Marzipankugeln German Marzipan Balls Recipes

Steps:

• Place almonds in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Slip the almonds out of their skins one by one, leaving the remaining almonds in the warm water. Drain almonds in a colander.
• Place almonds and confectioners' sugar in the food processor fitted with a metal blade and process to a paste. Add cold water, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon at a time, if the paste is too dry. Scrape the sides a few times to ensure even processing. Add a few drops of almond extract towards the end of the process. Process marzipan until it is smooth and no longer grainy. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place.

Steps:

• Whirl candy ingredients in the food processor or mix by hand until well blended and sticky.
• Add additional rosewater or orange water a *little* at a time until the dough forms.
• Form balls containing about a tablespoon each (if you wish, make them lumpy to like baby potatoes).
• Mix the cocoa powder and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Roll the "potatoes" in the coating mixture and set aside to dry.

Steps:

• Sift the sugars and ground almonds together, then stir in the orange zest. Beat together the egg and egg yolk, and stir into the sugar mixture.
• Knead briefly to make sure the marzipan is well mixed, and easy to work with. If it is too dry, add a little orange juice. If it is too wet, add some more icing sugar.
• Place the cake on the cake board and use small balls of marzipan to plug any holes in the cake. Glaze the cake with a thin layer of apricot jam or shredless marmalade.
• Dust the work surface with a little icing sugar and roll out the marzipan in one direction, keeping the pressure even and turning a 1/4 turn every feel rolls.
• When it's large enough (about 40cm for a 20cm cake), roll the marzipan onto the rolling pin and lift onto the cake. Smooth the top with your hands and continue to smooth it over the sides of the cake. Trim the marzipan where it meets the board and leave it to dry overnight.