Easy Marzipan Loaf Cake

Name: Easy Marzipan Loaf Cake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 225 g Butter (, softened); 225 g Granulated Sugar; 4 Large Eggs; 225 g Plain Flour; 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 Orange zest; 100 g Marzipan; 50 g Icing Sugar; 2 tbsp Orange Juice

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This Easy Marzipan Loaf Cake is love at first bite, mainly because it gives so much and demands so little. Mind you, it's a simple loaf cake with Marzipan but not at all boring.

Check also my easy date loaf and madeira loaf cake recipe.

The nutty essence of the Marzipan, made of sweet almonds and honey, will have you reaching for more and won't let you stop till you're entirely done with the batch!

What is Marzipan Loaf Cake?

It's one of the easiest cakes to make, moistly loaded with the goodness of Marzipan. Marzipan is a confectionary item made from sugar, honey, and almond meal topped with almond oil or extract.

You might know it as almond candy dough if you live in the US, which is, honestly, a great way to put it. It's used as part of many desserts such as this one, but it's also a whole dessert on its own. You'll often see it served drizzled with chocolate or shaped like a sweet fruit-like imitation.

Ingredients

For the loaf of cake, you'll need:

Butter: Preferably unsalted; it's easy to tell in this recipe
Granulated sugar: White
Eggs: To make this cake rise
Plain flour: Also called All-purpose flour
Baking powder: Not to be confused with baking soda
Vanilla extract: Essence will also do
Orange zest: Freshly peeled is preferable to store-bought
Marzipan: Find near milk chips and other baking supplies at the grocery store

For the drizzled icing on top, you'll need:

Sieved icing sugar: Also called powdered sugar
Orange juice: for that tang of orange in the cake

How to make the Easy Marzipan Loaf Cake?

Making this loaf cake is, of course, quite effortless. You should take it slow, enjoying the process and packing in lots of love. That's precisely what baking is about.

First things always first, preheat the oven to 180°c. Then, line a large loaf tin with baking paper.

Now, let's start.

We're going to mix everything in a single bowl, so go slow. Each individual step may take longer than expected. We're aiming for a smooth consistency of the batter, and it's not going to happen if you're in a hurry.

To begin, take out a mixing bowl. We're going to mix all the ingredients in this bowl, so make sure it's big to contain all the ingredients and still offer some room for some whisking.

For starters, whisk together the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy.

Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Keep whisking.

Now, fold in the flour and baking powder. Whisk till the batter is a nice consistency, still feeling fluffy.

Lastly, add in the orange zest, and mix until combined.

Now that the batter is ready to go, we will add a Marzipan layer to our loaf of cake.

Roll out the Marzipan using a rolling pin, and cut it into strips the same length as the loaf tin.

Pour half the cake batter into the loaf tin, top it with the marzipan strips, and pour the remaining batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, then allow it to cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the tin.

As you wait for your loaf cake to be baked, hop on into making the icing for it.

Make the drizzle icing:
To make the drizzle icing, just mix icing sugar and orange juice really well.

Once the loaf cake is out of the oven, just drizzle the runny mixture, and you're good to go!

Your Easy marzipan Loaf Cake is ready to be served. The simplicity of the cake, paired with hints of almond and orange, makes for a lip-smacking delight.

Top Tips

Leave all of your ingredients out 30-40 minutes before beginning your baking. This will ensure that all your components are at room temperature and mix quickly. This makes baking super-quick.
If the baking paper is hard to work with and you're not a pro baker, you can opt for loaf tin liners. You'll have to pour in the batter, line it with Marzipan, and pour in the batter again. So, paper can move and be challenging to handle. However, a load tin liner will stay put.
Whilst drizzling the icing, the spoon is excellent to work with. Just scoop some icing (it's probably runny) and drizzle it back and forth, creating textured smooth icing lines with a free hand.

Some Variations

Suppose you don't have orange zest or even oranges in the house, in which case you can use alternatives such as orange extract or orange juice. We prefer you use either freshly squeezed orange juice or the kind that is not a concentrate!
You can completely opt-out of the orange extract, juice, and zest for some lemon flavouring. Use lemon zest in the batter and its juice in the icing.
Although the Marzipan adds a great nutty taste and texture to the cake, add some almond extract or essence for that extra flavour.
You can also add finely chopped almonds for crunch!

Serving Suggestions

The simplicity of this cake allows it to be gulped down any time of the day. We like it best with our breakfast teas and high teas in the evening. The exquisite feeling of sipping tea and eating cake while sitting on your sofa chair reveals, even the most gourmet experiences cannot execute. Relish every bit of it from the comfort of your home.

Storage

Make ahead of time: You can make the entire cake ahead of time, not just the batter. The batter for this cake should be made just before being plopped into the oven. This is because that's when the rising ingredients are the most active.

Store: This Easy Marzipan Loaf Cake will keep really well for 4-5 days, given that it's kept in an air-tight container. That is, of course, in a cool and dry place.

Freeze: To freeze this cake, just wrap it in some plastic and seal it either in a container or some foil paper.

To reheat: Take it out the morning of your event, and let it thaw at room temperature. It will be good to go by evening, slice, and serve!

2 slices of the Marzipan Loaf Cake in a plate

Recipe FAQ's

Why is Marzipan so commonly used in baked goods?

Firstly, let us warn you that the much-dreaded word is coming. Marzipan is often used in baked goods because it makes them "moist". There, we said it. It's commonly used as part of Christmas and wedding cakes because even if it's left out (which usually is amidst a crowd), the Marzipan keeps the cake moist and prevents it from getting stale.

Is Marzipan healthy?

Let's get this clear, all baked goods are great for the heart because they make us happy. Scientifically speaking, though, they do contain a lot of sugar that's probably not that great for you. However, good Marzipan does make your cake somewhat rich in minerals. Thanks to the almonds, Marzipan is rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. However, the ones you get at the grocery store probably just contain a whole lot of sugar.
For richer Marzipan, you should attempt to make it at home from ground almonds and possibly brown sugar.