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    Home

    How to Make Marzipan Pumpkins

    October 24, 2022 by stylesweet 1 Comment

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    Add a bit of edible flair to your cakes and desserts with these super cute (and tasty!) Marzipan Pumpkins! These pumpkin decorations are perfect for adding to cakes, cupcakes, and more.

    Marzipan pumpkins on top of a pumpkin layer cake

    What is more addable than a patch of confectionery pumpkins? If you can roll a small ball of dough/clay, you can make these pumpkin cake toppers too.

    Pre-made marzipan makes forms these edible toppers a cinch. They taste of sweet almond paste and have a soft taffy-like texture.

    I wanted to put together a tutorial that anyone could do, and these marzipan pumpkin don't require any extra tools or cake decorating supplies other than a toothpick.

    a slice of cake with an edible marzipan pumpkin on top
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients and Tools
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • Storage
    • FAQs
    • Steps for Making Marzipan Pumpkins

    Ingredients and Tools

    • Prepared marzipan
    • Gel food coloring
    • Toothpicks

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Recipe for The Best Pumpkin Cake with maple cream cheese frosting.

    Instructions

    Making these marzipan pumpkins are fairly easy and super fun to make. Make then one at a time or batch them by rolling all the orange pumpkins, then making all the stems and leaves.

    Roll marzipan into a smooth ball, about the size of a cherry tomato. Mark the center with a toothpick.

    Use the side of the toothpick to make grooves around the ball. Holding the ball in one hand, use the other gently press the toothpick into the ball and rock it from top to bottom.

    Roll a small piece of brown marzipan into a snake. Pinch and press onto the top to create a stem.

    Coil a second snake of marzipan to create the vine. Cut out green marzipan and pinch the tips to create a leaf.

    Hint: The toothpick will get sticky after a few pumpkins. Refresh with a new one to make better indentations as needed.

    An overhead image of a pumpkin cake with swirls of maple frosting

    Substitutions

    Marzipan is made with almonds. If you have a nut allergy or don't have marzipan available, you may try the same techniques with fondant or gum paste. Use a dab of water to attach fondant pieces.

    Storage

    Keep the marzipan covered with a piece of plastic wrap as you work to keep from drying out. Store finished pumpkins in an air-tight container at room temperature.

    If placed on a cake and refrigerated, the pumpkins will become tacky but will still be edible.

    FAQs

    What is marzipan?

    Marzipan is a confection made from almond flour, corn syrup, and egg whites.

    Can I use almond paste in this recipe?

    Almond paste is not the same as marzipan and should not be used as a substitution.

    What can I use instead of marzipan?

    You may make the pumpkins from fondant or gum paste.

    Pumpkin Coffee Cream Cheese Cake

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    More Festive Cakes to Make

    Buttercream Flower Cake

    Easy Textured Buttercream Cakes

    Christmas Tree Cake

    Chocolate Brownie Cake

    Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cream Cheese

    Please leave a star review if you loved this recipe! Make sure to share your recipes and tag me on Instagram @stylesweetdaily. 

    Steps for Making Marzipan Pumpkins

    Time needed: 30 minutes

    Make 8 to 10 small marzipan pumpkins. Recipe may be doubled.

    1. Color the marzipan

      Tint 4 ounces of marzipan orange. Tint a small portion brown and another small portion green. Cover marzipan with plastic wrap while not it use.

    2. Roll

      Roll marzipan into a smooth ball, about the size of a cherry tomato. Mark the center with a toothpick.

    3. Shape the pumpkins

      Use the side of the toothpick to make grooves around the ball. Holding the ball in one hand, use the other gently press the toothpick into the ball and rock it from top to bottom.

    4. Make the stem

      Roll a small piece of brown marzipan into a snake. Use the toothpick to make an indentation at the top of the pumpkin. Pinch and press one end of the stem into the hole to secure.

    5. Make the vine

      Roll a second small piece of brown marzipan into a snake. Coil it around a couple times and press to attach to the top of the pumpkin.

    6. Make the leaves

      Roll out or press flat small portions of green marzipan. Use a small knife to cut out a leaf shape. Pinch the end as needed and stick to the top of the pumpkin.

      The marzipan should be sticky enough for the stem and leaves to attach onto the base pumpkin.

    « Pecan Snickerdoodles
    Caramel Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup »

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Pumpkin Cake Recipe with Maple Frosting - Style Sweet says:
      November 12, 2022 at 5:17 pm

      […] Marzipan Pumpkins […]

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    Tessa Huff

    Hi, I'm Tessa Huff! I am the cookbook author of Layered and Icing on the Cake. I bake, develop recipes, and photograph food from my home studio in North Vancouver, BC.

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