CHOCOLATE & MARZIPAN CAKE

✨ First bake of 2026: a dark chocolate & marzipan cake with a shiny mirror glaze. Deep cocoa, soft crumb, a little crunch from pearl sugar: perfect next to a big mug of coffee ☕🤎

InstaRecipe

For the Italian version, see here.

Ingredients (24 cm tin)

For the cake

300 g milk
200 g marzipan
80 g unsweetened cocoa powder
180 g plain flour
2 eggs, separated
80 g brown sugar
1 packet baking powder (about 16 g)

For the mirror glaze & decoration

165 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
80 g unsweetened cocoa powder
Boiling water, as needed (start with 4–6 tbsp)
Pearl sugar for decoration

Procedure

Put the milk and diced marzipan in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the marzipan has completely melted into the milk.
Add the cocoa powder to this mixture and whisk until smooth and glossy.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Pour in the chocolate–marzipan mixture and stir to combine.
Separate the eggs. Add the yolks to the batter and mix well.
In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the brown sugar little by little until glossy.
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with an up-and-down motion so they don’t deflate.
Pour the batter into a greased cake tin and bake at 170°C for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and cocoa powder.
Add boiling water 2–3 tablespoons at a time, whisking, until you reach a thick but pourable glaze that will slowly run down the sides of the cake.
Place the cooled cake on a rack set over a bowl and pour the glaze over the top, letting it flow and cover the surface. Decorate with pearl sugar while the glaze is still soft.
Chill the cake so the glaze sets, then bring it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.