How to make an Easter simnel cake
A simnel cake is a traditional Easter cake made using marzipan and dried fruit. Usually baked in time for Mothering Sunday when the strict forty day fast during Lent was relaxed a little. Although references to simnel cakes have been found from the medieval period, the simnel cake that is popular today dates from the Victorian period.
With its simple recipe and delicious layers of marzipan this is a tasty treat to bake for Easter, making a nice alternative to chocolate eggs.
Ingredients For Your Simnel Cake
The simnel cake is actually quite straightforward to put together but does have a fairly long list of ingredients:
175g of butter
175g of soft brown sugar
175g plain flour
4 medium eggs
½ a teaspoon of mixed spice
A pinch of salt
350g of mixed raisins, currants and sultanas
55g of chopped mixed peel
The zest of half a lemon
175g of marzipan
1 x 18cm round baking tin
And to decorate the top of the cake you’ll need an additional 500g of marzipan and a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam.
Baking The Simnel Cake
Before you begin be sure to preheat your oven to 140oC/275oF. Take your baking tin and grease then line it with baking parchment and set to one side.
* Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix together until you get a smooth, creamy mixture.
* In a separate bowl beat your eggs until they are well mixed.
* Pour ¾ of your egg mixture into the sugar and butter and combine
* Sift your flour, mixed spice and salt together. Then add to the mixture a bit at a time, making sure it is well mixed before adding more.
* Add your dried fruit, lemon zest and peel and stir through the mixture until it is evenly distributed.
* Pour half of the mixture into the cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
* Dust your work surface with icing sugar.
* Knead your marzipan until it’s pliable then roll it out into a circle the same size as your cake tin.
* Place the marzipan disc into the cake tin and then pour the rest of the mixture on top.
* Bake in the middle of the over for approximately 1¾ hours. You can test the cake by inserting a skewer through the middle. If it comes out clean the cake is ready.
* Remove the cake and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Decorating The Simnel Cake
After the cake has cooled, remove it from the baking tin and brush the top with a thin layer of apricot jam. This will help stick the marzipan to the top.
* Knead your marzipan and roll it out onto your work surface, adding more icing sugar if needed to stop it from sticking and tearing.
* Roll out a circle that is the same size as your cake.
* Gently place it on top of the cake.
* Using a sharp knife score the top with diagonal lines to create a crosshatched effect.
* Take some marzipan and roll 11 balls of marzipan. Place these around the outside edge of the cake top.
* Brush the top of the cake with the egg left over from baking.
* Pre-heat your grill to a high setting. Put the cake under the grill for a couple of minutes. But keep watching and don’t allow the marzipan to burn. You just want it to have a slight browning.
Enjoy! The delicious combination of marzipan and moist fruit in the cake is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee on Easter Sunday.
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