Marzipan



1/.2 lb almonds

3/4 cup caster sugar

4 tbsp butter



Blanch the almonds, removing skins, and grind (using a manual grinder - not
to

butter - to fine grounds) into a bowl. Melt the butter and cool until solid

again. Mix the butter into the ground almonds with a spoon. Add the sugar,

then mix with the same spoon, pressing down with each stroke into the
mixture,

until it becomes crumbly and just barely cohesive, like pasta dough. Press

with the spoon very firmly into an 8" springform pan line with parchment
using

the spoon, and smooth the surface. As you press it in the marzipan should

adhere together and assume its familiar texture. It should become very

malleable and plastic enough for you to smooth the top as flat as a table.

Chill in the refrigerator.



To assemble the cake, unmould cake from the springform pan and cut it into 2

layers. Unmould the marzipan and set on top of the bottom layer. The easiest

way to do this is to close up the springform pan containing the bottom half
of

the cake again, leaving the top half out of the pan, and keep the marzipan

resting on its base. Invert the base the marzipan was on over the top of the

springform with the cake, then slide off the base, pushing the marzipan down

onto the cake, and peeling away the parchment. Then set the top layer of the

cake on top and unmould the whole assembly. A lot of description for what
will

be a very obvious process when you do it. Finally, ice the cake as above,

chill (to set the icing completely) and bring to room temperature before

serving.