Marzipan not holding it's shape

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Lisa110

Senior Cook
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Messages
107
Location
NYC
Hi all,

My problem is, as the title suggests, my marzipan fruits. I made the recipe for Marzipan that's posted at Baking 911, and followed the directions to a T. My bananas have held up fine, but my oranges continue to flatten on the bottom when placed on a flat surface to dry, as do my apples. My strawberries simply won't hold their conical shape. I've tried refrigerating each shape after I make it, and it holds, but then when I take it out to add details, it flattens on the bottom, when set down to dry. I even added lots more confectioners sugar, to stiffen even more than it already was, but the side I put them down on, still flattens. Any ideas as to what could be causing this, and what to do? Thanks in advance :)
 
Hi all again,

Since nobody knew what to do, or have not been online or had the time to respond, I figured I'd respond to my own post with a possible solution, in case anyone else ever runs into this quandary. :)

Last night, I was making fondant pearls, and when you roll the fondant into the little balls, you put them on very light foam sponges to dry. This way, they maintain that perfect circle shape without flattening. *BING* - suddenly I realized, if it works with fondant, which is even softer than marzipan, why not do the same for marzipan fruits and shapes? I hope this can help someone one day :)
 
Good thinking! Although, I was wondering if you'd used a liquid/gel coloring/flavoring, which may have kept the friuits from hardening. Sorry I didn't see your posting the first time around.
 
Thanks for the replies! :) GB, I haven't tried it yet, but I will definitely try it within a few days, and post back. The only worry I have, is that the marzipan weighs more than a small ball of fondant, but those sponges seem 'springy' enough!

Ikath, you touched on something important. Instead of shaping the marzipan, then tinting it with colors and a brush, I used Ateco gel colors to fully color each fruit before I tinted and shaded with a brush (but I did mix in more powdered sugar each time I added color). They did dry, but with flat bottoms! Is it better to avoid certain types of food colors, such as gels, when working with marzipan? I was thinking that powdered colors would be a much better alternative for marzipan.
 
OK, I made a few marzipan lemons last night, using the same marzipan I used for the other fruits, and the results are at about 80 percent, meaning, there was still some slight flattening, but nowhere near as much as when placed on a regular flat surface like a sheet pan. I firmly believe it's probably the consistency of my marzipan, since I made it from scratch, making my own almond paste instead of using the pre-made tubes or cans. Mine came out (or so I thought) just like the stuff you get in a tube or can, but the problem I'm having, could possibly be due to that. I'll have to make some marzipan with the canned stuff I have, and see if there's a difference. Also, the temperature of the room you're making it in plays a big part. I think I'll also move to cooler part of the house and see if that makes any difference also.

All in all, no matter how my marzipan comes out, I'm always going to dry them on the foam sponges, as I'm pretty pleased with the results.
 
That is really such a great idea. I love marzipan. I remember going to the North End in Boston as a child and always getting little marzipan fruits. That was always such a treat.
 
I remember, as a child, I soo wanted to like marzipan because they were so beautiful, but I just couldn't develop a liking for it. As an adult, as usual, tastes change, and I started to adore almond flavored anything. I still have a little trouble with marzipan candies, because they can be so cloyingly sweet, but I can handle a few pieces ;).

I LOVE marzipan baked into or on a cake, and I have one recipe that's amazing. Almond paste is baked into the actual cake, and then my little trick is adding a very smooth layer of marzipan, made with liquid fondant instead of powdered sugar, to produce a smoother, easy to roll consistency -- (probably too soft to make fruits)--, between each layer, which is already spread with a thin layer of fruit preserves --(raspberry being the favorite)--, before I top with an amaretto flavored swiss or italian meringue buttercream. It's ambrosia for marzipan lovers. I'm baking one next week for a friend, and I'm going to decorate it with my marzipan fruits. Talk about triple marzipan heaven, huh?

Lastly, (God, I write novels when it comes to cooking and baking!), I attended Northeastern University in Boston. I was there for 5 years, and would you believe I only went to the North End once? *not counting driving through..lol* Little Italy in NYC, whole other story in my present day! Too bad I wasn't older and wiser back then.
 
bumping this thread......
was looking for information on almond paste and found this thread.....

Lisa-
can you post the recipe for your cake...
I love recipes that use almond paste.

thanx
 
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