Measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl.

In a separate bowl lightly beat the egg white and add the 2 teaspoons of almond essence to it.

Add the egg white & almond essence mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Add the softened butter little bit by little bit until you are satisfied with the consistency of your marzipan. You may find you do not need to use all the butter.

Once satisfied with your marzipan, wrap it in cling film and put it into the fridge until needed.

This is the sort of recipe that you can tweak to suit your own taste. You may find you want to reduce the sweetness or the custard powder or even the strength of the almond flavour. It very much depends on your personal taste. For those that suffer with nut allergies, you can add 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence in place of the almond essence which is lovely as well.