If your cake has a domed top, level it up with a sharp knife
Cut two pieces of clingfilm about 50cm long. Put one sheet of clingfilm on your work surface ready for the marzipan
Heat half the marmalade in the microwave for about 20s on HIGH
Brush the top only of the cake with the marmalade. Remove any bits of marmalade from the top of the cake(Ideally - or for a very special cake - you would sieve the marmalade first to remove the bits)
Marzipan the top of the cake:
Take half the marzipan and shape into a ball. Put it on the clingfilm and flatten with your hand
Place the spacers about 25cm apart, either side of the marzipan
Put a second sheet of clingfilm over the marzipan and roll into a round-ish shape using the rolling pin on the spacers. Take away the top layer of clingfilm carefully, keeping it for the next phase
Put the cake top down on the marzipan and cut around it with a round-bladed knife - a palette knife is ideal
Carefully pick up the cake, trim if necessary, and put to one side
Marzipan the sides of the cake:
Gather up the marzipan and add to the rest. Eat or discard any that has crumbs in
Heat the rest of the marmalade and brush on the sides of the cake
If the clingfilm is intact you can use it again, otherwise, spread a new piece
Measure the height of your cake including the marzipan on top. This is the height to roll the marzipan for the sides
Place the spacers the height distance, plus about 2cm, apart. Take half the remaining marzipan and roll into a sausage shape. Place between the spacers and roll out.You are going to need about 60cm in total so try to make this piece at least 30cm in length
Remove the clingfilm and trim the marzipan to the height you need and make sure the ends are square, i.e. at right angles
Put the marzipan on the side of the cake. It should go round about a third to a half of the cake and up to the total height of the cake. Repeat the process once or twice until you have marzipan all around the cake, leaving a small gap between the pieces
Smooth the surface of the cake:
Take your smoother and polish the top of the cake, getting a feel for how the marzipan movesDon't press too hard or you'll leave dents
Smooth the sides, pushing the marzipan pieces together to create a single smooth piece. Where the sides meet the top. smooth round creating a rounded edge to the cake
Run the joint gap between your thumb and first finger round the edge to check that it's even
Keep polishing until you are satisfied with the surface. The cake is now ready for fondant or royal icing.
Video
Notes
Everyday Cooks notes:
You can use ready-made marzipan - 800g is enough, but it usually comes in 500g packs