Almond Paste, Marzipan, Frangipane: What's the Difference? (2024)

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Almond Paste, Marzipan, Frangipane: What's the Difference? ›

Frangipane Is A Creamy Filling With A Milder Flavor

Marzipan vs Frangipane

Their purposes and textures, however, are very different, making them unable to be substituted with one another. While marzipan is a thick and sweet icing dough, frangipane is a creamy and lightly-sweetened filling.

It can be confusing that recipes sometimes use the terms "almond paste" and "marzipan" interchangeably, as they're actually quite different. Almond paste has a coarser texture but is much softer than marzipan, which allows it to be spread as a filling. Unlike marzipan, almond paste holds up in baking.

The almond paste and almond filling are very different products and should not be used interchangeably in a recipe. The Almond Filling is a jam-like filling for cakes, pastries, and cookies. The Almond Paste is usually mixed or cut into a recipe for an almond flavor, or as a layer in tarts and pies.

Italian almond paste is called "marzipan" in general culinary usage, but specifically in Italy, it's often referred to as "pasta di mandorle." This sweet paste is made from ground almonds mixed with sugar or honey and sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract.

In essence, frangipane is an almond filling, sometimes called frangipane cream. It isn't the same as marzipan, which is an almond-sugar paste that's so dense it can be formed into decorative shapes and painted in bright colors.

In Latin American cuisine, marzipan is known by the Spanish word mazapán and is also traditionally eaten at Christmas.

Commercially produced almond paste has a long shelf life. However, to keep it from drying out, once opened it should be tightly wrapped and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Almond paste is used as a filling in pastries, but it can also be found in chocolates. In commercially manufactured almond paste, ground apricot or peach kernels are sometimes added to keep the cost down (also known as persipan).

Marzipan and almond paste are made from ground almonds and sugar but differ mainly in texture, sweetness, and use. Almond paste is coarser, less sweet, and used as a filling in baked goods. Marzipan is smoother, sweeter, and often used for decorative purposes in confectionery, such as cake covering and sculpting.

Can you eat raw almond paste? ›

Let the egg whites fall through the slots in the spoon. Don't worry about the raw egg white; the paste will be used in baking, not eaten raw. Almond Extract: For even more almond flavor, be sure to add almond extract to the paste.

Crème Frangipane, often simply referred to as Frangipane, is a luxurious almond cream filling that hails from the heart of French pastry-making tradition.

But what is it and what does it taste like? It's difficult to describe concisely but I describe frangipane as a creamy, velvety smooth filling with a rich, nutty, lightly sweet, FABULOUS flavor.

Marzipan is a light, candy-like mixture made by mixing finely-ground almonds with sugar, corn syrup and egg whites. Some say it originated in Persia, but others claim it came from Germany, Spain, Italy or France.

In Italy and other European countries, their name is "confetti". These are sugared almonds but with a spun sugar shell.

Marzipan is 1 part ground almonds and 2 parts confectioners' sugar. Almond paste is made from equal parts almond and sugar, so it is less sweet. The two ingredients are not in interchangeable in recipes; however, in a pinch, you can turn almond paste into marzipan by adding some sugar and egg whites.

The German name 'marzipan' has supplanted the original English name 'marchpane. ' Some theorise that it originally comes from the Latin 'martius panis', or 'March bread'. Others cite Arabic, Burmese, or Persian as the language of origin.

Frangipane is one of those classic French pastry preparations, made with a finely ground mixture of half almonds and half sugar. This blend of almonds and sugar is known as TPT (tant pour tant) in French pastry-speak, which translates as "so much X for so much" or equal amounts.

Frangipane is a pastry filling made with finely ground almonds or almond meal. It is sometimes referred to as almond cream. And, being more or less like a pie filling, frangipane is never consumed raw because it contains raw eggs.

The glory of marzipan is because it holds a shape easily, you can cut out or mold your own figures to decorate holiday pastries. It's also used as a kind of heavy-duty frosting for Christmas cakes because it helps long-keeping cakes (like fruitcakes) retain their moisture instead of going stale.