How to Make Cashewnut Marzipan Easter Eggs

The Easter Eggs made by the East Indian community in Mumbai, India are made using almond marzipan or cashewnut marzipan. Although there is a slight learning curve with this recipe, it tastes better than chocolate Easter eggs and is the perfect Easter gift for friends and relatives!

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Easter!

Spring and redemption and everything anew. New life in Jesus and new life on earth. A celebration of hope! 

And sweets! Or eggs rather? Legend tells that quite like Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, the Easter bunny called ‘Easter’ along with the spring bunny come with egg filled baskets to the homes of children. They hide the eggs around the house or garden for children to find in the traditional Easter morning Easter egg hunt.

By, the way, if you’re looking for the Christmas mass pav (marzipan) recipe, click here! Or if you’re looking for the almond marzipan Easter eggs, click here!

But, Easter egg hunts or Easter desserts aren’t really a part of the Bible. How this tradition started is anyone’s guess. Okay, maybe some of you know, but I don’t. If you do, just comment and leave me a note. Can I say boo now? No? Okay well…. bah!

Anyway, when we were younger we had never heard of the Easter Bunny in my culture. (It’s only now that Western traditions are filtering in.) We East Indians celebrate Easter as the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a chance for us to be renewed. A celebration of equal importance with Christmas.

Fixed, changed, reborn, forgiven and made new. That’s what we believe! 

Jesus fixes all that’s wrong in us and sets us on the path to redemption, on the path to Abba and heaven.

Anyways, for Easter, some of our community sell Easter eggs to add to the family income 😉 And some of us sell Easter Eggs because we love making them. 😉 And no, if you’re thinking, bah, everyone can make Easter Eggs, just mix your chocolate and add your filling and you’re done. Or like eggs are boiled and their shells are colored.

Well, nope. Not in India! Not if you’re making Easter Eggs East Indian Style. So let me tell you about our chickens and our eggs. Haha! It’s a wonderful process, the Easter Egg production. 😉

East Indian Easter Egg Recipe

Okies. We East Indians or Eastyas as many people call us, love sweets as much as we love kimad and beer. 😉 How can we not?

Come to Easter Eggs, and there’s always divides. Should we make cashewnut or almond marzipan? Should we make dad’s marzipan or mom’s marzipan? Really, almond marzipan or cashew marzipan? Did the chicken come before the egg?

Ah, well?

Anyways, we normally use the cashew nut marzipan since it’s tastier. Here’s our granny’s East Indian recipe we normally use, with a few personal tweaks added in. Sis has also personalized an eggless marzipan recipe for softer eggs for granny, and she loves it; all 92 years of her. Here’s the recipe for my sis’s gluten-free, veg, and vegan Easter eggs and here’s the recipe for my dad’s side almond marzipan Easter eggs. But for now, let’s make some deliciously unique Easter Eggs!

What you need to make Cashewnut Marzipan Easter Eggs

To make these yummy Easter Eggs, you will need finely ground or powdered sugar, cashewnuts (ground to a paste), egg whites, almond essence, a few drops of different colors, rose water measured in a chowni (chowni = a traditional East Indian wine glass that measures 30 ml or 45 ml, it all depends on the chowni that you use. You might need to add more later anyways) and a lot of love.

How to Make Easter Eggs with Marzipan  

Mix all of these ingredients together and simmer over a low flame stirring it continuously till a wax-like consistency is formed and the mixture leaves the sides. Yep, it’s tedious. That’s why it tastes so good!

How do you know if the marzipan is ready to be moulded? Well, you take a bit of it in a teaspoon and let it cool for half a minute. Then try to form it into a tiny ball. If it forms a ball without sticking to your hand, it’s ready to be moulded. If it sticks to your fingers, it needs more time on the stove.

Next, pour the mixture onto a flat board, air dry if necessary, and knead well till a smooth ball is formed. Add more powder sugar or rose water if needed. Yeah, depends on whether it’s wet or dry doesn’t it?

Add any food colors that you like while forming the balls. The difference between this marzipan and the Easter egg marzipan? Well, there isn’t one really. It’s just that the shapes formed are different.

Finally, sprinkle the moulds with powder sugar, mould the marzipan paste in them and create them shapes.

After the shapes are dried, you can decorate the bunnies, eggs and hens with icing, royal if you like and leave them to set.

This process yields about 1.2 to 1.4 kg of marzipan depending on how dry it gets.

So if you’re making only egg-shaped halves, you’ll get about 30 of them. If you’re making only bonnet or hen shaped halves, you’ll get about 40 of them. Rabbits will number 20. The smaller chicks, eggs, roses, butterflies number about 75. Of course, this all depends on the moulds you use, and how much disappears in your tummy while making them. So let’s not add a number to it!

If you’re making other shapes, the output depends on the sizes, doesn’t it? We’ve made hens, roses, butterflies, and ducks.

Next stage? Wrap them in gelatin paper and bows and wait for the friends and family to pick ’em up. And send the rest across to European friends in Tupperware, if they make it through customs that it.

No. The eggs always make it. They’re built to last. It’s the customs department that isn’t. The eggs sometimes just disappear midway. No trace! Maybe they’re just that tasty. 😉

PS. If you need to eat gluten free like a friend of mine does, don’t worry. As long as you get your cashewnuts and almond essence from a gluten-free processing facility, you’re good to go. Or you can try this recipe tweaked by my sister for gluten-free, veg, and vegan Easter eggs.

Okies, I couldn’t help it. Just had to taste test one Easter Egg to show you how it looks inside. Yummy enough to die for?

What about you? How do you celebrate the sweetness and joy of Easter?

Cooking Tips For Cashewnut Marzipan Easter Eggs

• You can use store-bought Marzipan, but home-made taste so much better.
• You can make these with blanched almonds as well. If using almonds, skip the essence.
• For the Vegetarian version, we do not use eggs, it is made with liquid glucose and a slightly different recipe.

What you need to know about Making Marzipan Easter Eggs

Why Do We Make Easter Eggs?

Eggs symbolize long life and immortality, and Christ (egg meat) breaking through the darkness of the tomb (eggshell) to give us new life, and so are associated with Easter?

Can I Use Almonds Instead Of Cashews?

Yes, you can. Only make sure you skin the almonds before using or use blanched almonds. Here’s the recipe for almond marzipan Easter eggs.

How Long Will Homemade Easter Eggs Last?

The eggs will last for 2 to 3 weeks at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator.

Do I Have To Color The Easter Eggs?

No, you don’t have to color the Easter eggs. You can make plain white eggs and decorate them with sugar craft icing. We do that sometimes.

What Flavour Is Marzipan?

Marzipan is traditionally made in an almond flavor.

Can You Freeze Marzipan?

Yes, You can freeze homemade marzipan for up to 6 months and simply thaw before eating. But usually after two to three months, the taste might include a little of freezer burn.

Other Recipes you might Like

• Gluten Free Rice Cake
• Onion salad with rounds of green tomatoes
• Tu B Shevat Cookies
• How to pickle young garlic
• Hummus with beetroot

PS. People keep asking if we take orders. We don’t do that anymore. But we have a list of East Indian sweet makers who do take orders here. (In alphabetical order.)