ALMONDS THAT BECOME FRUIT
One of the most magical things in Italian pastry is watching almonds become fruit.
Walk into a Sicilian pastry shop and you may find peaches, pears, oranges, lemons, figs, or mandarins displayed in elegant rows.
Except they aren’t fruit at all.
They’re marzipan.
Known in Sicily as Frutta Martorana, these astonishing creations are shaped and painted by hand until they become almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
The same almond paste is also used for Easter lambs, wedding cakes, cassata, and countless traditional sweets.
WHAT IS ITALIAN MARZIPAN?
Italian marzipan is a simple mixture of almonds, sugar, and water.
No eggs.
No complicated ingredients.
Just a preparation that has been part of Italian pastry for centuries.
Unlike fondant, which is primarily sugar, marzipan retains the flavor and aroma of almonds.
And unlike frangipane, it isn’t mixed with pastry cream.
It is a dough in its own right, ready to be shaped, rolled, colored, or used as a filling.
A LITTLE SICILY IN YOUR KITCHEN
The beauty of marzipan is that it can be prepared well in advance.
Once wrapped carefully, it keeps beautifully in the refrigerator and can even be frozen for months.
Which is fortunate.
Because once you start shaping tiny fruits, flowers, or decorations, it becomes surprisingly difficult to stop.
ADDING COLOR
If you are using marzipan for decorations, add food coloring during the kneading stage.
A little goes a very long way.
The goal isn’t neon perfection.
It’s creating something that feels alive.
Just like the extraordinary fruits displayed in Sicilian pastry windows.
HOW TO MAKE COLORED MARZIPAN
If you are making marzipan to decorate a cake or a dessert, follow the instructions and add the food coloring of your choice when kneading. Start with a drop or two and work it enough for it to color the whole surface (it does take a while). You can use cookie cutters to shape it!
The quantities in this recipe are enough to cover a medium sized cake.
Italian marzipan recipe
Ingredients
- 2 oz water 64 ml or 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon
- 8.8 oz peeled almonds 250 gr or 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 cup
- 8.8 oz white sugar 250 gr or 2 + 1/4 cup
- a few drops of vanilla essence
- natural food coloring (optional)
- a marble or other heat resistant (not wood) working surface
Instructions
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Blend almonds until floury.
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Place sugar and water in a medium/small pot and bring them to a boil, cook until when you dip a spoon inside the mixture, and you pull it out, the drops that fall stretch a bit before falling back into the pot.
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Remove from heat, add the almond meal and the vanilla extract, and mix to incorporate.
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Wet the working surface with your hands and pour the mixture over it.
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Wait till temperature decreases enough (careful, I got burned!) to work it with your hands. Give it at least 30-40 minutes.
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Knead the mixture with wet hands (wet them again if you feel like the dough is too dry) for about 5 minutes.
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This is when you can add the food coloring to change the dough color: add a few drops, work it at least for a minute and add more coloring if necessary, until you get the desired color.
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Roll out the marzipan and shape it or cut it out as per your needs.
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If not, form a ball, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate.
FROM SICILY TO YOUR TABLE
Marzipan plays a central role in many Sicilian desserts, from Cassata to the famous Frutta Martorana.
Many of those traditions—and the stories behind them—appear throughout Palermo’s Simposio, where food, history, and craftsmanship meet.
Enjoy your marzipan and all the delicious treats you’ll use it for!
Claudia