What is almond paste?

Almond paste and marzipan are not quite identical. Marzipan usually contains more sugar than almond paste and is stiffer, about the consistency of pastry, whereas almond paste is likely to be nearer the consistency of peanut butter. Both are made from finely ground blanched almonds and sugar (about equal parts for marzipan) with either egg-white or glycerin as a binder. If you do not like almonds or have a nut allergy, there seem to be very little which works as a satisfactory alternative. I found a description which combined vegetable shortening with light corn syrup and confectioner's sugar (icing sugar) and a flavouring of your choice (either almond essence or vanilla essence) but I cannot see that this would have the consistency or texture of almond paste. I would be tempted to experiment with corn meal/flour (but not the very fine stuff which we call cornflour in Britain) or some other kind of flour, corn syrup, sugar and, perhaps, a little oil (almonds are quite an oily nut). Marzipan is used on fruit cakes to make a smooth base for frosting (it is usually the only covering for a simnel cake); almond paste is used as a filling for pastries, either on its own or with jam or fruit.

I was going to answer this, but the durn ## stopped me... I have a recipe for "Mock Almond Paste" that uses sweet potatoes as a base. If you're interested, I'll send it to you.