Marzipan

INGREDIENTS 
175g caster sugar 
175g icing sugar , plus extra for dusting 
250g ground almonds 
grated zest and juice 1 orange 
1 egg 
1 egg yolk 

1 Sift the sugars and ground almonds together, then stir through the orange zest. Beat together the egg and egg yolk, then add to the sugar mixture, stirring well. 
2 Knead briefly to ensure the marzipan is completely mixed and pliable, adding a little orange juice if the mix is too dry, or icing sugar if too wet. 
Place the cake on a cake board and use small balls of marzipan to plug any holes in the cake (see picture, below). Now glaze the cake with a thin layer of marmalade. Dust your work surface with a little icing sugar, then roll out the marzipan in one direction, keeping the pressure even and turning a ¼ turn every few rolls. 
3 When large enough (about 40cm in diameter for a 20cm cake), roll the marzipan onto the rolling pin and lift onto the cake. Smooth the top with your palms and continue down over the sides of the cake, smoothing out any folds as you go. Trim with a knife where the marzipan meets the board, then leave to dry overnight. 


by Imelda