Covering a Cake with Almond Paste

Appears in

Published 1989

About

Before being covered with almond paste, a cake must be brushed with melted apricot jam glaze or coated with a thin layer of butter cream and thoroughly chilled. To color the paste, spread it on a work surface, sprinkle with a few drops of color and knead it until it is evenly tinted.

Set the cake on a round of cardboard on a rack and brush it with apricot glaze. Sprinkle the work surface lightly with confectioners’ sugar and roll the paste to a thin round with a heavy rolling pin. Brush excess confectioners’ sugar from the surface.
Gently wrap the paste loosely around the rolling pin, lift the rolling pin and unroll the paste over the cake leaving enough overlap to cover the sides.
Press the paste against the sides and rim of the cake, molding it to shape with your hands. Trim any excess paste around the base.
For a smooth finish, rub the paste with a cardboard disk.
Turn the cake over and rub round the sides.