Murcian cordials, delicious and traditional homemade marzipan cakes

Murcian cordials are succulent little cakes in which a thin layer of marzipan envelops a juicy angel hair interior flavored with cinnamon. They are molded in the shape of a flattened cone that rests on a wafer and baked in the oven. We have found repeated references to the fact that it is a sweet that was born in convents, but without identifying which convents or when. As is often the case with popular sweets, its exact origins are hard to trace.

They say that these sweets, deeply rooted throughout the Campo de Cartagena, have traditionally been made at homeand that it was a common thing to take them to bake at the town bakery, as is the case with many traditional sweets in many other areas, since it was not usual for all houses to have an oven.

If you are very diligent, you can prepare your own angel hair with our homemade recipe, although today, fortunately, we have canned angel hair in many shops and it is the one we have used in our preparation. As for the wafers, if you cannot find a small size that is just right for the cupcakes like the ones we have used, use large wafers, placing the cupcakes directly on them, and cut them once the cordials are baked.

recipe information

• • Preparation time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

• • cooking time: 20 minutes

• • total time: 2 hours

• • rations:24

• • Category: dessert

• • type of cuisine: Murcian

• • Calories per serving (kcal):210

Murcian cordials ingredients

• • Lemon zest

• • 500 g ground raw almonds

• • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• • 250 g of angel hair

• • 300 g of white sugar

• • 2 eggs L

• • 24 wafers

• • Icing sugar (optional)

How to make Murcian cordials

Weigh and measure all the ingredients. Grate the skin of 1 lemon and add it to 500 g of ground almonds.

Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to 250 g of angel hair.

In a bowl, mix well 300 g of sugar with the lemon zest and almond.

Add 1 beaten egg and knead until a homogeneous and somewhat sticky dough is obtained.

If the dough is too dry, that it cracks when stretched, add a second egg little by little until you get a consistency that allows you to stretch the dough comfortably, without being excessively sticky. Wrap in plastic film and leave to rest for 1 hour in the fridge so that the almonds hydrate.

Once the dough has rested, form the cordials as follows: moisten your hands beforehand, take a portion of almond dough the size of a walnut (about 35 g) and form a basket.

Take a teaspoon of the angel hair, place it in the center of the basket and close the dough by pinching it, giving the cupcake a more or less conical shape.

Go placing the cupcakes on wafers, placed in turn on a baking tray.

Cook the cordials in the lower third of the oven previously heated to 200 °C, with heat above and below, and for 10-12 minutes, until golden.

Remove the tray from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, dust with icing sugar, if desired, before serving.

Easy preparation summary

1. 1. Grate the lemon skin and add it to the almond

1. 1. Add ground cinnamon to angel hair

1. 1. Mix the sugar with the lemon zest and the ground almonds

1. 1. Add the egg and knead until a homogeneous dough is obtained.

1. 1. If it is dry, add more egg until you get a consistency that allows you to stretch the dough comfortably. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour

1. 1. Form the cordials by taking a basket-shaped portion of dough the size of a walnut.

1. 1. Fill with cabello de ángel and close the dough, giving it a conical shape

1. 1. Arrange the cupcakes on wafers

1. 1. Bake the cordials in the oven at 200 °C for 10-12 minutes

1. 1. Take out and let cool. Sprinkle with icing sugar