The marzipan Easter lamb
a traditional dessert and centerpiece for Easter
Originating during Sicily’s Norman-era in the 11th century, this marzipan lamb was often given as a gift during Lent to be featured on a banquet table on Easter Sunday.
If you’re looking for something unique to make at home this Easter season, try our recipe for the marzipan lamb and watch the video on our Instagram page Case del Principe Pantelleria, for a step-by-step demonstration.
The plaster molds used for shaping the lamb are often sold by weight of the finished product.
We made a 300g lamb and had enough marzipan left over to be used for other delicious Sicilian treats like the “frutta di martorana”, fruit-shaped almond paste desserts.
The plaster forms used to shape the marzipan lamb and fruits/vegetables are sold in Sicily or also online.
In addition to the Easter lamb, you can make the “frutta di martorana” fruit-shaped almond paste sweets painted with food coloring or small round marzipan bonbons with an almond or pistachio in the center, that can be rolled in cocoa powder or sugar.
All marzipan sweets can be kept for a couple of months in an airtight container.
INGREDIENTS for a 300g lamb and around 20 small round marzipan bonbons
For the marzipan:
500g almond flour
200g powdered sugar
1 spoon of glucose syrup
For the filling and decoration:
powdered sugar
dense marmellata for the filling
food coloring
PROCESS
Mix the almond flour with the powdered sugar and the glucose syrup.
Slowly add a few drops of water until the mixture comes together in a paste.
Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
Dust both sides of the Easter Lamb with powdered sugar so the marzipan will not stick to it.
Roll out the marzipan to about 1-2cm thickness and place one piece on each side of the marzipan mold.
In between, fill the hollow center with the dense marmellata and carefully press the two pieces together.
Using a generous amount of pressure, seal the two pieces together. Remove one side at a time until the lamb shape is released from the molds.
Dust off any extra powdered sugar with a pastry brush and paint with natural food coloring as you like.
The rest of the marzipan can be kept in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for other uses.
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