Massepain Seychellois – Maspen

The Massepain Seychellois- Maspen– is a type of sponge cake that was featured at every traditional wedding. It is a perfect tea time cake topped with papaya jam.

Initially, it was just a cake that was portioned and offered to all wedding guests to eat at the wedding or take home. However, it later became a base for a traditional wedding cake topped with marzipan and icing.

Two types of Maspen

In Seychelles we have two types of maspen. The maspen mariaz (lit. wedding maspen) and maspen manyok (Lit. cassava maspen). In this post we will discuss the maspen mariaz  (maspen) and reserve the maspen manyok for another post.

How did the maspen get to Seychelles?

We inherited the Massepain Seychellois- Maspen– from the French settlers who settled in Mauritius in the early 1800s. These settlers originated from the South west of France. The masepen, known in Mauritius as ‘gâteau français’ or ‘gateau massepain’ was later introduced to the Seychelles by some of the French settlers who came from Mauritius.

Original definition of the name of Massepain-Masepen

The name of Massepain Seychellois-Maspen– derives from the European ‘massepain’ which is a confectionery made up of almond paste, sugar and egg white. It is the traditional confectionery in many European countries with a great variance in the recipe. This where the relationship stops. The maspen is in fact very different to the European massepain, which in German is translated as ‘marzipan’. The masepen is in fact close to an egg-based, slightly heavy, sponge cake or a ‘genoise’ and does not have almond in it at all, although some almond can be added to give that extra flavour.

The Etymology

The ultimate etymology of ‘massepain’ is unclear. It may have derived from ‘marchpane’, meaning ‘March bread’, which could have been borrowed from the Italian word ‘Marzapane’  which in turn could have derived from the Latin term “martius panis”, which means bread of March. Finally the German name for ‘massepain’, which is marzipan, has now ousted   the original archaic English name marchpane and has become the popular name.

Marzipan

Despite this confusing and fuzzy origin, the European massepain and marzipan are in fact the same thing, with some exceptions to be discussed late.  It is a paste made from blanched and finely ground almonds, mixed with egg white and sugar, in a respective proportion of ⅔ and ⅓.

Marzipan  is often made into small imitations of fruits and vegetables. It can also be used in biscuits or rolled into thin sheets and used as a base for icing cakes, primarily birthday cakes, wedding cakes and Christmas cakes.

The Traditional Variations

The preparation of the Massepain is traditional in several European countries. For example, two appellations of massepain (mazapán) of controlled origin (d’origine contrôlée) are recognized in Spain. The production of marzipan is traditional on the shores of the Baltic Sea, particularly in Lübeck (Lübecker Marzipan) and, formerly, in Königsberg (Königsberger Marzipan). During holidays such as Saint-Nicolas, Christmas or Easter, it is common to find all kinds of marzipan figurines and sculptures. Marzipan is also the specialty of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, a village in Limousin, France. It comes in the form of a cookie. It is also prepared in Gironde.  Marzipan is also traditionally produced in Minervino Murge and Palermo, Sicily, especially during the feast for the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (November 2) in the form of artificial fruits, the frutta di Martorana.

The exceptions

In some small corners of the world, Massepain is not the same as marzipan, but a cake similar to the one that is prepared in Mauritius and the Seychelles.

In France , there are two departments/provinces that are still producing a ‘massepain’ which is a cake close to the one prepared in Seychelles.

In Aveyron they still prepare their Massepain Aveyronnais, which is close to our maspen but lighter. Aveyron is a department located in  Occitanie  region of Southern France. Named after the Aveyron River, it had a population of 278,697 in 2016. Its inhabitants are known as  Aveyronnais or Aveyronnaises

In Quercy they produce their  Massepain du Quercy which is an ultra light, tasty and fluffy cake scented with orange blossom water. The use of potato starch to make it even light.  It is served with a good strawberry or raspberry coulis or with jam. Quercy is a former province of France located in the country’s southwest.

The Masse Pain (two words) is also featured in Cajun cooking in Louisiana and the recipe is almost similar to ours.  This, I am sure, is the result of the French influence in the region.

Preparing the Maspen

The maspen can be cooked in any shape. My preferred shape is rectangular and for this recipe, I would suggest a cake tin of 20 x 10 cm. Spray the base and sides of  the tin with vegetable oil or alternatively you can use melted butter. Line the base of the with non-stick baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Sift the flour in a medium size bowl and add  salt and the baking powder together and mix well and keep.

Place the softened butter in a deep mixing bowl, use an hand held electric mixer and beat/whip the butter until it becomes creamy. I use a deep mixing bowl because it contains the butter which tends to splash when being whipped. Add the sugar and beat for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and blend until mixture looks smooth and silky.

With a wooden spoon or spatula, Gradually mix in the flour mixture gently into the butter mixture. Mix thoroughly and transfer the mixture into the buttered cake tin. Gently tap the cake tin on the bench to remove any air bubbles that could be present in the tin and to settle the mixture evenly.

Bake the cake mixture for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden and springs back when touched. You can also use a skewer to test the cake. If the skewer comes out clean after being pushed into the cake, the cake is cooked.

Transfer the baking tin with the cake inside onto a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool for a further 30 minutes.

Remove the baking paper. Cut into slices or wedges.

Served without frosting. It is great with pawpaw jam.

Here is the recipe for Massepain Seychellois- Maspen

Any suggestions or comments about this post?

I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.

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