Almond Paste, Marzipan, and Frangipane

Almond paste, marzipan, and frangipane are all almond-based products, but differ in composition and use: marzipan is a sweet, pliable candy-like substance for decorations; almond paste is a coarser, less sweet baking ingredient (filling/paste); and frangipane is a soft, spreadable custard cream used as a pastry filling.

• Almond Paste: Coarse, soft, and less sweet. Typically equal parts sugar and blanched almonds. Almond paste has a higher concentration of almonds (roughly 45%) compared to marzipan (roughly 28%). Almond paste is coarser and softer, and tastes nuttier, which makes it ideal for spreading in pastries. It is less sweet than marzipan. It acts as a filling or flavoring in cookies, tarts, and pastries, such as croissants.
• Marzipan: Smooth, firm, and clay-like. Contains a higher ratio of sugar to almonds (often 2:1), making it sweet and ideal for molding, coating cakes, or making candies. Marzipan contains more sugar than almond paste, making it much sweeter and more pliable. Whereas almond paste is strictly used as a baking ingredient, marzipan is ready to eat and as such considered a candy or confection. Marzipan is often molded into fruit shapes, used as cake icing, or eaten as candy. Because marzipan is stiff, it lends itself to be cut out or shaped three-dimensionally for candies shaped like fruits, or for cake and pastry decorations. Unlike almond paste, marzipan is often dyed.
• Frangipane: Creamy, spreadable filling. Unlike the other two, this is a mixture of butter, eggs, sugar, and almond flour (sometimes mixed with pastry cream) that is designed to be baked, often used in almond croissants or galettes.

Substitution: Because marzipan is much sweeter and has a different texture, it cannot easily be substituted for almond paste. Frangipane is completely different and cannot be swapped with either. You can turn almond paste into marzipan by adding sugar, but you cannot easily turn marzipan into almond paste for baking.

In some regions, particularly the UK, the terms can be used more interchangeably, but in the United States, they are generally distinct products found in the baking aisle.

Recipe for Homemade Almond Paste
Recipe for Homemade Marzipan
Recipe for Frangipane (Almond Cream)

Frangipane

It is sometimes referred to as almond cream. And, being more or less like a pie filling, frangipane is never consumed raw because it contains raw eggs.

• Frangipane is a pastry or pie filling. Unlike almond paste and marzipan, it is not a product that you can buy off the supermarket shelf, so you need to make it yourself.
• Another difference between frangipane and almond paste and marzipan is the ingredients. In addition to almonds and sugar, frangipane contains eggs, butter, and flour. French-style frangipane also requires milk to prepare a custard, which is then mixed with ground almonds. Frangipane has a very soft consistency.
• While you can make a batch of marzipan or almond paste ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freeze it, frangipane is best prepared just before using.