modeling, and colorful cake design. Patissland also sells ready-to-use Fun Cakes marzipan decorations: mini hearts, golden roses, hand-formed subjects that can be placed directly on cakes or cupcakes. See the Fun Cakes collection.
• Renshaw: historic English cake design reference, whose marzipan is known for its reliability, balanced taste, and very good coverage hold. Especially favored by cake designers looking for an alternative to classic fondant to dress their cakes. See the Renshaw collection.
• Raw almond paste: for pastry chefs and confectioners who want to start from a raw material, Patissland also offers raw almond paste in 1.5 kg format, perfect for homemade frangipanes, calissons, pithiviers, and other traditional preparations.

Three similar pastes but with distinct uses. Here’s how to tell them apart.

• Marzipan: ground almond base + sugar, pronounced almond flavor, naturally slightly beige/yellow color (except bleached or colored versions). Uses: traditional cake covering, modeling subjects, frangipane, financiers, calissons. Denser and more flavorful than fondant.
• Fondant (sugar paste): powdered sugar base + glucose syrup, neutral/sweet taste, neutral white color. Uses: modern cake design covering, smooth and elegant, very wide color palette. See our fondants for covering.
• Modeling paste: sugar base + specific thickeners (tylose gum, carboxymethylcellulose), firmer texture, fast drying. Uses: detailed subjects and figurines. See our modeling pastes.

The right choice depends on the desired result: for a pronounced almond flavor and traditional finish, choose marzipan. For colorful and smooth cake design, opt for fondant. For detailed subjects that need to harden, modeling paste is made for that.

Marzipan is one of the most versatile ingredients in pastry. Its historical uses remain the standard today.

• Frangipane: the star filling of the king cake, a mixture of pastry cream and almond cream made from marzipan or almond powder.
• Financiers: small golden soft cakes, an iconic recipe. Discover our financiers recipe which ranks among the best on the web.
• Pithiviers: a traditional puff pastry cake made with almond cream. See our Pithiviers cake recipe.
• Calissons: a traditional confection from Aix-en-Provence made with marzipan, candied fruits, and royal glaze.
• Massepain: a traditional European confection (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands), made from marzipan shaped into decorative subjects and fruits.
• Pain de Gênes: a soft French cake made with marzipan, particularly flavorful.
• Cake covering: a traditional alternative to fondant, especially used for English wedding cakes and British Christmas cakes where marzipan forms the layer between the cake and royal icing.
• Decorative subjects: roses, miniature fruits (cherries, apples, oranges), bows, figurines to decorate cakes and confections.

1. Take the marzipan out in advance: remove the marzipan from its packaging 15 to 20 minutes before use so it returns to room temperature and becomes soft again. Marzipan that is too cold is hard and cracks.
2. Knead before use: knead for a few minutes between your hands to homogenize the texture. If it sticks, dust the work surface with powdered sugar or cornstarch (never flour, which would alter the taste).
3. For covering a cake: roll out to 4-5 mm thickness on a surface dusted with powdered sugar, in a large sheet. Place on the cake previously coated with a thin layer of warmed apricot jam (traditional English method), then smooth with a cake design smoother. Allow about 500 g of marzipan for a 24-26 cm cake.
4. For modeling: add a little powdered sugar if necessary to firm up the texture. Sculpt your subjects, flowers, or figurines, and let dry in open air for a few hours to set.
5. For frangipane: mix the marzipan with softened butter, add eggs one by one, then flour and pastry cream. Fill your puff pastry for a galette or pithivier.
6. Color: add gel food colorings (never liquid). Knead thoroughly for an even color. Tip: for pastel shades, mix with white marzipan to soften the original color.
7. Decorate: use embossers, cookie cutters, and modeling tools to create textures and details.

• Unused marzipan: wrap tightly in cling film to prevent drying, place in a zip bag, store at room temperature in a cool, dry cupboard, away from light and odors. Can be stored for several months.
• Slightly hardened marzipan: knead with a few drops of water or a little glucose syrup to soften it again. If it is too dry to be recovered, discard it.
• Refrigerator: to be avoided for marzipan, which does not tolerate the cold's humidity well (sweating, loss of suppleness).
• Ready-to-use marzipan decorations: store them in their original box or in an airtight cardboard container, away from moisture. Several weeks of storage after opening.
• Cake covered with almond paste: at room temperature under a dome or in a cake box, maximum 24 to 48 hours. As with fondant, refrigeration creates condensation and damages the finish.

Patissland selects almond paste references approved by professional pastry chefs and cake designers: ready-to-roll pastes, colored pastes, raw almond paste in bulk format, and ready-to-use Fun Cakes decorations to save time on finishing.

Stocks regularly replenished, fast delivery throughout France and Europe (Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, etc.). Click and collect pickup is available at our Osny (95) store. Earn points on all your orders with our Members Benefits loyalty program.