(Click to enlarge, all photos)
When I was a little girl, I loved the Swedish Princess cake, with a green Marzipan cover. That’s the most common one. Though they used to have mostly pink roses on the top back then.
Yes, I have taken a bite of the cake before taking the photo… *giggles*
I wished to have such a birthday cake once and I ate most of the cover myself and of course it were too much, so after that day I couldn’t eat Marzipan for many, many years.
There are much more fun birthday cakes nowadays and for kids too. Who wouldn’t have wanted one of those?
One of the sweets of a genuine Christmas in Sweden are the classic Marzipan pig with a big apple in the mouth. I don’t know how popular they really are, but since they still make them, some must still buy them.
Photo by sallad
The rest of the year all kind of Marzipan figures, some of them partly dipped in chocolate and some of them not even made of real Marzipan.
Have you received an email that shows simply amazing images of Marzipan babies that look totally real?
They are hoax emails, the babies are actually done by the very talented artist Camille Allen – of polymer clay and not Marzipan. They are just as adorable as real babies. They would have been awful as Marzipan – I couldn’t have taken a bite of them!
Marzipan is used in many countries to a variety of things, not only figures but also as fake fruits or vegetables, on top of different kind of cakes or as filling, so Marzipan is without doubt very useful.
Not to mention the almond paste in the Swedish Semla! Though they are eaten in the end of February and not around Christmas.
Remember that special kind of technique to eat them….? *giggles*
When it comes to the Swedish Semla, I prefer the one where the almond paste is mixed with the whipped cream instead of putting a whole ball of almond paste hidden under the cream.
Marzipan is consisting mostly of sugar and ground (and some bitter) almonds and that’s perhaps the only reason for me to like Marzipan – it’s not just made of chemicals as so many other candy seem to be nowadays.
“Under EU law, marzipan must have a minimum almond oil content of 14% and a maximum moisture content of 8.5%. Optional additional ingredients are rosewater, honey, pistachios, preservatives, and sometimes hazelnut. In the U.S., marzipan is not officially defined, but it is generally made with a higher ratio of sugar to almonds than almond paste. One brand, for instance, has 28% almonds in its marzipan, and 45% almonds in its almond paste.
However, in Sweden and Finland “almond paste” refers to a marzipan that contains 50% ground almonds, a much higher quality than regular marzipan“.
Source: Wikipedia
What’s the difference between marzipan an almond paste then?
In Marzipan the almond and sugar is rolled together to a smooth mass, so that the almond oil is keeping the almond and sugar together. The almond paste is 50 – 50 of almond and sugar in Sweden, that has been mixed with egg white to keep it together.
No wonder Sweden is so full of nutty pigs! *giggles*
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Ooh, I love learning about new foods! Very interesting facts! I was just reading on the Swedish Semla ~ yikes for the King! I don’t really like foods with a lot of chemicals either. It is starting to get cold down here; Christmas lights are going up. Just wanna cuddle in the blankets with the laptop. I love the nutty pigs LOL!
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The Swedish princess cake is very beautiful!
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oh my … those look delicious!!!
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Those are BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE the look of the marzipan cakes — but I tried one once and didn’t care for the taste of it. Of course, here in America – it’s probably not REAL marzipan. And that more than likely speaks volumes! Love the cream on your noses!
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Marzipan always reminds me of a Christmas when my mother had bought little Jesuses in marzipan and had put one in the craddle. The next day little Jesus had disappeared that happened 6 times until we discovered that our dog had eaten them happily everyday. She put the ceramic Jesus back !
The reason why I still had not time to prepare a cruise is on my blog today.
But please book me for next Sunday, I will write and show pictures of our excursion to Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Hatchsepsut and Karnak.
The cakes look beautiful !!
I very much enjoy marzipan. We have it on Christmas cakes here. Don’t almonds contain a small amount of cyanide? I read of one poor mug who ate a whole box of them, and died!
I looked it up:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-almonds.htm
I suppose they’re alright if they’re processed first
I love stories about traditions around the world. I’ve neither seen nor heard of a marzipan pig for Christmas.
We used to make our own marzipan in our family. I can remember both my mother and my grandmother making it. I used to make it once upon a time but I confess in later years I have bought it.
Today is Stir Up Sunday in the UK, the day we traditionally start the Christmas pudding recipe. Great fun for families.
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My oh my!!—I regular culture cuisine here today. Everything looks delicious Captain!!!
I am furious with Blogger ! He published my post for Monday and in my posts was written draft !!! Fortunately you commented and I couldn’t understand what you meant because I had described how Mr. Gattino behaves when he has some house reparations to do, lol! Thanks, I would never thought that Blogger when I click on draft would publish ! Now I pay attention !
What a lot of work those little creations must be. They are so beautiful!
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Yes, it’s horrible Gattina, I’ve been experiencing it once with my mothers blog on Blogger, quite surprising to put it mildly!!!!
Well, now I’m hungry. Looks really yummy, even though I’ve never had it. Have a great day.
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Love your post! My captain! Adorable cakes! My prefered cakes are lemon tartles and pignon tartles ( tartles with fruits of the pine tree); But now I’d like to taste a little pig with an apple in the mouth. here we have such cakes with green almonds paste but with little mouses. I just come from google and read that superior almond paste is 66% almonds and 33 % sugar and for confectionary 33% almond paste and 66% sugar.
We used almond paste for chrismas on dates, walnuts and on dry prune.
Yes chrismas is fast here when I saw this evening the first christmas lights in my town Ollioules! But without snow!
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After reading this facinating post, I now have learned another thinh: You are more the our Captain: You are the Craddle of Marzipan
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Repeat:
After reading this facinating post, I now have learned another thingh: You are more than our Captain: You are the Craddle of Marzipan
(PS – my eyes does my more puzzels than I like— grrrr)
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I didn’t know all that before! Thanks.
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Those are truly works of art!!
Spanish eat turrones at Xmas time, which contain at least 60% almonds…I see you like Spain now even more, lol!
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My mother used to make me marzipan fruit for my birthday parties, I have not eaten any in a long time though.
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It’s interesting to learn about new traditions. I love those cute Marzipan figures!
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*sighs* very nice cakes there and i still remember that marvelous skull one too – such a delicious shade of green there.
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