A sweet combination of egg whites, sugar, and ground almonds; marzipan is a vital ingredient for pastry chefs when it comes to decorations. Marzipan can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month after being prepared. But what happens if you want to store it for longer?
Can You Freeze Marzipan?
Yes, you can freeze marzipan for up to 6 months. For homemade marzipan, you can store it in the refrigerator for one month initially, and then transfer it to the freezer for a further six months if you haven’t had the chance to use it.
Do Does Marzipan freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Marzipan? Yes
How to Freeze Marzipan
Freezing marzipan is a piece of cake – sorry for the terrible pun!
But really, it’s super straightforward, and it means you don’t have to worry about making a fresh paste every time you decide to make your favourite fruit loaf or bake a celebration cake for a special occasion.
Below are the steps you need to follow to freeze marzipan:
- Roll Into a Ball: Roll your marzipan into a small ball. If you’re unsure of the necessary size, aim for slightly bigger than a golf ball and slightly smaller than a tennis ball. This will ensure you have enough for your cake topping when it comes to defrosting it.
- Wrap Marzipan Balls in Cling Film: Wrap each of your balls individually with a layer of cling film. Make sure they’re well wrapped, and no air can get into the ball where the cling film overlaps.
- Place the Balls in a Freezer-Safe Container: When you’ve wrapped all of the balls individually, space them out in a freezer-safe container. Make sure they’re not touching, as they will freeze stuck together if they are.
- Label and Freeze: Write the date you prepared the marzipan balls, as well as the use-by date on top of the freezer-safe container. Then place them on a flat surface in the freezer for up to six months.
Can You Freeze Battenberg Cake?
The most famous marzipan cake in the UK has to be a Battenberg. Loathed by marzipan haters but perfect for anyone who loves a hit of the almond stuff. But can you freeze Battenberg or not?
You can freeze Battenberg. Wrap tightly in multiple layers of clingfilm, label it, then place it into the freezer for up to 3 months.
3 Tips for Freezing Marzipan
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing marzipan to have the best results:
Use a Bag
If you’re tight on space in the freezer, you don’t need to use a freezer-safe container, instead opting for a bag. However, you will need to freeze the balls separately to ensure they don’t stick together during the freezing process.
As long as they’re well wrapped and you press out as much air as possible from the bag, it shouldn’t affect the freezing process.
Freeze On Cakes
It’s perfectly fine to freeze marzipan when it has already been topped on a cake. So, if you’re baking a delicious fruit cake for the family, you can choose to freeze the cake as a whole after topping it with marzipan, should you so wish.
Consider Your Use
If you think you will use your frozen marzipan all at once, you don’t need to prepare them for the freezer in individual balls. The only reason for doing so is to ensure you only have to take the marzipan you need out of the freezer, without having to refreeze it again later.
How Long Can You Freeze Marzipan?
You can freeze marzipan for around six months.
As mentioned, it keeps perfectly well in the refrigerator for up to one month before you need to place it in the freezer, which is ideal if you think you will use it in your baking again within four weeks.
Even shop-bought marzipan has a long shelf life, so be sure to check the date on the packaging before you decide to freeze it. You might find that it’s not necessary, as you will end up using it before its use-by date is over.
Homemade marzipan will keep for a reasonably long time in the fridge. When kept in a covered bowl, in a ball, marzipan will last for 5 to 6 weeks in the fridge.
How Do You Defrost Marzipan?
The best way to defrost marzipan is to remove it from the freezer 3-4 hours before you need to use it. You should place it in the refrigerator while it’s thawing, and it should be ready to use after a few hours.
It’s best not to defrost marzipan on the countertop. If you’re looking to speed up the process a little, place the marzipan balls in a bowl with some room-temperature water.
Just make sure your balls are tightly wrapped or in a bag, as you don’t want excess water getting to your marzipan!
Can You Refreeze Marzipan?
It’s perfectly safe to refreeze marzipan that you’ve thawed in the refrigerator. That being said, the more times you freeze and thaw anything, the more chance you have of affecting the texture.
To ensure you only take out what you need, we would advise you to freeze your marzipan balls in small portions, and only remove the balls you need for your upcoming baking.
Does Marzipan Freeze Well?
Providing it’s well wrapped, marzipan freezes extremely well. Although we advise you to use it within six months, other sites will tell you that it can be stored in the freezer indefinitely.
While this is the case with almond paste, we would encourage you to try and use your frozen marzipan within six months, as you wouldn’t want to ruin that delicious fruit loaf you’ve put so much effort into making!
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing marzipan or marzipan in general, then these may help:
You certainly can freeze fruit cake or Christmas cake that has been topped with marzipan. Wrap your cake in multiple layers of cling film before placing into a thick freezer bag and storing it in the freezer.
Marzipan will eventually go bad. The first sign that it is going off is that it dries out. You’ll no longer have that buttery, almond texture and it will become brittle and dry.
