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How to make Easter Simnel Cake
Make this traditional light fruit cake with a layer of marzipan inside and another on top. It makes a perfect centrepiece for your Easter table.
Ingredients
- 175 grams soft butter
- 175 grams soft brown sugar
- 175 grams self-raising flour
- 300 grams mixed dried fruit
- 3 eggs
- 90 grams glace cherries quartered, rinsed and dried
- 1 lemon grated zest
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 800 grams marzipan
- 2 teaspoons apricot jam
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150℃/300℉ Fan
- Grease and line an 20 cm/8 inch round cake tin with baking parchment or a pre-made parchment liner.
- Roll out ⅓ of the marzipan and using the cake tin as a guide, cut out an 20 cm circle. Set aside.
- Place 175 grams/6 ounces softened butter and 175 grams/¾ cups brown sugar into a bowl.
- Beat with a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer until well combined.
- Add the 3 eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. You may need to scrape the butter sugar mixture from the sides of the bowl to ensure that it is all combined.
- Add 175 grams/¾ cups plain (all purpose) flour.
- Weigh or measure 300 grams/1½ cups mixed dried fruit, 90 grams/½ cup glace (candied) cherries, lemon or orange zest and one1 teaspoon mixed spice and add to the flour in the bowl.
- You can do this by hand but a stand mixer makes the job really easy.
- Spoon half the mixture into the lined cake tin,
- Top with the round of marzipan.
- Cover with the remaining cake mixture and level the surface.
- Bake for 1 hours 40 minutes or until golden brown. Check that the cake is baked by pushing a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out sticky it's not baked, if it's clean then the cake is ready. If the cake seems to be browning too quickly, cover it with some baking parchment.
- When the cake is completely cool, warm 2 teaspoons of apricot jam in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove. Use this to brush the top of the cake.
- Roll out half the remaining marzipan to an 20 cm round and put it on top of the jam, crimping the edges into an attractive pattern. Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 balls, brush the base of each with egg white and place evenly around the edge of the cake.
- Using the remaining egg white, brush the marzipan and the marzipan balls. Then place under a hot grill until the balls are golden brown and slightly bubbling.
Notes
The eleven marzipan balls on the Simnel Cake represent the 11 disciples of Jesus Christ excluding Judas.
Nutrition
Calories: 521kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 9gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 141mgPotassium: 332mgFiber: 4gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 429IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg