Who of us doesn’t remember the marzipan pancakes of our childhood that sat in a display case and were never eaten. Some, of course, had teeth marks on the back because it was quite difficult not to nibble on the sweet stuff. I had a spotted rooster, a chicken and a kitten in the cupboard. I still had the kitten from my childhood a few years back, and it was fun to use it to show the children in the workshops that marzipan never gets old but gets harder and harder. My 40-year-old kitten was as hard as a rock, but still as beautiful as when I got it as a present. I was heartbroken when our dog, Matu, accidentally got hold of the kitten and it met its end under his teeth. It was good to crunch a sweet conti… Marzipan can be used to make wonderful things. My lovely Aunt Ede from Saaremaa has been making cake decorations and all sorts of shapes out of marzipan for many decades. I also went to her to learn how to make simple shapes, and so the marzipan workshop has found its way into Örreke’s selection. Marzipan, as you know, consists of almond flour and powdered sugar. The more almond flour, the better the quality of the marzipan. Unfortunately, it is better to make marzipan from marzipan with the same amount of almonds and sugar. It’s easier to use coloured marzipan, because painting marzipan is an art in itself. As Estonians, we think we invented marzipan, and we did so as early as the Middle Ages, when Mart, a student pharmacist in Tallinn’s Raeapteeg, mixed up a good-tasting herb called Martzipan. You can read about what Mart’s marzipan contained and how the herb affected the Tallinn Town Mayor in Jaan Krossi’s children’s book “Mart’s Bread”. In fact, marzipan is an oriental delicacy and the history of its production dates back 2000 years.

Buttering marzipan

NB! Wash your hands properly and dry them well before you start making the cubes! Soften the marzipan between your fingers. When the marzipan starts to shine a bit, it’s time to start rolling.
The marzipan will stick to your fingers, but I still recommend you don’t wear rubber gloves. Without gloves you will feel the marzipan better. The rolling process is made easier by the food film, which makes it much easier to press the marzipan wider. You will also need a food wrap to wrap the rose. 1. Hollowing out the larger chick
Make two yellow balls, one larger (the body) and one smaller (the head). From the larger ball, push out the tail with the sharp end on the chick’s body. Place the smaller ball on top.
Make two small red balls. One with a hollow beak and the other with a small brush. Add blue edible pearls for eyes. 2. Small chick scoop
Make one yellow ball and two very small balls for wings. Press the small balls into a triangle and attach to the sides of the larger ball. Using red marzipan, make a chick with a beak and a little tassel. You can make the eyes from black marzipan or edible pearls.

Easter bunny making

To make a bunny you need one larger ball (body) and one smaller ball (head) and then four more balls of the same size (paws, ears). For the pink ears and nose, mix together a little white and very little red marzipan. Place two small balls under the body to make paws and press a couple of stripes onto the paws with a toothpick. To make the ears, make a long drop from the white ball and a slightly shorter drop from the pink one. Place the pink drop in the middle of the white one and press into the ear. Do the same for the other ear and place both ears on the head. Add the pink nose and the little black eyes. To make the carrot, mix the yellow and red and roll it into a sausage with a sharp point. Use a toothpick to shred a bit of the sausage and add the green leaves.

Grass and flowers

For the lawn, take the green and roll the ball. Place the ball on the base, cover with cling film and press, gently smoothing to enlarge. The marzipan needs stroking! For the flowers, mix different colours and make a pea sized ball for each flower. Press the ball slightly wider through the foil and, using a toothpick, push 4 slits in the flower (outside in). Place a yellow marzipan heart in the centre and lift the petals of the flower up a little. Place the flowers, the chicks and the bunny on the lawn and your gorgeous Easter cake decoration is ready.

Hollowing the rose

To make a rose, you need six balls of exactly the same size. Make small discs by pressing each ball with a food film. If you make the edges of the disc thinner, the rose will look particularly beautiful. Roll up the first disc. The result is a flower called a calla lily. The ‘funnel’ will remain the heart of your rose, around which you will place the other discs. You press the chains together only at the bottom, leaving them loose at the top. Each successive disc is placed on top of the previous one with a small overlap. When all six discs have been placed around the heart, you can cut off the elongated back end. Place the rose on the lawn and decorate with edible pearls. You can also buy the marzipan wrapping kit from the Örreke e-shop.