The Secret To More Impressively Decorated Cakes Is Easier Than You Think

If you're one of those people who are fantastic at making a bakery-worthy chocolate cake but dread adding decorations beyond a basic crumb coat and frosting, an ancient confection may be the solution. Enter marzipan: a sweet, nutty paste that works like the edible Play-Doh of your dreams. 

Modern marzipan connoisseurs may associate it with British Christmas cake, Swedish Princess cake, and German confectionaries, but historians believe marzipan originated in the Middle East, migrating into Spain, Sicily, and the rest of Europe around 1000 B.C. Somewhere along the line, someone realized that marzipan's tasty ingredient blend of sugar, almond flour, and egg whites was easy to sculpt, resulting in the adorable variety of marzipan animals and fruits often displayed in specialty candy shops. 

Unlike pasty fondant, marzipan offers an edible decor option that people actually enjoy eating. Easy to color and shape, another way marzipan beats fondant is that it's fairly inexpensive to make in small batches, which means you can make just enough to decorate your cake and avoid waste. Even better, marzipan holds its shape when dried. To form it into cake decorations, you can either pinch off little pieces and mold them into miniature carrots to adorn your perfect carrot cake, corresponding berries for a strawberry cake, or little flowers for a decadently creamy Oreo-style dirt cake. For a more refined look, you can also use cookie stamps and cutters to get clean, delicate shapes.

When decorating your cakes with marzipan, you're only limited by your imagination. Its natural beige hue is easy to color by kneading a few drops of gel food coloring into the marzipan until it's fully saturated. Next, you can decide between 3D or flat decorations. Sculpted evergreens could create an enchanted forest for a campfire-themed cake, while flat ribbons of stamped lace might add elegance to a pastel creation for a baby shower.

If you're up for a challenge, you can also mix-and-match decorations. Picture scrolling vines climbing the tiers of a homemade wedding cake punctuated by rosettes with delicate petals. Pot-bellied farm animals would look adorable scattered among tiny 2D daisy cutouts on a green buttercream backdrop. For a more sophisticated cake, a single lotus flower surrounded by a scattering of flat gold stars might be the perfect choice.

Of course, after coloring and shaping your marzipan decorations, you'll need to secure them to your cake with either simple syrup or fruit jam. Simple syrup is transparent and won't muddy up the flavors of your cake. However, jam might be a good idea if your cake needs an extra zing. Using a small pastry brush, apply a little jam or cooled syrup to the back of your decorations and gently stick them to your cake. Once placed, let everything dry for several hours to ensure your decorations are secure.