Royal icing, marzipan (or a less sweet version, known as almond paste), fondant icing (also known as sugarpaste) and buttercream are used as covering icings and to create decorations.
Marzipan (or almond paste) may also be used as a cake ingredient, as in stollen.
Traditionally there is family brunch with "kerststol" (fruited raisinbread; often filled with almond paste).
Almond paste is used as a filling in pastries, but it can also be found in chocolates and as a higher quality alternative to marzipan.
Almond paste is the most common flavoured variety.
Bear claws contain almond paste or additionally raisins.
The cook, instead of stirring the eggs and almond paste mixture into the pastry, spread it on top of the jam.
