Cake Quandary: What To Do With Leftover Almond Paste

Delicious Almond Paste!
How many times has this happened to you: a delicious recipe calls for not quite a full can of almond paste, and now you're left with a strange amount, not quite enough to make a full recipe of something, but enough that you feel like you want to use it for something. Is it fated to wither away in your fridge? Not necessarily. Here are several suggestions (from readers and around the internet) for utilizing a small amount of almond paste:

  • Roll it into little balls, the size of your thumb fingernail, then roll in either cinnamon or cocoa for rich, addictive little morsels.
  • Mix it with equal parts of mascarpone and spread on toast or an english muffin.
  • Spread it onto a piece of foil, lightly toast it in an oven or toaster oven. Crumble and sprinkle over the top of an amaretto cocktail with crushed ice.
  • Soften it and swirl into brownies or cupcakes for a light, nutty flavor.
  • Put it on the bottom of an apple pie, just on top of the lower crust. Or do a free-form galette. Yummy heaven. (via chou_in )
  • Dip it in chocolate and eat it whole. (via loveandoliveoil)
  • Use it like marzipan to form into small creatures! (via scifi_girl21 )
  • Add it to pancakes in the morning, either in the batter with a little almond extract or as a topping with a little chocolate.
  • Mix it with chopped almonds and chunky chocolate and put in puff pastry.
  • Add it to any cookie dough recipe-- it would enhance flavor without changing consistency.  (via jenniferkateab )
  • Use it to turn a plain butter cake into an almond cake. Cream the almond paste with the butter (add in small increments) for 3 minutes and then proceed with the recipe as directed. (via lapastrychef )