Marzipan substitute

Substitutes for Marzipan with ratios

1. 2Almond paste, stiffened with powdered sugar

   Different texture

   For 1 cup marzipan: ¾ cup almond paste kneaded with ½ to ¾ cup sifted powdered sugar

   Almond paste and marzipan are constantly confused but they are different by design.

   What changes

   Almond paste is roughly half almonds by weight, coarser, softer, tacky, and only mildly sweet, made to be a filling that stays moist. Marzipan is roughly a quarter almonds and much more sugar, so it is firmer, sweeter, smoother and can be rolled thin without tearing. Used straight from the tube in place of marzipan, almond paste will be too soft to roll and will taste noticeably less sweet and more strongly of almond.

   Best for

   covering cakes once stiffened, moulded shapes, cake and pastry fillings, cookies and bars

   Knead the powdered sugar in a bit at a time until the paste stops sticking to your hands and holds a crease. Add powdered sugar generously - most people underdo it and end up with something that sags off the cake. Going the other way also works: to make almond paste from marzipan, knead in extra almond flour and cut the sweetness with a squeeze of lemon.

2. 3Fondant or ready-to-roll icing, plus almond extract

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by weight, plus ½ tsp almond extract kneaded into every 8 oz

   The right tool for the structural job and the wrong one for flavour.

   What changes

   Fondant rolls thinner, more evenly and more forgivingly than marzipan and gives a smoother finish on a cake. But it is pure sugar with no nuts, so it tastes flatly sweet with none of marzipan's rich, faintly bitter almond depth, and it has a slick, slightly rubbery bite rather than a soft crumbly one. Kneading in almond extract fakes the aroma reasonably well.

   Best for

   covering fruit cakes and celebration cakes, moulded decorations, when nut allergies are a concern

   This is genuinely the best option for a nut-free household, and the almond extract trick makes it read as almond to most people. Note that almond extract itself is usually nut-free, being made from bitter almond oil or synthetic benzaldehyde, but check the label if the allergy is serious. Fondant does not seal a fruit cake against moisture as well as marzipan, so brush the cake with warmed apricot jam first.

3. 4Homemade nut-free marzipan from semolina or sunflower seeds

   Different taste

   Makes about 8 oz: 1 cup finely ground sunflower seeds or ¾ cup fine semolina, 1.25 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbsp corn syrup or water, ½ tsp almond extract

   For genuine nut allergies where you still want something with body rather than pure fondant.

   What changes

   Ground sunflower seeds give the closest texture to ground almonds and a mild nutty flavour, though the result is greyer-green and slightly earthier. Semolina versions, used in some traditional Mediterranean sweets, need to be cooked briefly with sugar syrup and come out grainier and less rich but genuinely pliable and mouldable.

   Best for

   nut-free cake covering, moulded sweets, pastry fillings

   Grind sunflower seeds in short pulses and stop before they turn to butter - over-processing releases their oil and you get a paste that will not hold. Toasting the seeds first improves the flavour markedly but darkens the colour further. Add a drop of lemon juice to brighten the flavour, which tends towards flat without it.

4. 5Cake filling swap: frangipane or almond cream

   Different texture

   Substitute by volume where marzipan is a baked-in filling only

   Only relevant when marzipan is being used inside something baked, as in a bakewell tart, a stollen or a filled pastry.

   What changes

   Frangipane is ground almonds, butter, sugar and egg, and it bakes into a soft, cakey, moist layer rather than staying as a dense chewy ribbon. The flavour is very close - rich almond and sugar - but the eating experience changes completely: soft and spongy instead of firm and slightly chewy.

   Best for

   bakewell tarts and almond tarts, filled danishes and croissants, layered cakes, fruit tarts

   Do not use this for anything that needs to be rolled, moulded or used as a cake covering - frangipane is a loose batter, not a dough. Because it contains egg and butter it must be baked, so it is no use in a no-bake application. Reduce the sugar elsewhere in the recipe, as frangipane is less sweet than marzipan by volume.

5. 6Nothing, with a brush of apricot jam and a dusting of ground almonds

   Taste and texture differ

   Omit; brush cake with warmed apricot jam and press on ¼ cup ground almonds

   The honest fallback for a fruit cake when you have no marzipan and no time.

   What changes

   The jam seals the cake and stops the icing soaking in, which is one of marzipan's real functions, and the pressed almonds give a suggestion of almond flavour and a little texture. What you lose is the thick, sweet, chewy almond layer that many people consider the best part of a Christmas or simnel cake.

   Best for

   fruit cakes and Christmas cakes, when only the sealing function matters, quick fixes

   Warm the jam and push it through a sieve so it brushes on smoothly. This will not give you the flat, even surface that a marzipan layer creates for icing on top, so expect a rustic finish. Skip this entirely for a simnel cake, where the marzipan layer and the eleven marzipan balls on top are the defining features of the cake.